Expert Who Inspired Lockdown Says Britain’s Health System Will Now Cope

Prof. Neil Ferguson, of Imperial College London, says the lockdown measures imposed in Britain—which are similar to those in the U.S.—will “start flattening that curve and bringing numbers down” among coronavirus cases in about three weeks. Ferguson made worldwide headlines last week as the lead author of a bombshell report that inspired the White House and Downing Street to finally advocate for tougher lockdown measures against the deadly pandemic. “We are going to have a very difficult few weeks... but we think, overall, with the capacity which is rapidly being put in place across the country, that whilst the health system will be intensely stressed, particularly in areas of London, it won’t break.” Ferguson said he now believes the number of fatalities in Britain could be well below the 20,000 he previously forecast. He told the BBC Today program on Thursday: “With the lockdown now in place, those numbers are going to start to plateau.”