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Ministers are threatening to reimpose Covid restrictions under a potential 'Plan C' which would see mixing between households banned as well as mandatory facemasks, orders to work from home and vaccine passports if booster jabs don't bring the virus under control by Christmas. 

At a gloomy Downing Street press conference reminiscent of the worst days of last year, Health Secretary Sajid Javid warned that cases could reach 100,000 a day this winter and urged people to take precautions such as meeting outdoors, wearing masks and regular testing.

Insisting that 'life is not back to normal' and that 'this pandemic is not over', Mr Javid suggested there could be another national lockdown unless all people eligible for a third jab come forward, claiming the booster is there 'not just to save lives, but to keep your freedoms too'. 

Though the Health Secretary claimed there was no need to implement 'Plan B' measures such as facemasks, WFH orders and domestic passports 'at this point', Cabinet Office officials are said to be discussing proposals which could form part of a potential 'Plan C'. 

Such a plan would see restrictions on gatherings among different households if pressures on hospitals worsen, according to The Telegraph. One Whitehall source told the paper: 'The focus is very much on measures that can be taken without a major economic impact, so keeping shops, pubs and restaurants open but looking at other ways to reduce the risks.' 

Similar draconian measures were in place for much of last year, with people able to meet in hospitality settings such as pubs and restaurants once they had reopened, but not visit each other's homes. That system was swept aside as England entered a lockdown in January, with the ban on household mixing only removed in May. 

Most remaining Covid restrictions were subsequently axed on July 19, a day billed by Downing Street as a so-called 'Freedom Day'. On Tuesday night, MPs agreed to extend emergency Covid powers for another six months without a vote.  

However, doctors instantly accused ministers of being 'wilfully negligent' after the Health Secretary ruled out immediately implementing the Government's 'Plan B'. 

BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: 'The Westminster Government said it would enact 'Plan B' to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed; as doctors working on the frontline, we can categorically say that time is now. By the Health Secretary's own admission we could soon see 100,000 cases a day and we now have the same number of weekly Covid deaths as we had during March, when the country was in lockdown. It is therefore incredibly concerning that he is not willing to take immediate action to save lives and to protect the NHS.' 

NHS Confederation boss Matthew Taylor called on ministers to press ahead with its 'Plan B' or risk derailing efforts to tackle the enormous backlog of patients - currently at five million and likely to grow. He added: 'The message from health leaders is clear - it is better to act now, rather than regret it later.'

Meanwhile, former chief scientific adviser Professor Sir Mark Walport said the current restrictions are probably 'not holding things'. 

He told BBC Newsnight: 'Am I worried? Yes. It's very, very delicately poised. We've got a lot of cases at the moment. Winter is coming, flu is probably coming. It's not a good place to be. The evidence is that the current measures are probably not holding things.'

It comes as Tony Blair demanded that ministers set a target of delivering 500,000 Covid booster jabs a day amid fears a fresh wave of disease could overwhelm the NHS.  

Daily infections are currently on the brink of passing the 50,000 milestone for the first time in months, with Department of Health bosses on Wednesday recording 49,139 positive tests - up 15 per cent on the previous week. Meanwhile, hospital admissions rose by 15.3 per cent week-on-week to 869, while deaths jumped by nearly a third to 179.  

In other Covid developments:      

• The booster backlog is likely to grow as more patients become eligible for their third jab, figures suggest;
• Mr Javid announced the Government has bought hundreds of thousands of pills to treat Covid; 
• It was revealed the UK's top scientific advisors only met twice in the last three months;
• Mr Kwarteng said holidays will not be cancelled again and dismissed the idea of another lockdown;
• Figures showed there are nearly a third fewer mass vaccination hubs in operation now compared to when the original two-dose Covid vaccine programme was at the peak of its powers in April;
• GPs 'out-and-out rejected' No10's £250million proposals to give patients more face-to-face appointments; 
• NHS chief Amanda Pritchard said complacency among older patients is to blame for slow booster rollout.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid during a media briefing in Downing Street, London on October 19, 2021

Daily infections are currently on the brink of passing the 50,000 milestone for the first time in months, with Department of Health bosses on Wednesday recording 49,139 positive tests - up 15 per cent on the previous week

At a gloomy Downing Street press conference reminiscent of the worst days of last year, Health Secretary Sajid Javid warned that Covid cases could reach 100,000 a day this winter and urged people to take precautions such as meeting outdoors, wearing masks and regular testing. Pictured: commuters at London Bridge Station in July 2021

Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street ahead of Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons on October 18, 2021

At the Covid press briefing, Mr Javid threatened to reimpose restrictions if people don't get vaccinated and fail to make behavioural changes.  

