[News] Covid response ‘one of UK’s worst ever public health failures’

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

And look at last Summer. Football celebrations, beaches, protests. Then we had mask wearing refusal, vaccine non compliance etc. I think the Government were completely wrong in not enforcing strict measures but blimey there would have been some whining. Nevertheless they should have done it, ignored the complaints and made examples of refusers.
A good example of what the Government faced was my experience yesterday. I rang for a follow up Cardiology appointment at my hospital and asked for a telephone consultation as per the previous one and explained I am vulnerable to Covid and would rather not visit a hospital. The lady told me Covid was over. When I replied there are still 40000 cases a day and I am at high risk of blood clots and further strokes she said ‘well, we all have our opinions.’ She works for the NHS !

Bloody Hell. That's shocking.

I work for a uni but am based in a hospital. The academic community is acting like Covid is over. I got a fair amount of stick from my HoD for not signing up to teaching unvaccinated teenagers in enclosed spaces this semester and insisting on doing it online. I have signed up to going in next semester (I should have had my third jab in November) - assuming the numbers don't go mad again. As I have noted elsewehere I'm 63 and suffer recurrent respiratory infections. When I mention this the reaction is 'have you done a risk assessment?'. Yes, I did the college one and unless I have actual cancer the outcome is always green. 'In which case there is no reason why you shouldn't be back on campus'.

 

[vegster]

It will come as a bit of a shock but I am in complete agreement with you [emoji2]
A report on the handling of the most important issue in modern times and the PM is on holiday. Not good enough.

I'd fully expect a few other bad things to drop in to the public domain in the next few days, Johnson is not one to miss an opportunity.

 

[nicko31]

Unfortunately, New Zealand (and Australia as well) has squandered the good work they did last year by failing to use the time they bought themselves to vaccinate. Instead, both countries took a view that they could take their time on vaccine rollouts. What they failed to consider was that *if* Delta found a way into the country it would f*** them completely. What we're seeing today is the result: they became complacent, didn't vaccinate quickly enough, and Delta bent them over a barrel and gave them a good servicing.

Australia got going late with the vax, but still under 2000 deaths through the whole pandemic. Infact the State of NSW will overtake the UK next week on double doses.

Not perfect but a lot better than UK's 150k dead, NHS scaring, long covid.

A long winter ahead here with Covid rife in schools and little mitigation...

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The Guardian seems to regard it as significant. Good enough for me.

A lot of people have died.

You need to consider stopping pissing about with enigmatic whimsy, on this thread, perhaps. Just a suggestion.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Although I am aware Australia and NZ have problems I thought they were way behind the rest of the world in numbers.

 

[Baldseagull]

nobody has had to ever deal with anything like Covid before. I have no doubt throughout Europe all leaders will be looking at what they did well and what they did wrong and hopefully learn from it . UK governments and scientist will be doing the same.

Except that there were countries that had dealt with SARS and MERS before, could have learned something then. Italy showed what could happen if the virus was allowed to run unchecked, could have learned then. An exercise run a few years earlier, highlighted some shortcomings that were not addressed, could have learned then. I guarantee, ministers are looking harder for excuses and mitigation than lessons.

 

[Swansman]

While surely things could have been done better in most countries I struggle to find the comparisons with Australia and New Zealand sensible. Very different prerequisites.

 

[dazzer6666]

Unfortunately, New Zealand (and Australia as well) has squandered the good work they did last year by failing to use the time they bought themselves to vaccinate. Instead, both countries took a view that they could take their time on vaccine rollouts. What they failed to consider was that *if* Delta found a way into the country it would f*** them completely. What we're seeing today is the result: they became complacent, didn't vaccinate quickly enough, and Delta bent them over a barrel and gave them a good servicing.

Yep….got their strategy right initially, then ****ed up badly.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Bloody Hell. That's shocking.

I work for a uni but am based in a hospital. The academic community is acting like Covid is over. I got a fair amount of stick from my HoD for not signing up to teaching unvaccinated teenagers in enclosed spaces this semester and insisting on doing it online. I have signed up to going in next semester (I should have had my third jab in November) - assuming the numbers don't go mad again. As I have noted elsewehere I'm 63 and suffer recurrent respiratory infections. When I mention this the reaction is 'have you done a risk assessment?'. Yes, I did the college one and unless I have actual cancer the outcome is always green. 'In which case there is no reason why you shouldn't be back on campus'.

