55,000 Brits Are Probably Already Infected With the Coronavirus According to the Government’s Advisor

The British Government’s scientific advisor Patrick Vallance estimates that 55,000 people in the UK already are infected with the coronavirus.

This is in stark contrast with the official figure of 1,543 confirmed cases of the infection in the country to date. Vallance told a parliamentary committee that the calculation is based on the scientific models that the government has access to.

He also said that an important goal is to get the death toll to not exceed 20,000.

“If we can bring it down to 20,000 or less, it is a good result considering what we are aiming for. It’s still horrible, it’s still a huge number of deaths, and it’s still a huge burden on the health system,” Vallance said.

The British Government’s advisor believes that the scale of the spread, taking into account the measures introduced during Monday and Tuesday, will only be visible in about two to three weeks.