'There is a very real risk of a second peak': Doctor warns against easing coronavirus lockdown
The West Midlands appears to have passed the peak of the coronavirus pandemic, with hospital admissions continuing to fall.
But a top doctor has warned there is a risk of a deadly second wave of Covid-19 if the lockdown is lifted too quickly.
Government figures appear to show the region reached the peak of the crisis around April 12 when there were just over 3,000 people in hospital with coronavirus.
That total has steadily fallen to around 2,500 over the past fortnight, with the north west overtaking the Midlands in terms of hospital admissions.
Daily deaths in the Black Country, Staffordshire and Birmingham have also been gradually falling.
David Nicholl, a consultant neurologist at Sandwell Hospital, confirmed there had been a noticeable fall in coronavirus cases over recent days.
It appears to confirm that the lockdown has had an impact on suppressing the virus. Pressure is building on the Government to set out its lockdown exit strategy.
Boris Johnson addressed the nation yesterday after returning to work having himself been in intensive care with Covid-19, but said it was not yet time to ease restrictions.
Difficult
Dr Nicholl said: "It is still early days and if we come out of lockdown too early there is a very real risk of a second peak. That's why people are very cautious.
"I have seen some people saying there are no patients at the NEC - that's a success. The fact we haven't put it to use is a success. We have avoided the Lombardy, Italy, type of situation.
"Looking ahead now we need to think about the next 12 to 18 months and how we plan for the healthcare of everything else."
He added: "I get annoyed when people say the NHS is coping. It's because we've stopped doing everything else."
Dr Rohit Singh, of the regional Covid-19 response team, who is based in Shropshire, said: "It's difficult to say we've reached the peak until we have gone through the whole thing, but we were busier a couple of weeks ago.
"I'm hoping we're past the peak. I think the effect of the lockdown is certainly causing a drop in the number of cases."
But he added: "I think it's highly probable that if they start easing the lockdown, we are going to see a second wave."