'Am I saying that if we don't do our bit, get vaccinated, all those behavioural changes that we can make, that we are more likely to face restrictions as we head into winter...? Then I am saying that,' the Health Secretary warned. 'I think we've been really clear that we've all got a role to play.

'If not enough people get their booster jabs, if not enough of those people that were eligible for the original offer, the five million I've talked about that remain unvaccinated, if they don't come forward, if people don't wear masks when they really should in a really crowded place with lots of people that they don't normally hang out with, if they're not washing their hands and stuff, it's going to hit us all.

'And it would of course make it more likely we're going to have more restrictions.'   

With cases rising, Mr Blair said the Government needed to act 'rapidly and decisively' to avoid the need for another lockdown as winter approaches.

A report by the former prime minister's think tank, the Tony Blair Institute, said ministers should set a daily target for booster jabs, reactivate the vaccine infrastructure set up earlier in the year and start using the AstraZeneca vaccine for boosters.

It said the Government should also aim to ensure half of all 12 to 15-year-olds are vaccinated by the start of December while making the approval of vaccines for the under-12s a priority.

And it called on ministers to 'urgently explore' the options for introducing a Covid passport while reinstating mandatory face coverings for crowded indoor public spaces.

Mr Blair said that without action now, there was a danger that further restrictions would be required in the weeks ahead.

'Everyone hopes that the damage of Covid-19 is substantially behind us even as we battle its legacy,' he said.

'However, the worst that could happen is that we go back into anything approaching the lockdowns we experienced during the past 18 months. We're not saying this will happen. But the risk is there now.

'Once well ahead of the rest of Europe, we're now behind Germany, France and Italy in terms of cases and even vaccinations.

'So, from an abundance of caution, a sensible sentiment given the history of Covid-19, we believe the Government should rapidly and decisively accelerate measures to give us the best possible chance of avoiding the disease spiralling again. '

Yesterday, Mr Kwarteng said that he would 'rule out' another national lockdown being imposed.

The Business Secretary was asked on Sky News about some experts saying a further shutdown could not be discounted. 

He replied: 'No, I would rule that out. Throughout this process, there've been people saying the lockdown was unnecessary, there have been other people saying we should continue the lockdown. We've really plotted a path between those two extremes.'   

Mr Javid said that while the NHS was seeing 'greater pressure', he was confident the pressure was not 'unsustainable'. He said ministers would 'stay vigilant' because cases could still rise to 100,000 a day this winter. The decision by the Government to hold its nerve on restrictions will anger NHS leaders who claim hospitals are already buckling under the weight of Covid, flu and backlogs caused by the pandemic.

Mr Javid used the press conference to urge Britons to come forward for their booster jabs in a bid to speed up the sluggish vaccine campaign - which has only seen a quarter of care home residents revaccinated.

He said that the country was still ahead in the race against the virus thanks to the initial Covid vaccination effort, but claimed that waning immunity meant that lead was 'narrowing'.

Pleading with the country to get their booster, Mr Javid added that not only would a booster save lives, it would also 'protect our freedoms'. 'Boosters could not be more important,' he said.

Asked if people face a tightening of restrictions if they do not get boosters or take care indoors, Mr Javid said: 'Am I saying that if we don't do our bit, get vaccinated, all those behavioural changes that we can make, that we are more likely to face restrictions as we head into winter…? Then I am saying that.

'I think we've been really clear that we've all got a role to play.

Daily infections are currently on the brink of passing the 50,000 milestone for the first time in months. Department of Health bosses today recorded 49,139 positive tests, up 15 per cent on the previous week.

Meanwhile, hospital admissions rose by 15.3 per cent week-on-week to 869, while deaths jumped by nearly a third to 179. Both measures lag behind case numbers by a few weeks, due to the time it takes for someone to become seriously unwell after catching the virus.

The Government yesterday said a further 223 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 - bringing the UK total to 138,852.

