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On @BBCOS today discussing the tragedy of exceeding 100,000 COVID-19 deaths in the UK, and what led to this.
19:03 for a bit and then 19:23 onwards:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcnews
Also, a few thoughts in a thread below:
19:03 for a bit and then 19:23 onwards:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcnews
Also, a few thoughts in a thread below:
The PM said during the briefing today, that the govt did the best they could. He was 'deeply sorry' for every single death.
If every single death is a tragedy, then why didn't we treat every death as preventable?
Why did we repeatedly talk about 'tolerable deaths'?
If every single death is a tragedy, then why didn't we treat every death as preventable?
Why did we repeatedly talk about 'tolerable deaths'?
How on earth can he say he did his best, when UK policy was almost never evidence based - and the govt invited proponents of the ideology of naturally acquired herd immunity to brief him on policy- at a point in time we urgently needed to act to prevent thousands of deaths?
When the UK was late in every single response -
Late to lockdown 3 times
Late to introduce policy on masks
Late to introduce quarantine
Late to introduce test, trace & isolate
Late to enact school closures
Almost no mitigation in schools
Shamefully low support for isolation
Late to lockdown 3 times
Late to introduce policy on masks
Late to introduce quarantine
Late to introduce test, trace & isolate
Late to enact school closures
Almost no mitigation in schools
Shamefully low support for isolation
The tragedy of all this is, the govt, and it's key advisors still haven't learned.
Whitty said he today has learned so much in the past year.
If he has, why is he still talking about 'tolerable deaths' and 'living with the virus'?
When it's clear we can't afford this.
Whitty said he today has learned so much in the past year.
If he has, why is he still talking about 'tolerable deaths' and 'living with the virus'?
When it's clear we can't afford this.
The science has advanced a lot, but did we need all this knowledge to mount a successful pandemic response? No.
Countries that did this successfully acted aggressively focusing on elimination with basic public health principles we know so well.
We never managed to apply these.
Countries that did this successfully acted aggressively focusing on elimination with basic public health principles we know so well.
We never managed to apply these.
We treated it like the flu. Despite having the opportunity to learn from countries ahead of us on the pandemic curve, we embraced British exceptionalism. We knew better. Contact tracing was for low/middle income countries. Quarantine was not effective and didn't apply to us.
We were going to base our response on new world beating tests & technologies.
Millions of untried antibody tests
Ventilators made by Dyson
An exceptional digital contact tracing system
A world beating test, trace & isolate system
Operation Moonshot
Nightingale hospitals
Millions of untried antibody tests
Ventilators made by Dyson
An exceptional digital contact tracing system
A world beating test, trace & isolate system
Operation Moonshot
Nightingale hospitals
We employed clever policies such as:
Eat out to Help out
Get back to work
Save Christmas!
We couldn't possibly treat our 'freedom loving' population to 'draconian' measures.
We wouldn't be like 'those' countries taking away people's liberties.
Eat out to Help out
Get back to work
Save Christmas!
We couldn't possibly treat our 'freedom loving' population to 'draconian' measures.
We wouldn't be like 'those' countries taking away people's liberties.
And we aren't.
Three lockdowns later we have the third highest mortality per population in the world.
*5000 times* higher than Taiwan
*500 times* higher than New-Zealand
What did these countries do? Recognise the seriousness of the pandemic and take aggressive measures early.
Three lockdowns later we have the third highest mortality per population in the world.
*5000 times* higher than Taiwan
*500 times* higher than New-Zealand
What did these countries do? Recognise the seriousness of the pandemic and take aggressive measures early.
The measures in themselves weren't complicated- they were basic public health 101. And there is absolutely no reason, a well resourced country like the Uk couldn't have done this. If we failed, it's because we had a govt that repeatedly failed us.
A govt that never understood that we can't 'live with the virus'. This policy inevitably leads to surges, deaths, lockdowns. It devastates the economy. Paradoxically, our focus on liberties & the economy led us directly to losing our liberties & our livelihoods.
So, please don't tell me that we're unlucky, or our population is demographically or culturally different, or that our country is too connected geographically (we're an island!). These are excuses to abdicate responsibility from where it truly lies.
And please don't tell me this is down to the variant. We were well ahead in terms of our mortality even before this, during the 1st wave, and we acted late again in autumn (> 1 month after SAGE advised lockdown in Sept)- cases were surging before the variant was even dominant.
Of course the variant made matters worse. But why did we let transmission continue at high levels for such a long time - and produce conditions conducive for the virus to mutate and adapt? And why didn't we treat the variant as an emergency & prevent spread to other regions?
The govt saw risks too late, reacted rather than prevented, didn't have the courage to reflect on their mistakes, & learn from them. And for all the empty rhetoric, they still haven't. We will continue to see many many more deaths, unless our govt actually listen, watch & learn.
