So, a 2005 blueprint to fight an #airborne #virus arriving in Britain was lost, filed away in Whitehall, and apparently never used.
Now uncovered, its recommendations included limiting travel and stopping ‘super-spreader’ events - lessons not learned.
independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
The @Independent reports that, 'One senior medical adviser who served in Downing Street throughout the last decade said they were “totally surprised” to learn of the blueprint, despite having worked in emergency health planning and pandemic preparedness'.
independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
The @Independent reports that 'the 2005 plan put together by the #DoH, warns of spread via “finer aerosols of infectious respiratory secretions, which stay in the air longer than droplets”, meaning it can be passed from one person to another through the nose, mouth or even eyes.'
'The document, uncovered by a Freedom of Information request, warns of the risk of “super-spreading events” and reiterates the need for good ventilation, particularly in a healthcare setting, in order to “direct airflow … and remove contaminated air”...'
Excellent➡️@Independent
The @Independent notes that,
'In the “lessons learnt” section, the document stresses the need for “clear and transparent communications”, surge capacity in hospitals and testing, rapid detection of illness and isolation of cases, and increased infection control measures,... PPE'.
The @Independent reports that,
'Pat Troop, who also helped develop the plan while chief executive of the now-defunct Health Protection Agency, said it “would have gone to ministers and probably been discussed in Cobra”. After that, she said, “I don’t know where it went.”...'
The @Independent notes that @Sir_David_King, chief scientific adviser from 2000-2007, who was involved in developing the document, said:
'The Sars contingency plan should have been used instead of the flu textbook at the beginning of the Covid pandemic'.
independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
The plan "was overlooked,” @Sir_David_King said. “I believe tens of thousands of lives would have been saved. I think the economy would have been in a much better place too.”
As it stands, Britain has had more than 150,000 deaths attributed to the virus.
independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
The @Independent reports that, @JeremyFarrar, a senior member of #SAGE, said 'Downing Street had turned to its flu textbook when Covid hit as it was faced with a “brand new infection… for which we which we had no diagnostics, treatments or vaccines”...'
independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
The @Independent notes that the 'document, dated 23 June 2005 with the word “draft” in capitals across each of its 48 pages, begins by outlining the 2003 response to Sars, of which there were four confirmed cases in the UK and 8,000 around the world.'
independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
The @Independent notes that, Professor @GabrielScally, a regional public health director in England throughout the 2000s, and now a member of @IndependentSage, said 'the Sars plan, which “likely crossed my desk”, would “definitely have made a difference” had it been implemented'.
Prof. @GabrielScally indicated that the 2005 Sars plan was the one he would have gone for, noting that, "There was a later one, which was influenza, but it was really apparent from the start that this wasn’t influenza. It was much more serious.”
independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
The @independent article also reports that Prof. @GabrielScally noted that: as government contingency planning was cut through the early 2010s, “it’s not surprising that the Sars plan went missing”.
independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
End piece @independent a government spokesperson said the vaccine programme had saved 60,000 lives & prevented >22million infections, & there have been no known cases of Sars anywhere in the world for >15yrs & it's right that government focused on more likely risks to pub health.
Source, an excellent article by the @Independent's Samuel Lovett, @samueljlovett, Science correspondent.
'In 2005 a blueprint was drawn up to fight a Covid-like disease caused by a coronavirus – then it was ‘lost’.'
Lost!!!
independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
#Covid19UK Data 4 Aug 2021 @PMPmagToday
It's NOT over⬇️
💉#JCVI recommends💉16 and 17 year olds
➕🦠1 in 65🏴#ONS w/e 24 Jul
💉57.74% of total UK population
🦠977,466 cases in 28 days
🦠29,312 cases in 24hrs
⚰️119 deaths in 24hrs
🏥5,896 hospitalised
🏥668 admissions
🏥887 ICU
Further thoughts, given where we are today,
‘No, it won’t reach here,’ an ex-senior medical adviser said. 'This belief, it won’t ever reach here & we don’t need to learn from countries in Asia. We took a long time to wake up, even when it was in Italy.'
‘It won’t reach here,’ an ex-senior medical adviser said. 'This belief, it won’t ever reach here and we don’t need to learn from countries in Asia. We took a long time to wake up, even when it was in Italy.' @PMPmagToday
Well it did reach 'here', and it is still very much here.
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.