Widespread testing is key to lessening public panic over spread of coronovirus

Despite Allan Sutherland’s confidence in the current national testing strategy for Covid-19 due to the persuasive presentation skills of Professor Jason Leitch (Letters, 31 March), I am more persuaded by those public health and infectious diseases experts who argue for a comprehensive testing and surveillance approach.

Social anthropologist Dr Alice Street says Social Science research has backed this up as the best way not only to contain the pandemic but to allay public panic caused by changing messages from Government and ensuing lack of trust (Perspective, 31 March). Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of Global Public Health at Edinburgh University, has also advocated more testing.

Since we have missed the boat on this, we must cooperate fully with the current strategy, while urging government to roll out more testing and tracing and isolation of known contacts of positive cases.

DONALD M MACDONALD

Blackford Avenue, Edinburgh

So one quarter of medics are sick. The government’s scientific advisers were right to say getting the NHS up to speed so that we cope with the peak will be a close-run thing.

Back in 2016 the government decided to ignore the outcome studies of a pandemic because they preferred neo-liberalism and austerity to real planning. As a result doctors and nurses are ill prepared. The incredible bravery of medics, retail workers, delivery drivers, social care workers, construction workers, farmers, refuse collectors and NHS volunteers must never be forgotten.

The way to honour these people will be to avoid ideological bias in future so we choose our political leaders with real awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of different parties. We need to be realistic about risks – such as risks to food supplies, which we have now woken up to, and risks to the environment, which we are only becoming more aware of. As Boris Johnson has just discovered, “there is such a thing as society”.

ANDREW VASS

Corbiehill Place, Edinburgh

About 15 per cent of those diagnosed with coronavirus end up in hospital with unpleasant symptoms including breathing problems and pneumonia. Around 5 per cent need intensive care. But the majority who get the virus suffer nothing more than a cough and don’t know they are infected. The “official” death rate is around 2 per cent but experts believe the true mortality rate is less than 1 per cent because only the severe cases are picked up. Seasonal flu kills around 0.1 per cent so this time around Covid-19 is more lethal but still much less dangerous than SARS, which killed 10 per cent.

In China the death rate for over-80s is 15 per cent and patients in their seventies, 5 per cent, but around 80 per cent of those infected are 3070. Those of any age with “other conditions” (diabetes, cancer, heart or kidney problems, high blood pressure, etc) will suffer serious complications if infected. At present medics can do little to tackle the virus, but the symptoms (fever and respiratory problems) can be treated with antibiotics etc. The problem is, so many victims were going to die anyway, but vaccines should be ready if coronavirus becomes endemic and returns next winter.

(REV DR) JOHN CAMERON

Howard Place, St Andrews