While the numbers are often higher on Tuesdays because of a lag in reporting deaths and cases over the weekend, that was the highest figure for daily reported deaths since March 9.

Meanwhile, the seven-day average for cases is standing at 44,145 infections per day - the highest level for almost three months.

Mr Javid also announced the UK has bought hundreds of thousands of 'game-changing' pills that can be used to treat Britons with Covid at home this winter.

The UK has bought 480,000 antiviral molnupiravir pills made by US pharmaceutical company Merck and 250,000 PF-073 courses from Pfizer. They still need to be approved by the UK's medical regulator before Britons can get their hands on the drugs. 

Experts fear the growing outbreak may have been exacerbated by an even more infectious offshoot of Delta called AY4.2. The proportion of cases made up by the sub-strain have doubled in a month, official figures show. 

In his first ever Downing Street press conference, Mr Javid said the UK was seeing 'greater pressure' on the NHS but the Government will 'do what it takes to make sure that this pressure doesn't become unsustainable, and that we don't allow the NHS to become overwhelmed.' 

Deaths 'remain mercifully low' at the moment, he said, but added: 'We've always known that the winter months would pose the greatest threat to our road to recovery.'

He added: 'Thanks to the vaccination programme, the link between hospitalisations and deaths has significantly weakened, but it's not broken.

'So we must all remember that this virus will be with us for the long term and remains a threat to our loved ones, and a threat to the progress that we've made in getting our nation closer to normal life.'

Mr Javid urged people to have their vaccines, including Covid boosters and jabs for flu, and said: 'If we all play our part, then we can give ourselves the best possible chance in this race, get through this winter, and enjoy Christmas with our loved ones.'

The above maps show the proportion of Covid cases that were the Delta sub-variant AY.4.2 in the fortnight to June 26 (left) and the fortnight to July 31 (right). Darker colours indicate that more cases of the sub-variant had been detected

The above maps show the proportion of cases that were AY.4.2 in the fortnight to September 25 (left) and October 9 (right). The darker colours indicate that a higher proportion of infections were down to this sub-variant. 

Tonight was the first Covid press conference since September 14, highlighting the escalating fears about the winter crisis.  

Mr Javid told the Downing Street press conference the Government was concerned about the number of cases, but that vaccines were 'clearly working' when it came to hospital admissions and deaths.

Asked about unsustainable pressure on the health service, he said: 'We don't believe that the pressures that are currently faced by the NHS are unsustainable.

'Don't get me wrong, there are huge pressures especially in A&E, in primary care, for example, as well, but at this point we don't believe they are unsustainable.

'If we feel at any point it's becoming unsustainable then the department, together with our friends in the NHS, we won't hesitate to act.'

Mr Javid reiterated that the Government will not be implementing its Plan B strategy 'at this point'.

He added: 'We'll be staying vigilant, preparing for all eventualities while strengthening our vital defences that can help us fight back against this virus.'

Praising deals for new two antiviral treatments that can cut the risk of death for the most vulnerable as 'great news', he said: 'But we cannot be complacent when Covid-19 remains such a potent threat.'

The Health Secretary said England had reached a 'milestone' of four million top-up jabs on Wednesday, adding: 'None of us want to go backwards now.

'So we must all play our part in this national mission, and think about what we can do to make a difference. That means getting the jab when the time comes, whether it's for Covid-19 or flu.'

He stressed that, aside from vaccinations, people can take other - now voluntary - measures such as meeting outdoors where possible, ensuring good ventilation, wearing masks in crowded spaces and taking lateral flow tests.

He said: 'With winter soon upon us, these little steps make a big difference. And they're more important now than they have ever been.'

Dr Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said the UK is going into winter with a 'really high level' of cases.

'What we can see is that the cases now are almost as high as they were in July and actually not far off where they were last winter,' she said.

'What we are not seeing is that dip down again at the other side of the peak and that is really important because we are kicking off the winter at a really high level of cases.

'Fortunately that is not currently working through into serious disease and deaths.'

However, she later said the last two days have seen the highest death rates for some time, adding that the number of deaths are 'moving in the wrong direction'.

