We were too slow - Part 2

[WBA123]

Interesting read if you have a spare 15 minutes.

A chronology of our response to this pandemic.

https://bylinetimes.com/2020/04/11/a...avirus-crisis/

If not here's a brief summary, some of them are shocking;

Late February 2020: According to a Sunday Times report, at a private event Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister’s Chief Advisor, outlined the government’s strategy at the time in a way that was summarised by someone present as “herd immunity, protect the economy, and if that means some pensioners die, too bad.” (Guardian)

3 March 2020: “Prime Minister Boris Johnson said… that coronavirus would not stop him greeting people with a handshake, adding that he had shaken the hands of everyone at a hospital where infected patients were being treated” (Reuters).

11 March 2020: WHO declares a coronavirus pandemic. The government allows the UEFA Champions League football match between Liverpool and Atlético Madrid to go ahead at Anfield stadium in Liverpool. 54,000 people attend the game, including 3,000 fans from Spain. Spain closed its schools on 10 March 2020 (Guardian)

12 March 2020: Addressing the “question of banning major public events such as sporting fixtures” the Prime Minister says “The scientific advice as we’ve said over the last couple of weeks is that banning such events will have little effect on the spread” (Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street).

15 March 2020: “When I first heard about this, I could not believe it… my colleagues here in the US… assumed that reports of the UK policy were satire”, notes William Hanage, a professor of the evolution and epidemiology of infectious disease at Harvard University

17 March 2020: As of 17 March the Guardian reports “only the UK and Belarus [in the whole of Europe] had held off implementing full or partial closures” of schools. The UK’s schools remain open (Guardian).

20 March 2020: Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries says “The country has a perfectly adequate supply of PPE [Personal Protective Equipment]” and that supply pressures had now been “completely resolved”. (Pulse)

1 April 2020: (ITV News). The government confirms that only 2,000 people out of 500,000 frontline NHS England workers had been tested for coronavirus so far – 0.4 percent.

7 April 2020: “Lack of personal protective equipment continues to be a critical issue. It is heartbreaking to hear that some staff have been told to simply ‘hold their breath’ due to lack of masks”, says Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, president of the Doctors’ Association UK.

7 April 2020: “World-leading disease data analysts have projected that the UK will become the country worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Europe, accounting for more than 40% of total deaths across the continent. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in Seattle predicts 66,000 UK deaths from Covid-19 by August, with a peak of nearly 3,000 a day, based on a steep climb in daily deaths early in the outbreak” (Guardian).

[BaggieBlood]

13th April, 123 stopped trying to score points and actually gave a thought about those Doctors and Nurses and patients dying and their family and friends.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

13th April, 123 stopped trying to score points and actually gave a thought about those Doctors and Nurses and patients dying and their family and friends.

Hear hear. Truly pathetic.

[mickd1961]

Hear hear. Truly pathetic.

Par for the course from this Left Wing political zealot........if Kier Starmer can avoid political points scoring then I don’t think it’s beyond you 123.

Getting the timing right for the lockdown was always going to be a matter of luck.

The richest nation on Earth is in an alarmingly worse position than us in every respect including a lack of PPE and ventilators.

There’s a time and a place to take stock and to dissect the whole episode and even opposition parties accept this.

Starmer went up in my estimations when he refused to get involved in finger pointing at this point.

You’ve got a real problem on a personal level 123.......you’re completely driven by your agenda.

Get a life or stop posting on here.

[WBA123]

Par for the course from this Left Wing political zealot........if Kier Starmer can avoid political points scoring then I don’t think it’s beyond you 123.

Getting the timing right for the lockdown was always going to be a matter of luck.

The richest nation on Earth is in an alarmingly worse position than us in every respect including a lack of PPE and ventilators.

There’s a time and a place to take stock and to dissect the whole episode and even opposition parties accept this.

Starmer went up in my estimations when he refused to get involved in finger pointing at this point.

You’ve got a real problem on a personal level 123.......you’re completely driven by your agenda.

Get a life or stop posting on here.

I actually thought this was interesting. Because you forget the chronology of the events that have happened.

So that means we are not supposed to ask questions, this government have complete impunity and are not to be scrutinised now. Are you kidding me.

Either way, I probably will stop posting on here. Its boring when you don't have everyone else's agenda or belief.

If I'm a left wing zealot then you and most on here are right wing morons.

Happy Easter...

[WBA1955]

Mick he is entitled to an opinion and can post on here the same as anyone else. It is down to Chris and I to decide if the post is out of line.

A figure of 66,000 UK deaths was quoted, but i believe that was before the lockdown and social distancing. I believe it has been reviewed and a lower figure has now been accepted. But still with a worst case scenario of 20,000 - 30,000 deaths. The over the top Daily Express and Sun were saying 200,000 deaths.
There are signs that the virus is slowing and levelling out but we still haven't peaked yet.
Last i saw was there were less people being admitted to hospital, and this is what the lockdown is about, to take pressure off the NHS.
But the death toll will continue to rise for a couple of weeks at least.
In Italy and Spain it is falling and some restrictions are being lifted. We are a couple of weeks behind them and yes our total deaths could well top theirs.
But the problem is what to do when the virus starts to decline. If we lift restrictions then surely it will start to accelerate again?
They are talking about developing an anti virus, but that may not be ready for 18 months. Is there really such a thing anyway since viruses have no cure.
The original plan was to let the virus sweep through the country while protecting the elderly and people who have underlying health issues,since the virus only has a mild effect on the majority of people.
I would certainly have closed down schools much earlier though, as kids spread infections more than anyone.

On a brighter note it was good to see Boris on the mend and looking more like himself.

[TipperaryBaggie]

At this current moment in time I am more interested about what is happening now and the future. There will be a time to reflect and hopefully we can improve our approach should the situation arise again. We are all learning about this pandemic as its happening but personally I think the government has been doing a good job considering the speed at which it is effecting the whole world. Mistakes have been made but hopefully they are learning from them.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

You could do an analysis of every countries actions in trying to control this virus and pick similar holes in their actions and he has obviously gone looking for critical comments.

The playing of the Liverpool Athletico match is held up by our friend as one bad decision (probably was) but on the very same evening the oh so efficient Germans allowed 40,000 to attend Leipzig Spurs!

Belarus (bonkers) still allowing football

Sweden still allowing gatherings up to 50 Stockholm waterfront busy at the weekend

Italy and Spain close to relaxing the lockdown. Seems too early for me and The Catalonian Govt.

Singapore that was lauded for its response now suffering 3rd wave and having to crack down again.

[Leicesterbaggie]

It is very easy to criticise the government's actions. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. They have sought the advice of the top experts in their various fields and acted accordingly. Let's be under no illusion, to date, we don't know which nation has been the most successful in combatting this pandemic. We all have our own opinions on how we should tackle the problem but we have to rely on the fact that those in power will continue to take the advice of the experts and make decisions that they feel are in the best interests of us as individuals and as a nation.

What I cannot accept are those who wish to make political gain out of the greatest crisis that that we have faced since WW2. I am very pleased that we now have a Labour Party leader of integrity who wishes to work with the government and not against it.

[albion68]

Yes guys great thing is hindsight