The UK death toll could jump past 100,000 by the end of the year if lockdown is lifted too early, a top professor has warned.

Imperial College epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson said if the healthy go back to work while the vulnerable remain in lockdown there will be a huge increase in virus fatalities.

The expert said social isolation will need to be kept in place until a pharmaceutical intervention is found, whether that is a vaccine or treatment drugs, and one is unlikely within the next year.

His warning comes as the British Government faces intense pressure to reveal its Covid-19 lockdown exit strategy .

Speaking to UnHerd, Prof Ferguson said he is sceptical that the UK can achieve a level of shielding that will be effective.

“If you just achieve 80 per cent shielding – and 80 per cent reduction in infection risk in those groups – we still project that you would well over 100,000 deaths this year from that kind of strategy,” he said.

The Government is under pressure from senior Tories to relax the strict social-distancing measures amid concern at the damage they are doing to the economy.

Sir Keir Starmer has also called on the Prime Minister to produce a clear lockdown exit strategy.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been standing in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson while he recovers from the disease, said the Government would proceed “cautiously” in order to avoid a second peak in the outbreak and insisted restrictions would not be lifted early.

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