The UK faces a “very difficult problem” of rising covid-19 deaths and cases if it does not change course, chief medical officer for England Chris Whitty has warned.

The epidemic is doubling roughly every seven days in the UK, chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance told a televised briefing today. “There’s no doubt we are in a situation where the numbers are increasing,” he said, referring to several sets of data, including an Office for National Statistics study which suggests around 6000 people a …