Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many covid-19 cases the Government estimates there will be in England at any one time at the peak of the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government relies on modelling work undertaken by several academic groups, who report to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) through its various subgroups. SAGE will continue to publish the evidence that it considers.

From modelling and current data on the outbreak, it is likely that the number of confirmed United Kingdom cases will rise, but it is not possible to estimate how many individuals will be infected currently. This will be dependent on the implementation of and adherence to public health measures, and the success of those measures in suppressing transmission of the virus and the numbers of cases of infection.