UK Guardian: "Up to 7.9 Million Hospitalizations Possible in UK by Next Spring Due to COVID-19"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The British daily The Guardian reported that a confidential report prepared by the UK health authorities revealed that if the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues until next spring, the number of hospital admissions in the UK could reach 7.9 million. The Guardian reported that the UK health authorities are considering a worst-case scenario in which more than 80% of the UK population could be infected.

According to a report obtained by The Guardian on the 15th (local time), prepared by Public Health England (PHE) for senior officials of the National Health Service (NHS), it states that "up to 80% of the population could be infected with COVID-19 over the next 12 months, and up to 15% of those, or 7.9 million people, may require hospitalization." The Guardian said the report was recently prepared by PHE's emergency preparedness and response team and approved by Dr. Susan Hopkins, who leads PHE's COVID-19 response, adding that "health authorities in charge of the COVID-19 response have acknowledged that they expect the virus to rage for the next year."

According to The Guardian, a senior NHS official involved in the COVID-19 response said that if the infection rate reaches 80%, the death toll could exceed 500,000. Based on experts' estimates, if 80% of the UK population is infected and the fatality rate is 1%, the death toll would be calculated at 531,100. The Guardian cited Dr. Chris Whitty, the UK government's chief medical officer, emphasizing that this assumes the worst-case scenario and that the actual numbers would be much lower. The Guardian also pointed out that even with a fatality rate close to 0.6%, as Dr. Whitty suggests, the death toll would still be calculated at 318,660.

However, there are skeptical views regarding the report's content. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia and an epidemiology expert, predicted, "(COVID-19) will subside during the summer as June approaches, similar to seasonal flu, and return in November," adding, "(The virus) will continue to be around, but immunity will increase over time and the risk will decrease."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.