Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

Don't bash Britain over high Covid cases, says Oxford vaccine creator

Don't bash Britain over high Covid cases, says Oxford vaccine creator

Sir Andrew Pollard says comparisons with Europe are 'problematic' because of the UK's prolific testing regime

A leading British scientist says it is unfair “to bash the UK” over the high number of coronavirus infections being reported in the country.

Sir Andrew Pollard, who helped create the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, said he believed the overall Covid situation in the country may be improving, thanks to the high level of immunity among the general population.

The UK has averaged more than 40,000 cases a day for over a week, significantly higher than figures reported by its European neighbours. The recent surge has led to calls for new Plan B Covid restrictions, which have so far been ignored by the government.

Sir Andrew said that while he agreed daily figures were high, he believes comparisons with European neighbours were “problematic” due to the high level of testing being carried out in Britain.

Speaking at the UK Parliament's Science and Technology Committee, he said: “I think one of the difficulties that we have in discussions at the moment is rigorous understanding of the data.

“We've reflected on comments about very high case rates in the UK, because it's true, which is very much related to testing.

“And if you look across Western Europe, we have about 10 times more tests each day than some other countries.

“We do have a lot of transmission at the moment, but it's not right to say those rates are really telling us something that we can compare internationally.

“Now, interestingly, Israel also has a very high testing rate and picks up a lot more cases than many other countries.

“If you make the adjustment of cases in relation to the rates of testing, and look at test positivity, currently Germany has the highest test positivity rate in Europe.”

He suggested the UK government should look to do what was right for the British people rather than comparing internationally.

“A lot of our policy decisions should be very much focused on what we think is right for this country, not by saying other countries have much [fewer cases], because it’s very difficult to make those assessments,” the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group told politicians.

“I think when we look at these data is really important not to bash the UK with our very high case rate, because it's partly related to our very high testing rate.

“I'm not trying to deny that there isn't plenty of transmission, because there is. But it's just the comparisons that are problematic".

Health authorities should be much more concerned about protecting unvaccinated people, who now make up the vast majority of intensive care patients, he told the committee.

Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group Andrew Pollard says it is unfair to compare the UK with Europe.


Figures show that 1,082 people were admitted to hospital in the UK on Monday, a monthly increase of 20 per cent. UK Department of Health statistics also show that there are 889 people being treated on mechanical ventilator beds.

“Vaccinating people will protect intensive care”, he said, adding that the situation in the NHS was “incredibly fragile".

Sir Andrew said ensuring less transmission would cut intensive care admissions “but in the end the unvaccinated will meet the virus … it just might not be today, it might be next year”.

During the session, he also said the UK should eventually transition to a “clinically-driven” testing model, particularly in schools, where authorities were “picking up a lot of very mild infections".

He said it was “absolutely critical” to keep children in schools and that “all policy decisions should be focused on that.”

The UK carries out thousands of tests in schools where the risk of serious infection is low.


Asked whether people are looking at the “wrong thing” by focusing on cases, Sir Andrew said that even with deaths, they are recorded as being within 28 days of a positive Covid result. When transmission is high, lots of people will have died from other causes, he said.

He said the raw data was “quite misleading”, though that “doesn’t mean there isn’t Covid transmission and people get hospitalised with it”.

“We're not going to be testing at this level for ever. We are in an improving situation because of vaccination.”

“At some point we'll reach a more steady state with this virus, but we don't know when.”

Downing Street has it is “too early” to draw conclusions from the latest figures, which suggest a potential levelling off of coronavirus cases.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “It’s always encouraging when you see reductions like that and including, I believe, a levelling off of admissions.

“But it’s too early to draw full conclusions from the case rates and we would continue to urge the public to abide by the guidance as set out and those eligible to get booster doses.

Meanwhile, Covid infections and deaths are on the rise again in Europe, with Russia, Ukraine and Romania registering the highest fatalities on the continent, a tally showed Tuesday.

About 1,672,000 new cases have been registered on the continent over the past week, an average of about 239,000 per day.

That is an increase of 18 per cent from the previous week, according to the data, compiled from official sources from 52 countries and territories in the region.

That increase in cases is up 60 per cent from August and September, when there were about 150,000 new registered cases per day.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×