Hancock kept in dark on outbreak of Kent variant
Scientists knew of Covid mutation that cancelled Christmas months before telling health secretary
GOVERNMENT scientists failed for months to tell ministers about the new Covid variant which led to Christmas 2020 being cancelled, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.
Matt Hancock said that it was a “total outrage” and demanded an immediate briefing when he realised the team sequencing the virus had known for around three months that it had mutated in cases in London and Kent.
The then-health secretary appeared to try to cover up the issue by asking for a breakdown of who knew what and when to give “advice to ministers” so that it was not subject to Freedom of Information laws.
Days after Boris Johnson, the prime minister at the time, was informed of the existence of the Alpha variant, he announced that Christmas had to be cancelled for millions of people in London and the South East because the virus had spread so widely.
A study by Oxford University later found that the variant’s rapid spread was not because of increased transmissibility but was the result of a “super seeding event” where it was passed on by multiple people and had already travelled around the country before restrictions were put into place.
Mr Hancock mentioned the variant to his “top team” of special advisers in Whatsapp messages on Dec 13.
He insisted that he needed an explainer on the variant, adding: “I need to approve it. It needs to be clear about the heightened transmission risk, and very cautious – very reassuring – in anything said about the vaccine impact so as not to harm public confidence.”
Later that day he asks his advisers for “urgent advice on the genomic sequencing of every positive PCR test”, saying that he had asked for this “months ago”.
He added: “Also, I want to know immediately what other variants are out there. I have just been told that Sharon Peacock knew about this in September.”
Prof Peacock, who held senior positions in Public Health England (PHE) since 2019, is the chairman of the Covid-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium, a group of public health agencies and academic institutions created to sequence and analyse the virus.
In a conversation with Damon Poole, his media advisor, Mr Hancock said the fact that the first case of the Kent variant was identified in a sample from Sept 20 2020 was a “total outrage”.
He said that “back then” the scientists “wouldn’t have known the implications” but that Prof Susan Hopkins, who was leading the strategic response to Covid at PHE, “has been tearing her hair out”.
On Dec 13, Mr Hancock said that he had spoken to Michael Gove, then minister for the Cabinet Office, and had “floated cancelling Christmas” in certain areas which he said his colleague could “see the point of ”.
According to Mr Hancock’s Pandemic Diaries, he first learnt of the Alpha variant in a phone call from Jonathan Vantam on Dec 11.
Prof Peacock said: “I completely reject the factual inaccuracies and deeply personal attacks contained in these leaked messages.
“It is extremely misleading to suggest that the COG-UK consortium failed to inform the relevant people about the newly-emerging B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant.
“Together with the research community and colleagues at all four public health agencies, we worked tirelessly to understand Covid and limit its spread.
“The COG-UK consortium is made up of the four public health agencies of the UK, 16 universities and the Wellcome Sanger Institute. COG-UK shared its genome data every week with all 21 partners and with many other scientists in the UK and internationally. All genome data were put into global databases as soon as possible.
“An assessment of transmissibility requires the combination of genome data with public health information on the place and timing of Covid-19 cases, supported by modelling of the data. A single variant detected by sequencing means nothing without the context of how it behaves.”