LatestMan Charged In Light Rail Stabbing Reignites Immigration Fury in CharlotteNationNewsPoliticsTechFact CheckPersonal FinanceAutomotiveSportsBetter WorkplacesWorldRussia-UkraineMiddle EastChina And AsiaBetter PlanetAll World NewsLifestyleFamily & ParentingEntertainmentTravelPetsRelationshipsScienceHealthOpinionMy TurnAll OpinionRankingsHealthFinanceProductsEducationWorkplacesCorporate ResponsibilityAll RankingsConnectNewslettersFacebookInstagramYouTubeTikTokTwitter/XRedditAnnouncementsLeadershipDev PragadMoreUnconventionalEventsPodcastsVantageReaders ChoiceNewsweek.AISubscribeSign InNationNewsPoliticsTechFact CheckPersonal FinanceAutomotiveSportsBetter WorkplacesWorldRussia-UkraineMiddle EastChina And AsiaBetter PlanetAll World NewsLifestyleFamily & ParentingEntertainmentTravelPetsRelationshipsScienceHealthOpinionMy TurnAll OpinionRankingsHealthFinanceProductsEducationWorkplacesCorporate ResponsibilityAll RankingsConnectNewslettersFacebookInstagramYouTubeTikTokTwitter/XRedditAnnouncementsLeadershipDev PragadMoreUnconventionalEventsPodcastsVantageReaders ChoiceNewsweek.AI    WorldCoronavirusBoris JohnsonNews ArticleU.K.’s Coronavirus Death Toll Could Have Halved If Lockdown Was Week Earlier, Former Adviser AdmitsPublishedJun 10, 2020 at 11:53 AM EDTupdatedJun 10, 2020 at 12:54 PM EDTBy Basit MahmoodNews reporterShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe U.K. government could have halved the number of deaths resulting from COVID-19, if it had imposed stringent lockdown measures a week earlier, a former government adviser has said.Professor Neil Ferguson, whose projection models for the spread of the virus played a key role in helping to formulate the government's response, made the comments during a House of Commons Science and Technology Committee briefing.He said: "The epidemic was doubling every three to four days before lockdown interventions were introduced."So, had we introduced lockdown measures a week earlier, we would have then reduced the final death toll by at least a half", Ferguson said."Whilst I think the measures, given what we knew about this virus then in terms of its transmission and its lethality, were warranted - I wouldn't second-guess them at this point - certainly had we introduced them earlier, we would have seen many fewer deaths."Professor Ferguson said he agreed with the decisions taken by the government, but questioned whether they were taken at the right time.The U.K. currently has the second highest death toll from COVID-19 in the world, behind only the U.S.Read MoreAs Prince Philip Turns 99, Pictures of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh Over the Years3 min readU.K. Prime Minister Eases COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions and Allows ‘Support Bubbles’3 min readPutin Is Tightening His Grip on Russia but Coronavirus Makes Him Weaker Than Ever6 min readWhen Professor Ferguson was asked what went wrong he said:"I think two things - one is a paper actually out in Nature, which highlights that around about that time, just before lockdown happened, the first two weeks of March, we probably had 1,500 to 2,000 infections imported from Italy and Spain, which we just hadn't seen in the surveillance data, until that point...."So there is much heavier seeding than we'd expected."Professor Ferguson said that the government had "underestimated how far into the epidemic this country was, that's half the reason."He said: "The second part, which I think would have been more avoidable, is about half of those deaths occurred in care homes."He said that government policy at the time was that care homes would be shielded from infection.In March, Prof Ferguson estimated that the pandemic would cause at most 20,000 deaths.According to the latest figures from the Department of Health, a further 245 people in the U.K. have died with coronavirus as of 5pm on Tuesday, taking the total to 41,128 deaths.Request Reprint & LicensingSubmit CorrectionView Editorial & AI GuidelinesAdd Newsweek as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Recommended For YouNewsIs Europe ‘Just a Museum’ Asks Trump’s NATO Envoy5 min readFor MembersNewsTrump May Get a New Far-Right Friend in South America for Christmas11 min readWorldChina’s Artificial Island Military Base Upgrades Revealed4 min readNewsTrump Administration Accuses Europe of ‘Attack on All’ Americans4 min readWorldNew US National Security Strategy—Three Things It Says About China4 min readWorldMapped: US Sends ‘Nuke Sniffer’ Plane to Russia’s Pacific Coast4 min readRelated PodcastsTop StoriesNewsMan Charged In Light Rail Stabbing Reignites Immigration Fury in Charlotte5 min readNewsThe Marine Corps at 250: Exclusive With USMC Commandant, Sergeant Major3 min readNewsTrump Administration To Charge $5,000 ‘Apprehension Fee’ On Migrants5 min readPoliticsMarjorie Taylor Greene Says Trump Was ‘Furious’ With Her Over Epstein Files4 min readPoliticsHegseth Avoids Committing to Release Second Strike Video5 min readNewsCinnabon Responds to Viral Video of Worker Harassing Somali Couple3 min readTrendingWeatherWinter Storm Warning As Two Feet of Snow To Hit: ‘Considerable Disruptions’3 min readDogsCam Captures Kids Returning From School—It’s Very Clear Dog Has a Favorite3 min readAmazonAmazon Recall Update: Customers Told ‘Immediately Stop’ Using Products4 min readNational ParksTrump Admin Removes MLK Day, Juneteenth From National Parks Fee-Free Days4 min readSupreme CourtJohn Roberts Halts Court Ruling in Immigration Judges’ Speech Limits Case3 min readOpinionFor MembersOpinionConventional Wisdom: World Cup Draw Edition3 min readOpinionWhy America’s Heartland Deserves Better Retirement Benefits | Opinion4 min readFor MembersOpinionConventional Wisdom: The ‘Demonic’ Transgender Essay Edition3 min readOpinionOn Venezuela, Trump Needs To Ask the Big Question | Opinion5 min readFor MembersOpinionConventional Wisdom: January 6 Pipe Bomber Arrest Edition4 min readTrending01Winter Storm Warning As Two Feet of Snow To Hit: ‘Considerable Disruptions’3 min read02Cam Captures Kids Returning From School—It’s Very Clear Dog Has a Favorite3 min read03Amazon Recall Update: Customers Told ‘Immediately Stop’ Using Products4 min read04Trump Admin Removes MLK Day, Juneteenth From National Parks Fee-Free Days4 min read05John Roberts Halts Court Ruling in Immigration Judges’ Speech Limits Case3 min readOpinionFor MembersConventional Wisdom: World Cup Draw EditionBy Newsweek EditorsWhy America’s Heartland Deserves Better Retirement Benefits | OpinionBy Joe DonnellyFor MembersConventional Wisdom: The ‘Demonic’ Transgender Essay EditionBy Newsweek EditorsOn Venezuela, Trump Needs To Ask the Big Question | OpinionBy Daniel R. 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