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After recent interviews I have received some criticism & portrayed as an “uncaring scientist” who doesn’t live in the real world & doesn’t care about how damaging lockdown is. So I wanted to give some insight into the challenges of being an epidemiologist during a pandemic.
I worry about the NHS and the number of people who may die from COVID. I worry about people's mental health and well being and how they may survive lockdown. I worry about people's livelihoods and businesses that are under huge strain.
I worry about the increase in loneliness as a result of interventions & people being by themselves over Xmas if more action isn't taken. I worry about long term health implications and people who have had operations cancelled. I worry about the hospitality & airline industries.
As a father, I worry about all school children & long term impact to their education of being out of school. I worry about university students, who are not having the same experience this year & many are in isolation. I worry about all these issues & others on a daily basis.
If we control more, some of these individuals will be better off, but others won't. If we control less, the opposite is true. The science group are doing what they can in an impossible position to advise, but with the sad knowledge that there is no right answer.
Many of us have been working for over six months now to try to help as unpaid scientific advisers, often working late at night & weekends whilst carrying on with our jobs as university academics. We do this because we believe that we can help, even if there is "no right answer".
We are scientists but we are human beings. Worrying about all of these things and knowing that whatever you advise will be damaging to some parts of society is what keeps me up at night. All that we can do is the best science we can and ministers will make the decisions.
Scientists advise, ministers decide. I am proud to be working with some of the finest academics (and people) in the world during this pandemic and I suspect I am not alone in contending with these daily worries.
For what good it will do (as a very minor cog in a very big wheel) I will always work to consider the harm that lockdown does as well as the benefits it has in terms of reducing COVID risk.
As we approach another national lockdown, I will be thinking about everyone who will be struggling through it. My thoughts are with everyone.
