Tell us the truth so we can return to normal

IN THE letter published on November 28, M W Blurton describes the coronavirus as “the world’s largest threat to people’s health ever faced in our lifetime” and asked those who criticise the handling of the situation to come up with a “magic formula” of their own.

Worldwide, millions of people have contracted the virus without being aware of having it. How can it be such a killer if most of those with it show no symptoms and don’t feel ill?

The Office of National Statistics has told us that, of all the deaths attributed to the virus, 91.3% of the patients had a terminal condition. Those deaths were expected, and the actual death rate from the virus, rather than being over 60,000 is actually less than 5,000.

During the summer, the death rate slowed down, but we were still given weekly reports of “excess deaths” and yet the ONS. also said that, during June and July, for a period of six weeks the death rate was below the national five-year average.

Can you explain, M W, how it can be excess and below average at the same time?

Many Nightingale hospitals were set up to take the overflow from normal hospitals unable to cope, yet most of them have not had a single patient. The Royal Derby Hospital, one of the biggest in the country, has never had more than 200 virus patients at any one time, so the NHS is not, as they claim to be, “near breaking point.”

So, M W, we don’t need a “magic formula”, all we need is to be told the truth, and the country would then soon be back to normal.

Roy Wheatley, Chaddesden