Boris must hit back with facts

THE world piled in on Boris Johnson when he was caught out over the Covid restrictions in the north-east of England.

The rules in different parts of the UK are confusing and contradictory, but at least they help us avoid another full lockdown.

Every week a business continues to trade is anothe other week in which they can keep taking some cash cash, paying staff and driv driving the economy on.

B But I’m bewildered by how the Prime Minister’s sen sense of defiance seems to d desert him the minute he joins his medical and sci scientific advisors.

O On Wednesday, flanked by Glum an and Glummer, he warned us: “If the evi evidence requires it, we will not hesitate to take further measures that would be mo more costly than the ones we have put int into effect now... there is only one way of doing this.” His fellow prophets of doom could not wait to join in with grim charts and gloomy projections. Professor Chris Whitty said: “We have a long winter ahead of us.” While Sir Patrick Vallance agreed: “This is headed in the wrong direction, it is very clear that rates are still going up.”

But why are they so selective with the data they share? One day last week, 2,252 patients were in hospitals in the UK with Covid. Admittedly, that is nearly five times as many as were being looked after at the end of August, but it is a fraction of the 17,000 being treated in the middle of April.

The number of people on ventilators is 312, again up from 52 a month ago, but nowhere near the 2,800 in April.

The NHS has 100,000 hospital beds in England, yet Covid patients account for just 2% of occupancy. And the daily confirmed cases are half what those absurd predictions of 50,000 by the middle of this month suggested.

In France and Spain the number of cases appears to be levelling off and the number of deaths is mercifully rising at a snail’s pace.

Since June, three times the number of people have died with pneumonia and flu as have died from Covid.

The average age of those who tragically succumb to the virus is 82.

Provided you are not in a vulnerable sector, most people under 60 enjoy a full recovery. Yet we never hear this from our “experts”.

Little wonder the Conservative revolt against these East German-style restrictions is growing.

Boris Johnson last week urged us not to “throw in the sponge”.

Sticking with boxing metaphors, the PM needs to realise that we would be less likely to do that if he came out throwing a punch or two… instead of cowering in a corner in the face of all the advice he is given.