One in 50 individuals in England have been contaminated with the virus, officers say.

As England re-entered lockdown on Tuesday, new figures confirmed that one in 50 individuals had been contaminated with the virus, and officers warned that some restrictions on day by day life may nonetheless be wanted subsequent winter.

Speaking at a information convention, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to focus authorities efforts on rolling out a mass vaccination program meant to stop a surge in infections of a extremely transmissible variant of the virus from overwhelming the well being service.

With greater than 1,000,000 individuals, or 2 p.c of the inhabitants, having been contaminated, the nation is in a race in opposition to time to distribute vaccines.

Mr. Johnson was talking on a day when the federal government mentioned greater than 60,000 new circumstances had been recorded for the primary time. Standing alongside him, Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, mentioned that the variety of day by day deaths, now averaging round 530, was anticipated to rise and that if individuals didn’t observe a lockdown order to remain at dwelling, the danger was “extraordinarily high.”

He additionally warned that Britons would possibly face some restrictions nicely into the long run.

“We might have to bring a few in, in the next winter for example — that is possible — because winter will benefit the virus,” Professor Whitty mentioned.

Mr. Johnson mentioned that 1.3 million individuals had already been vaccinated and that he hoped that probably the most weak, a bunch together with the aged and numbering round 13 million, might be protected by the vaccine inside about six weeks, turning the tide within the battle in opposition to the virus.

“We in government are now using every second of this lockdown to put that invisible shield around the elderly and the vulnerable in the form of vaccinations,” he mentioned.

Mr. Johnson additionally mentioned he was planning a brand new system to make sure that these touring to Britain had a unfavorable coronavirus check earlier than arrival. But he was pressured to defend himself in opposition to prices that he moved too slowly to order the lockdown, and confirmed poor judgment by insisting over the weekend that many faculties in England ought to reopen after the winter vacation on Monday — solely to reverse that call on Monday night time.