UK might not be over the worst, scientists warn, as Covid case numbers stay high

Inoculation programme must be stepped up before the onset of winter

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Britain is heading into winter with the number of Covid cases remaining at a worryingly high level. At the same time, the nation's vaccination programme appears to have stalled.

That is the bleak view of leading epidemiologists who have warned that the worst effects of the pandemic may not yet be over for the UK. As the weather gets colder, more and more people are likely to socialise in restaurants, bars and cinemas rather than in parks or gardens with the result that transmission rates of Covid-19 are likely to rise.