On advice from the Cardiology Department I have reported the conversation to PALS at the hospital. The man I spoke to who works at PALS was also pretty shocked. There is certainly an attitude from some that is distinctly unpleasant. Perhaps money is driving the policy at your university ?

 

[Is it PotG?]

A lot of people have died.

You need to consider stopping pissing about with enigmatic whimsy, on this thread, perhaps. Just a suggestion.

Yep, your comments carry weight, of course they do.

Might I suggest you carry on in your way, I'll do the same.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Emperor Xi and his CCP will be loving this.

 

[studio150]

So we now know why Johnson went on holiday this week, at least it's better than hiding in a fridge to avoid questions.

 

[Audax]

Australia got going late with the vax, but still under 2000 deaths through the whole pandemic. Infact the State of NSW will overtake the UK next week on double doses.

Not perfect but a lot better than UK's 150k dead, NHS scaring, long covid.

A long winter ahead here with Covid rife in schools and little mitigation...

Oh yes, absolutely agree: Australia (and New Zealand) will still come out the other end of this looking a whole lot better than the UK.

Of note: Melbourne holds the record for the longest number of consecutive days in lockdown.

 

[A1X]

The optimum response was probably the NZ one for dealing with the virus coupled with the success of the NHS vaccine rollout (i.e. get it low then keep it supressed with the vaccine). Generally nations have tended to do either one or the other well but not both (other than a few in the far east). Or, in cases like Brazil, neither.

 

[Gwylan]

I’m not sure what you mean by that.

I think the Tory’s biggest strength is that rightly or wrongly they have a clear vision of where they want this country to be. And one of the reasons they reacted to the pandemic the way they did was that that they did and still do see the crisis as a way to expedite that vision.

As an aside the biggest fault Labour has is that have no clear vision and they thought that by putting Starmer, a smart suited solicitor in charge, he would be what people wanted to see. But he hasn’t delivered what his image promised. He would have probably done well in the 1990’s but that’s not enough in these times. And people see that a mile off.

I totally disagree. I think the main problem this country faces is that Johnson has absolutely no idea what he wants this country to be. When he was mayor of London, he was so in favour in immigration that he wanted to give amnesty to all illegal immigrants, now he lets Prit Patel loose on them. He's in charge of a pro-business party but was quoted as saying "f*** business"; he says Sunak is doing a good job on keeping control of the economy and then backs Kwarteng that the purse strings should be loosened.

To keep it football related, he backed the Super League - until he saw the backlash and then quickly became against it. As people who have dealt with him have said, his view is that of the last person he spoke to.

Starmer doesn't need to have a vision. He (and he's not a solicitor BTW) tries to give off an air of competence, seriousness and calm. He wants to give a contrast with the meretricious charlatan on the opposite benches. Whether it will work or not is another matter but maybe the country needs another Attlee not a pound-shop Churchill.

 

[sparkie]

"Operation Last Gasp".

"Let the bodies pile high".

Elect a clown, get a circus. A deadly, catastrophic circus.

Never forget.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I think NZ is held up as an example of success, as you point out that doesn’t necessarily bear scrutiny. My problem with our government is the reasons I believe they reacted how they did. Not least their rush to profit financially from the pandemic and once they’d realised they could, how rapidly they proceeded to do so and how their decisions were dictated by their desire to make sure they and their affiliates profited.

How many people advising / vocal in the media have written books about this all?

Lots of people trying to profit.

 

[Baldseagull]

Has any government of any country handled this crisis well?

Yes, but there are different circumstances, many were better able to isolate, were not international hubs like us. The questions should be, could we have handled it better, and should we have handled it better? The answer is certainly yes to both.

 

[nicko31]

Well it obviously wasn't hindsight for everyone. Interview from 14 days prior to the first lockdown.



Very clearly stating what was required and when 'NOW'

Just thank god Johnson was chosen instead

Stewart is a man of the world, Johnson is just a washed up newspaper columnist

The difference probably 100,000 deaths

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Stewart is a man of the world, Johnson is just a washed up newspaper columnist

The difference probably 100,000 deaths

Yeh, 100,000 is probably a fair estimate

They could have picked him. He ran.