'We're going to have to get used to living with the virus': Boris Johnson is urged to treat Covid like the flu with 'targeted strategy' and end to mass vaccinations as health bosses say Omicron wave has PEAKED in London and hospitals WILL cope.

-Dr Clive Dix, chairman of taskforce from December 2020 until April, called for return to 'new normality'
-He said the country needs to learn to manage the disease rather than focus on halting the spread of the virus
-Professor Kevin Fenton said the spread of Omicron variant of coronavirus thought to have peaked in London
-It comes as Britain's daily Covid figures fell for the third day in a row on Saturday, official data showed

Boris Johnson faced renewed pressure to act to get Britain back to normal today with demands that Covid rules and measures designed to slow the spread of the disease be stripped away.

The former head of the UK's vaccine taskforce suggested that coronavirus should be treated more like flu from now on, with booster jabs reserved only for the most vulnerable and at risk, amid signs that the Omicron variant is less severe than previous incarnations.

Dr Clive Dix, chairman of the government agency from December 2020 until April, called for a return to a 'new normality' and a focus on disease management, saying: 'It is pointless keeping giving more and more vaccines to people who are not going to get very ill. We should just let them get ill and deal with that.'

A second expert, Dr David Speigelhalter, warned that people 'are going to catch it and might catch it again' and would have to get used to it.

At the same time, figures within Mr Johnson's own Cabinet broke ranks to suggest that Covid isolation should be slashed from seven days to five to ease a manpower crisis, something Mr Johnson has been resisting.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi suggested it would be 'helpful' if the UK followed the US example and only forced people to self-isolate after a positive test result, rather than after coming down with symptoms.

He pointed out the number of NHS trusts declaring critical incidents was comparable with winters before the pandemic and he hoped that the UK would become one of the first countries 'to demonstrate to the world how you transition from pandemic to endemic'.

Influenza is currently treated as an endemic infection, a disease widespread in the population which is treated with vaccine boosters for the most vulnerable and time off work to recuperate.

It came as Professor Kevin Fenton, Public Health England's regional director for London, said the spread of Omicron in the capital appeared to have peaked over the new year, with case rates were now falling across the city.

And NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson told the BBC that while the health service was being 'stretched perilously thin' he believed 'the front line will hold'.

Man lands on moon , should of done this all along.

Bout fukking time.

they've rinsed enough money for now using the covid excuse

next year another dilemma evolves giving these fat greedy pieces of chit a reason to higher taxes and generally make life chit for the people who carry them through the pompous lifes they live

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He'd rather smash that MFin great reset button.