Too many errors

It is gratifying to read that the powers that be have finally decided, more than a little tardily, to institute a programme of testing, tracking and isolation with respect to Covid-19. How unfortunate this was not considered at the time of the outbreak, especially since it was recommended by WHO by at least the beginning of March. However, due to arrogance or a self-deluded

attitude of “we know best”, Health Secretary Matt Hancock deemed such a move to be “inappropriate”, which has resulted in today’s problems.

Perhaps the efficacy of such a programme is best evidenced by results in South Korea, whose health authorities pursued an aggressive programme of testing, tracking and isolation.

This has resulted in no new cases since the end of February

and, up until May, a total of 10,801 cases and only 252 deaths.

I would suggest that failure to mitigate the outbreak was compounded by the wrongly perceived wisdom of Mr Hancock and then Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Catherine Calderwood that the risk of infection was “low” or was “low even passing a patient in the street”. Try telling that to those thousands who have

lost loved ones and colleagues and, sadly, those who may still do. The situation was further exacerbated by allowing more than 100,000 people to fly into the UK, not a few of them from known Covid hotspots. An offer of a large number of test kits from an English company was turned down because they had not been validated. But this is done at Colindale, which is under the aegis of Public Health England and, ultimately the Department of Health. The company making the offer said they had not been approached to submt kits to be tested so the consignment went elsewhere. Among this catalogue of errors was the refusal of the UK to join an EU consortium for the purchase of PPE for Eu-wide distribution. Mr Hancock later said that the UK had joined the consortium.

However, the EU body running the consortium emphatically stated that this was untrue.

As one reputable columnist wrote, this episode shows the UK to be a second-tier country run by a government which is not even tenth tier. Sad, but true I fear.

DAVID VEITCH Bangholm Bower Avenue

Edinburgh

I predict that by the time a committee has been formed, sufficient meetings convened to deliberate the efficacy, cost effectiveness and likely coefficient of integration with existing methodology, the 12 currently available Quotient screening machines will be long gone and performing admirably for some of our European neighbours.

A TROMBALA Park Terrace, Stirling