More than 20,000 lives could have been saved if lockdown was implemented earlier

"Introduced one week earlier it could have reduced first wave deaths from 36,700 to 15,700."

Implementing a full national lockdown earlier could have prevented over 20,000 deaths, a new study has discovered. Scientists from Imperial College London examined the rate of coronavirus infection across England alongside restrictions introduced to reduce the spread of the virus. The study's findings make for alarming reading. Some 20,000 lives could have been saved - even if lockdown was introduced a mere week earlier. "Among control measures implemented, only national lockdown brought the reproduction number below 1 consistently; introduced one week earlier it could have reduced first wave deaths from 36,700 to 15,700." The analysis continued: "Our results provide crucial insights for controlling the epidemic in the future, emphasising the importance of acting fast." [caption id="attachment_259685" align="alignnone" width="1445"] Health Secretary Matt Hancock today announced that more areas would be moved into Tier 4. (Photo: Getty)[/caption] Other experts agreed that lockdown should have been implemented earlier. Dr Julian Tang, Honorary Associate Professor and Clinical Virologist at the University of Leicester, said: "This report is a timely reminder, as 2020 comes to an end, of how things could have been done better in the UK for the management of this COVID-19 pandemic. "The Lancet editor Richard Horton's earlier editorial describing the UK's delayed response to the pandemic as a 'national scandal' has now been vindicated to some extent. "Earlier models and analyses from the USA on their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how earlier action on social distancing and universal masking could have saved 36,000-40,000 lives." At a coronavirus press briefing held earlier today, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that Tier 4 measures would be extended, from Boxing Day, for the whole of England's South East. Other areas of the country are also to be moved into Tiers 2 and 3. These include:

• Bristol
• Gloucestershire
• Somerset (including North Somerset council area)
• Swindon
• Isle of Wight
• New Forest
• Northamptonshire
• Cheshire
• Warrington

When the tier system was first introduced, Cornwall, the Isle of Wight and the Scilly Isles were the only regions in Tier 1, with the most relaxed restrictions. From December 26th onwards, nowhere in England will be in Tier 1.