So did Boris get it wrong over Covid?
THE first major inquiry by MPs into the Government’s handling of the pandemic shows we came tragically short in the early stages of the battle against Covid. We should have learnt lessons from the horrifying misfortunes of other countries. We could have adopted the test-and-trace approach of Asian countries, but by the time we decided to do this it was too late and cost an astronomical amount for little benefit. We should have seen how Italy’s health service virtually collapsed and immediately bought more PPE. We should have seen the social care crisis in Spain and not have sent elderly, vulnerable and untested patients from hospitals into care homes. We should never have considered a herd immunity strategy. As an island nation, we could and should have closed our borders. Boris Johnson, government ministers, scientists, specialists and everyone who had a hand in early decision-making should take their share of the blame.
ASHLEY SMITH, March, Cambs.
THE Parliamentary review of Government actions taken during the pandemic is the usual blame game. Throughout the world many different means were employed to tackle Covid, from lockdowns and total isolation to masks and social distancing. It would be a fruitless task to try to establish who, if anyone, got it completely right before and after the introduction of the Covid jab. Politicians and scientists in this country all made some mistakes with the analysis of the situation, predictions of outcomes and actions chosen to contain the virus. Most decisions were made with the admirable objective of protecting the NHS. However, unscientific data was often used to scare the public into taking action. One set of data that has not been adequately analysed and made public is a breakdown of the 140,000 deaths. How many were aged over 85, obese, suffering underlying health problems, contracted Covid in a care home or hospital, or were otherwise healthy?
JAMES WEEDON, Haltwhistle, Northumberland.
THE real finding of the joint committee report, Coronavirus: Lessons Learned To Date, should be that, as far as social care is concerned, it would appear no lessons have been learnt at all. More than 32,000 of those who died were in care and nursing homes. The sector remains in a deep financial and staffing crisis. The Government may believe it solved this when it recently announced extra National Insurance funded money, but that will first go to the NHS. The litmus test will be whether the Government reacts to this report and carries out root-and-branch reform of social care.
MIKE PADGHAM, Independent Care Group, York.
HINDSIGHT is a wonderful thing. Covid was a brand new virus and no one knew anything about it. How could any politician know exactly how to respond in the early days? What matters is how the Government responded once advised by the experts. Yes, there were mistakes, but we must remember that it was necessary to balance health with keeping the economy going.
M. SIMS, Warrington, Cheshire.