There have been suggestions that the variant may be elevated to 'Variant under Investigation'. If this is the case the World Health Organization is likely to give it the name 'Nu', which is the next letter in the Greek alphabet

The graph shows the proportion of cases sequenced in England that are the new subvariant AY.4.2 (yellow) and Delta (blue). Delta became dominant in the UK in May, overtaking the previously dominant Alpha strain (purple)

Daily Covid figures released today show England recorded 41,498 new infections, 2,768 cases were confirmed in Scotland, while 3,450 were spotted in Wales and 1,423 in Northern Ireland.

An average of 45,800 daily infections have been recorded every day in the last week.  

And week-on-week infection rates were rising in every age group in England, apart from 80 to 84-yea-olds, on October 15 - the latest date the figures are available for. 

Some 8.5million positive tests have been registered across the UK since the pandemic began. But the real infection number is many millions higher, due to the limited testing capacity at the start of the crisis and not everyone who catches the virus coming forward for a test.

Meanwhile, hospitalisations within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test have increased week-on-week for the tenth day in a row.

Some 850 patients have been Covid hospitalised per day in the last seven days on average - the highest figure in a month, but a fraction of the more than 4,000 recorded at the peak of the second wave in January.

And a further 179 coronavirus deaths were recorded, after a six-month high of 223 was recorded yesterday.

The increase in cases has been in part blamed on the new variant, which academics estimate may be up to 15 per cent more transmissible than the original Delta, which rapidly became dominant in Britain in the spring before taking off worldwide.

It has been detected in almost every part of the country, figures show, and it's thought to be behind almost 60 per cent of positive tests sampled sequenced in Adur, West Sussex.

No10 yesterday said it was 'keeping a very close eye' on AY.4.2 but insisted there is 'no evidence' that it spreads easier. Boris Johnson's official spokesperson also warned the Government 'won't hesitate to take action if necessary'.

Experts suggested the uptick of AY.4.2 - one of 45 sub-lineages of Delta - may be partly to blame, along with the return of pupils to classrooms from August and workers to offices.  

Professor Francois Balloux, director of the University College London Genetics Institute, told the Financial Times the strain could be the most infectious subvariant seen since the pandemic began.

But he noted Britain is the only country where the sub-lineage has 'taken off', so its quick growth could be a 'chance demographic event'.

The World Health Organization will likely elevate AY.4.2 to a 'variant under investigation', which means it would be given a name under its Greek letter naming system, Professor Balloux added.  

Earlier, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of NHS Confederation - an organisation that represents NHS trusts - warned the health service is preparing for 'the most challenging winter on record' and risks 'stumbling into a crisis' without urgent action to stem the growing outbreak. 

He said the 'consequence of not acting now' would be the NHS struggling to tackle the record-breaking backlog of 5.7million patients waiting for routine surgery. Hospital bosses already fear the waiting list will not be cleared for at least five years.

Mr Taylor told the Guardian: 'We are right on the edge - and it is the middle of October. It would require an incredible amount of luck for us not to find ourselves in the midst of a profound crisis over the next three months. 

'The government ought to not just announce that we're moving to Plan B, but it should be Plan B plus. We should do what's in Plan B in terms of masks [and] working from home, but also we should try to achieve the kind of national mobilisation that we achieved in the first and second waves, where the public went out of their way to support and help the health service.'

In a second interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Taylor said the NHS was facing a 'perfect storm'.  

The map shows the proportion of cases caused by AY.4.2 in the fortnight to October 9, with darker colours equating to more infections caused by the subvariant. Data from the Sanger Institute shows 8.9 per cent of all Covid-positive nose and throat swabs sequenced in England were caused by AY.4.2. It statistics suggests the sub-lineage is most prevalent in Adur, where 61 per cent of all positive samples sequenced were linked with AY.4.2. The subvariant also seems to be highly prevalent in East Lindsey (46 per cent) and Torridge (41 per cent)

The prevalence of the Delta strain, which was first detected in the UK in March and became dominant within two months, grew much faster than AY.4.2 has grown so far. Delta is still responsible for nine in 10 infections in England

'I think the Government needs to look at all those measures which science tells us can reduce the spread of the virus and further down the line the number of people going into hospital and dying,' he said. 

'The winter is always tight for the NHS for a number of reasons. You add in Covid patients, then you add in pent up demand of people on waiting lists and those who haven't gone to the doctor and are now presenting with quite challenging symptoms. 

'I speak to health service leaders every day and I have literally not spoken to any leader who doesn't say their service is under intense pressure now. We are in October and it is only going to get worse.' 

