Thank you for contacting me about the recent announcements regarding measures taken in response to Covid-19.
Throughout the pandemic, ministers have carefully weighed the costs of measures designed to protect the public and save lives against the effect they have on individuals and society, including educational outcomes. In November 2020, the Government published analysis of the health, economic and social impact of measures to tackle Covid-19 up to that point.
The Government continues to review all available data about the impact of the Omicron variant, including from South Africa.
Studying this data informed the Government’s decision to not introduce further restrictions in England over the Christmas and New Year period.
As data has shown falling infections from the Omicron variant, the Government has been able to take further steps and remove Plan B restrictions from Thursday 27 January.
Looking to the future, I am pleased that the UK has recently approved Ronapreve, the first of its kind antibody treatment for Covid-19. Clinical trial data has shown that Ronapreve may be used to prevent infection and reduce the likelihood of being admitted to Hospital due to Covid-19.
The Government is committed to the principles of transparency and accountability, which is why it has consistently sought to publish the latest data on the impacts of the pandemic.
The latest data on the number of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital, currently in hospital, and in ventilation beds is are publicly available on the Government’s Covid-19 data website here: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare
Data on excess mortality is regularly published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID). Monitoring excess mortality improves understanding of the impact of Covid-19 during the course of the pandemic and beyond. This data can be found here: https://bit.ly/3GNy2QL
Thank you once again for contacting me.
Craig Whittaker MP
February 2022