Sajid Javid has said we can no longer “live in a world where the only thing we are thinking about is COVID” as he warned that seven million people have not come forward with health problems during the pandemic.

The new health secretary told Sky News the country must “take advantage” of the effectiveness of the vaccines and “learn to live” with the virus.

“It is not about some number of deaths being acceptable, of course not,” Mr Javid said.

“What we are seeing is with rising case numbers – and yesterday I said we could see a doubling of case numbers by the time we get to 19 July – we are not seeing a corresponding increase in hospitalisations and death numbers.

“And that is because the vaccine is working, that is what the vaccine is for.

“And we can’t live in a world where the only thing we are thinking about is COVID and not about all the other health problems, not about our economic problems, or education challenges, and we have to make use of a vaccine that is thankfully working.”

The health secretary added that it is “shocking” to see “all the other health problems that have built up” during the pandemic.

“Some seven million people have not come forward during the pandemic for help from the NHS with their health problems – seven million people,” he said.

“Now just think about all the health problems that have been stored up and we need to treat that as a priority too – it cannot just be about COVID.”

Mr Javid’s comments came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed how he plans to “restore people’s freedoms” in England at a news briefing on Monday evening, ahead of the final stage of his roadmap out of lockdown.

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