He added: 'The risk of the NHS being overwhelmed is there. At the moment the system is working flat out and those winter pressures are going to grow.

'One of the consequences of not taking action is it will be very difficult to make any progress at all for those people who have been waiting a very long time for treatment.'  

He said: 'The emergence of yet another more transmissible strain would be suboptimal. 

'Though, this is not a situation comparable to the emergence of Alpha and Delta that were far more transmissible - 50 per cent or more - than any strain in circulation at the time. 

'Here we are dealing with a potential small increase in transmissibility that would not have a comparable impact on the pandemic.'

The UK Health Security Agency, which took over from the now-defunct PHE, revealed in a report on Friday that the subvariant is expanding in England. 

It includes two mutations - called Y145H and A222V - and is being monitored, the UKHSA said.

Both of these spike mutations have been found in other virus lineages since the pandemic began - but are not present on any current variant of concern. 

Professor Balloux said the mutations are not obviously linked with increased transmissibility or evading protection granted by vaccines.

Only three AY.4.2 cases have been spotted in the US, while two per cent of cases in Denmark are caused by the sub-lineage, he added.

Data from the Sanger Institute suggests the sub-lineage is most prevalent in Adur, where 61 per cent of all positive samples sequenced were linked with AY.4.2.

The subvariant also seems to be highly prevalent in East Lindsey (46 per cent) and Torridge (41 per cent).

It comes as the UK recorded 49,156 new Covid infections yesterday, marking another three-month high. Hospitalisations and deaths are also on the rise. 

Some experts have said the subvariant may be behind the surge, which other European countries are not seeing to the same extent.

Former US Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted on Sunday: 'We need urgent research to figure out if this 'delta plus' is more transmissible, has partial immune evasion.'

But Dr Jeffrey Barrett, director of the Covid Genomics Initiative at the Sanger Institute, told the Financial Times AY.4.2 alone does not explain the the UK's caseload, which is instead linked to the UK imposing less restrictions than other countries. 

Professor Balloux said its rapid spread 'could have caused a small number of additional cases', but added: 'It hasn't been driving the recent increase in case numbers in the UK.'

Official figures have shown cases are also being fuelled by youngsters returning to classrooms last month, with as many as one in 12 being infected.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the Government is 'keeping a very close eye on' the subvariant. 

They said: 'There's no evidence to suggest that this variant … the AY.4.2 one … is more easily spread. There's no evidence for that but as you would expect we're monitoring it closely and won't hesitate to take action if necessary.'

Dr Alexander Edwards, an immunologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline it would be concerning if a variant starts to dominant that evades vaccine immunity.

He said: 'Before the successful rollout of vaccines, this was less likely to happen, but now, with such a high proportion of the population infected, alongside waning immunity, now is the time to be extra vigilant. 

'Luckily, we can redesign our vaccines very quickly now, so there isn't yet anything to be afraid of. 

'But any efforts made now to reduce cases and improve immunity - through boosters, vaccinating younger people, testing and effective isolating - could pay off if they cut the risk of vaccine evading variants.' 

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, told MailOnline the detection of AY.4.2 'highlights the need for continued genomic surveillance of the virus'. 

Experts will need to monitor it to determine 'if it really is more transmissible and if it has any impact of the efficacy of vaccination', he said.

Professor Young added: 'The continued spread of the virus at a high level in the UK increases the risk of variants being generated that could be more infectiousness and more able to evade vaccine-induced immunity.'

Booster backlog: Almost five million patients are still waiting for third Covid jab as fears grow that slow rollout will worsen

The booster backlog is likely to grow as more patients become eligible for their third jab, figures suggest.

Around 4.8million who received their second dose at least six months ago are still waiting for their next one – leaving them with reduced immunity from Covid.

The NHS is giving around 1.3million boosters a week, while inviting another 2.2million patients to apply.

It means it could be the New Year until all 30million over-50s, health and social care staff and clinically vulnerable are fully-protected.

Experts warn hospitals risk being overburdened by coronavirus patients if uptake is not rapidly increased. 

Around 4.8million who received their second dose at least six months ago are still waiting for their third vaccination. Pictured: An NHS worker receives her third dose at Croydon University Hospital

The AstraZeneca vaccine is 77 per cent effective at preventing infection one month after the second dose but this falls to 67 per cent after six months.

