The UK will get a three-tier lockdown alert today to deal with spiralling coronavirus cases.
Boris Johnson said the UK would suffer an “intolerable death toll” and the NHS would “fall over” if he simply let the virus “rip”.
As a measure of the seriousness of the situation, authorities will reopen the fast-build temporary NHS Nightingale hospitals to treat overflow patients.
More people are now in hospital with coronavirus than at the start of the UK lockdown in March.
These graphs released by the government set out the scale of the situation:
New Covid deaths 'baked in'
This chart shows the total number of cases in the UK.
The first spike occurred in the spring with the second wave coming in September after a flat summer.
Accounting for a three-week lag between a positive test and admission to hospital, England's deputy chief medical officer Prof Jonathan Van-Tam said deaths would undoubtedly surge in the near future.
He said: “We have baked in additional hospital admissions and sadly we have also baked in additional deaths.”
Rates of coronavirus and the pace of change in positive tests is demonstrated in this chart (above).
Scientists said the north of England is experiencing the worst of the second wave but warned that the dark brown colour showed “things are heating up” in the south.
“It has changed in a matter of just a few days,” Prof Van-Tam said.
Prof Van-Tam said the 60-plus age group was experiencing increasing rates of coronavirus because it was spreading from younger people.
He said under-30s had been accounting for the bulk of new cases at the start of the second wave but there was now a surge in older citizens becoming infected.
This is a concern because “the elderly suffer much worse, they are admitted to hospitals for longer periods and they are difficult to save”, he said.
Mr Johnson said it would be wrong to “let the virus rip” and put the NHS under “unbearable pressure”.
He told MPs: “If we let the virus rip the bleak mathematics say we would suffer an intolerable death toll.
“The virus would spread with such velocity there would be no way to stop it.”
Virus 'crept' from young to old
Focusing on north-west England, Prof Van-Tam said the data showed the virus clearly crept from younger people to older people.
He said the pattern was likely to be followed across the country.
NHS medical director Stephen Powis said there were now more people in hospital with Covid-19 than before lockdown in March.
He said authorities have told three Nightingale hospitals in the Covid-hit north to get ready to receive patients.
The hospitals were built across the UK in conference centres and stadia earlier this year as the pandemic swept across the country.
Named after nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale and constructed by the military, many were not needed at the time.
However, Prof Powis said they could be used soon as hospital admissions spiral.
“It is clear hospital admissions are rising fastest in those parts of the country where infection rates are highest,” he said.
He added that Paris and Madrid now had 40 per cent of ICU beds taken up by Covid-19 patients.
Prof Powis said there were steep rises in the number of older people being admitted to hospital with coronavirus.
He said: “The claim the elderly can somehow be fenced off from risk is, I’m afraid, proving to be wishful thinking.”
Some hospitals recorded a sevenfold increase in Covid patients in one month.
In another four weeks, Prof Powis said, hospitals could be treating more coronavirus patients than they did during the first wave.
He said that cases of long-Covid – where people experience the disease’s symptoms for prolonged periods – were becoming more apparent in all age groups.
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Results
2-15pm: Commercial Bank Of Dubai – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Al Habash, Patrick Cosgrave (jockey), Bhupat Seemar (trainer)
2.45pm: Al Shafar Investment – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Day Approach, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
3.15pm: Dubai Real estate Centre – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Celtic Prince, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Sprint by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Khuzaam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Shadwell – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Tenbury Wells, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Jebel Ali Stakes by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
5.15pm: Jebel Ali Racecourse – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Rougher, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
