https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54750775
Covid spreading faster in England than 'worst-case scenario', documents show
Covid is spreading "significantly" faster through England than even the government's predicted "worst-case" scenario, documents reveal.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) says there are around four times as many people catching Covid than anticipated.
A "reasonable worst-case scenario" is used by officials and the NHS to plan for the months ahead.
It had estimated 85,000 deaths from Covid over the course of winter.
But an official Sage document, dated 14 October and published today, reveals we are in a worse position than expected.
Scientists crunching the numbers estimated that, by mid-October, there were between 43,000 and 74,000 people being infected with coronavirus every day in England.
Their report said: "This is significantly above the profile of the reasonable worst-case scenario, where the number of daily infections in England remained between 12,000-13,000 throughout October."
Analysis: Are we heading for lockdown?
You don't need to be a genius to realise how difficult managing the virus through winter is going to be.
Scientists advising the government have been arguing for a short, planned lockdown - called a circuit-breaker - since 21 September.
They made the case when there were around 5,000 confirmed cases a day. The numbers have changed dramatically since then and their argument is intensifying, not lessening.
The government is holding to its regional "tiered" system even as other countries introduce new lockdowns.
There are glimmers of hope with cases appearing to level off in the North East and the R number drifting down.
However, the national R is not below one and there will be a constant argument for tighter restrictions, in whatever form, until it is.
The biggest thing to remember is quite how much further we have to go - November, December, January and February are expected to be the toughest months - and we are in this for the long haul.
The report added that the number of people with Covid needing hospital care is already higher than the winter plan and deaths will "almost certainly" exceed the plan in the next two weeks.
However, this is not the same as saying more than 85,000 people will die this winter. Government action can still change the course of the pandemic.