The Pfizer jab also falls over the same period from 88 per cent to 74 per cent.

Earlier this week, Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, said there is 'plenty of capacity' for people to get their boosters, and cited complacency as a key factor. She claimed that 'the crux' of the problem is that people 'are not coming forward as quickly when they receive their invitation as we certainly saw for the first jabs'.

But patients say they are struggling to get them after GP surgeries that administered first and second doses pulled out of the programme to focus on routine care.

It means some have been told to travel miles from home to a mass vaccine centre.

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, yesterday admitted the issue was not about supply but 'how one can access it in, in a way that's convenient to patients'.

He told the Radio 4's World at One programme: 'The original vaccination programme – the first two vaccines that people received – 75 per cent of those were delivered from general practice and most of the rest were delivered by mass vaccination centres.

'For this booster programme there has been a shift, so more of the vaccinations are going to be delivered by the mass vaccination centres. 

'I think it is the case that people at a local level are finding it sometimes more difficult to access the booster.' 

He said it is 'concerning' that people are being left with waning immunity and warned it could heap pressure on the NHS.

'We know that the booster vaccination is exceptionally important in order to protect individual patients and indeed to protect the NHS during a winter that we expect to be really difficult.'

The Department of Health will relaunch its booster publicity campaign this weekend, encouraging people to get the jab when invited – a month after the rollout began.

But one Tory MP questioned whether vaccines minister Maggie Throup has the clout to make the rollout a success, like her predecessor Nadhim Zahawi had done.

Sajid Javid today insisted ministers would not reintroduce face masks and WFH guidance 'at this point' as he addressed the nation 

The MP said there was 'the issue of does the machinery of delivery require constant ministerial kicking to get it working... I'm not sure Maggie may be as inclined to do the kicking.'

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's health spokesman, said the Government needs to 'get a grip' to stop the backlog growing.

He said: 'I think ministers have lost their grip of the vaccination programme and perhaps become hubristic. They've boasted that this is our wall of defence – well I'm afraid the wall is beginning to crumble. 

'Unless we fix this, we're going to see more infection rates, and in turn more pressure on the National Health Service.'

Dame Kate Bingham, credited with securing the jabs that made the programme a success, stressed it is vital that boosters get into arms. She said: 'Older and vulnerable people should be banging on the doors to get their boosters.'

Caroline Abrahams, of Age UK, said: 'With winter looming into view, we hope that it will be possible to accelerate the booster programme, so that older people can be confident that their immunity is as good as it can be before the cold weather seriously sets in.'

Government's SAGE scientists have met just TWICE over the last three months

The UK's top scientific advisors have only met twice in the last three months, it was revealed today amid fears a fourth Covid wave is just around the corner. 

SAGE, which has guided the Government through the Covid pandemic, last met on  October 14. 

The October meeting was the second in as many months, with the influential panel last coming together before that on September 9.

The group - which includes England's chief medical officer professor Chris Whitty,  Government chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson, among others - didn't meet in August at all. 

Labour today claimed it 'beggars belief' as to why Sage was 'effectively stood down', with cases having soared to a three-month high of around 45,000. 

There were 223 recorded deaths from the virus in the UK yesterday, the highest total since March, a month in which Sage met three times alone.

It is understood both Professor Whitty and Sir Patrick have raised the alarm about the figures in recent days, and internal Whitehall discussions have turned to reimposing some of the milder lockdown measures this winter. 

The frequency of Sage meetings has declined since February, when the group of scientific advisors met once a week, to generally twice a month from April to July, one a month in September and October, skipping the month of August entirely  

Chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty (left) and the Government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance (middle) are two of the highest profile members of Sage which provides prime minister Boris Johnson (right) scientific advice on how best to handle the Covid pandemic. The group has only met twice in the last three months as cases and deaths from the virus begin to rise to levels not seen since the second wave 

There are also concerns about the rise of a new Delta variant of the virus in the UK. The variant called AY.4.2, could be up to 10 to 15 per cent more infectious than its ancestor. 

This, combined with a slow rollout of the Covid booster programme, with nearly 5million vulnerable adults yet to receive theirs, indicates there may be some dire weeks to come in Britain's fight against Covid. 

