THE BACKGROUND TO THE UK'S POSITION ON COVID19, 10 May 2020


In advance of PM Johnson's presentation to the UK on Sunday 10 May 2020

Earlier today I saw this graphic suggesting recent UK deaths per million greater than any other country in the world: 


Now tens of thousands of people are dead.  That is tragic, to say the least.  As is the effect on survivors who have had their health badly compromised.  

NONETHELESS, WHY DO WE NEED TO EASE THE LOCKDOWN?

The lockdown has dreadful 'side-effects', which we are experiencing.  These are social, medical and financial.  So I'm keen to ease the lockdown in the UK as rapidly as possible.  

But this must be done safely, otherwise there will be a second wave of infection.  That will inevitably lead to more lockdowns to avoid the NHS being overrun, and worse economic damage than easing sensibly. 

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

But first how did we get here? This article explains the timeline in a highly critical but non-partisan manner: 
https://appeasement.org/ 


It is clear that:
  • The UK was not ready for a pandemic virus, despite this being top of the country's Risk Register
  • Stocks of Personal Protcctive Equipment (PPE) were inadequate.  Supply lines for replenishment had not been set up in advance
  • Information from China was woefully inadequate, so the scientists advising the government didn't have as much information as they have now.  In particular it was not clear initially that people were infectious before symptoms, unlike other common viruses. 
  • PM Johnson did not take the virus seriously, and nearly paid with his life. 
  • Lockdown was at least a week too late. I started my personal lockdown on Sunday 15 May 2020, for my own protection, when information in the public domain had made it clear that it was needed. The UK lockdown should have started no later than Monday 16th, not 23rd May. 
  • Testing was inadequate.  However there are issues which may have actually meant testing was expanded too quickly and dangerously. I'll cover that separately. 
  • Other mistakes were made.
WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?

That's the past.  But the future is at least as important.  What should a Lockdown Exit Strategy look like?  Let's cover that in a separate posting, following "WHAT'S NEEDED IN PM JOHNSON'S ROAD MAP, 10 May 2020"

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