When will coronavirus peak in the UK?

While scientists speculate that coronavirus could be with us for months to come, public health officials are trying to work out when the virus might peak, and how its spread can be slowed.

In fact, despite measures such as closing shops, pubs, restaurants and theatres – as well as banning mass gatherings, closing schools, postponing or cancelling sporting events, and bringing in emergency legislation to enforce a three-week lockdown – the worst is almost certainly still to come in terms of the UK’s peak number of cases.

So when is the peak and how long until the virus is stopped?

When will the virus peak in the UK?

Professor Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer, said on March 12 that he expects the UK would reach the peak of its coronavirus outbreak in about 10 to 14 weeks. “If you move too early, people get fatigued,” he said, when asked about how to respond effectively to the virus. “This is a long haul.”

That timeframe would mean that the number of infections would not peak before the Easter break, but could hit the UK hardest in the May half-term holidays. 

The Department of Health has advised that the peak is likely in about three months when 95 per cent of the infections are expected to take place. It means that most people will contract the virus between late May and late June.

The Prime Minister said last week that the most “dangerous period is not now, but some weeks away, depending on how fast it spreads”. 

Experts hope that the UK’s response will push the peak beyond the normal end of the flu season in April and into the summer, when the NHS will be under less strain.

Why is the peak predicted then?

Modelling by the Government and Public Health England suggests that there will be a slow growth of new cases each day – as has been the case in recent weeks  before the number of infections is expected to leap. This is at least partly because the virus is highly infectious and it is possible to be infected without presenting symptoms, which makes it hard to detect and control the spread.

It could also depend on seasonality. Britain will lie at the centre of a coronavirus danger zone throughout March and April, scientists believe.

If temperatures and humidity follow a similar pattern to last year, the UK climate will create the perfect breeding ground for the virus, according to a new study.

Weather records of where the virus has been spreading rapidly show similar average temperatures of between five to 11 degrees Celsius and humidity of 47 to 79 per cent, which is similar to laboratory conditions in which coronavirus thrives.

However as warmer temperatures emerge it could die out or be pushed into winter in the southern hemisphere. 

Read more: how many coronavirus cases are in my area?

Will the ‘delay’ phase work?

The British government is now at the “delay” phase of its virus response, which means that the possibility of containing the virus has passed and now steps must be taken to delay the peak.

An assumption is that the UK has about four weeks before it faces issues like Italy, which has had to shut down schools, businesses and entire neighbourhoods.

Like Italy, Boris Johnson announced on March 18 that all schools in the UK would close from March 20.

The Prime Minister also placed the UK on a police-enforced lockdown with drastic new measures in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.

France and Ireland are among the European countries to have closed all schools, universities and nurseries.

How to prepare and what to expect

The single most important thing you can do to protect yourself is to keep your hands clean by washing them frequently with soap and water or a hand sanitising gel. 

Try to avoid touching your mouth, nose or eyes with unwashed hands – something we all do unconsciously on average about 15 times an hour.

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