SAGE meetings have diminished in frequency since February, when the second wave was just starting to fizzle out. Since then the group has mostly met thrice or twice a month but August this year was the first time the group did not meet at all since the pandemic began.

In comparison, SAGE met four times in August 2020, six times in September 2020, and five times in October last year as the country headed into the colder months and the onset of the second wave of the virus. 

It contains some of the UK's leading epidemiologists, virologists and other health experts, with meetings also regularly attended by government officials.

At meetings they analyse the latest trends of how Covid has been spreading in the UK, and the latest research into the virus and how it can be contained and treated. 

MailOnline contacted SAGE for comment on the infrequency of meetings in the last few months. 

Whitehall sources told the i that the 'meeting rhythm' of Sage was determined by a combination of 'government demand for scientific advice on particular issues' and of the 'emergence of new evidence'.

This rhythm has changed 'continually' during the pandemic, the source said, but there was now a 'reducing tempo given the lessened demand for science advice as our understanding of key science questions improves, the epidemic evolves and capabilities within government increases'.

Labour's shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the apparent standing down of Sage 'beggared belief' considering the Covid situation gripping the UK. 

'This week we have seen infections at around 50,000 a day, warnings of waning vaccination and a faltering jabs programme which when combined with fear over flu should be taken as flashing warning lights for ministers,' he said.

'Learning to live with the virus is not the same as pretending the virus doesn't exist. To hear that Sage has effectively been stood down beggars belief.'

A Government spokesperson said they continued to take up-to-date advice on the science surround the pandemic. 

'The government continues to regularly receive scientific and technical advice from a wide range of sources, they said.

'This includes from the newly established UKHSA, the JCVI and the Chief Scientific Adviser and Chief Medical Officer as well as SAGE and its subgroups.'

The spokesperson also defended the sporadic Sage meetings, stating it continued to meet as needed. 

'SAGE continues to meet as needed and the regularity of SAGE meetings is determined by the Chief Scientific Adviser in consultation with scientific colleagues,' they said. 

'The vaccination programme has weakened the link between cases, deaths and hospitalisations, and we are continuing to monitor the scientific evidence and data very closely over the coming months.'

Yesterday, No10 said a further 223 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid — bringing the UK's total death tally to 138,852.

While the numbers are often higher on Tuesdays because of a lag in reporting deaths and cases over the weekend, this is the highest figure for daily reported deaths since March 9.

Meanwhile, the seven-day average for cases is standing at around 44,145 per day — the highest level for almost three months.

SAGE has been slammed in recent weeks, with a damning probe into No10's handling of the Covid pandemic earlier this month finding it failed to challenge the panel's 'groupthink', leading to the virus ripping through Britain. 

In a devastating verdict, the report insisted the deadly delay in imposing the first national lockdown was 'because of the official scientific advice the Government received, not in spite of it'. 

It added that an 'over-reliance on specific mathematical models' – many of which were later proved to be wildly inaccurate – was a key factor in the UK's disastrous response to Covid.

In the early days of the pandemic Boris Johnson consistently stuck to the mantra that his Government was 'following the science'.

The rise in Covid deaths and cases have prompted some to call for the Government to enforce a a 'Plan B', which would bring back mandatory face masks and more working from home in order to avoid a 'winter crisis'.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation which represents NHS trusts, urged the Government to implement the back-up strategy amid rising Covid cases.    

Mr Taylor said the NHS is preparing for what could be 'the most challenging winter on record' and risks 'stumbling into a crisis' after a continued rise on coronavirus cases over the past week amid fears the booster jab rollout is going too slowly.

He also said that the UK should replicate the 'national mobilisation' that the UK 'achieved in the first and second waves'. 

Mr Taylor suggested Britain would be unable to tackled the record-breaking NHS backlog of 5.7million patients waiting for routine surgery without implementing the alternative winter Covid plan. Hospital bosses have already warned the waiting list will not be cleared for at least five years.

But Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the Government does not 'feel that it's the time for Plan B right now', echoing No10's official stance yesterday.

Mr Kwarteng said he would continue to urge people to wear face masks in public and conceded the slow uptake of coronavirus booster jabs is 'something that we really need to address'.

However, Politico reported Professor Whitty and Sir Patrick have raised the alarm about rising Covid numbers in recent days with internal discussions turning to the possibility of reimposing some of the milder measures lockdown this winter.