Key messages from the government re: what happens next, a thread.
I have pulled out (and paraphrased, and commented on) the key bits from the article but the paywall has been lifted google.co.uk/amp/s/www.tele…
I have pulled out (and paraphrased, and commented on) the key bits from the article but the paywall has been lifted google.co.uk/amp/s/www.tele…
1. “Government’s goal is to PROTECT LIFE from COVID, our strategy is to PROTECT THE MOST VULNERABLE, and protect the NHS.” The capitals here are mine. This is what public health professionals do. But the first two are often in tension with the third.
2. “We will do the right thing at the right time, based on the best available science”. These are evidence-based decisions but the evidence is still emerging, it’s difficult to interpret, and what works in one setting may not work in another for a host of reasons.
3. “We have carried out some of the highest number of tests in Europe, our surveillance testing is among the most sophisticated in the world and the UK’s plans for the rapid response to and mitigation of the spread of an epidemic are ranked number one..
... above any other country by the Global Health Security Index.” All true. It’s literally what I do for a living! #globalhealth
4. “Thanks to our record levels of tracing the number of people who came into contact with the first [cases], the initial growth was slowed significantly, and the growth of the virus in the UK has been slower than many major European countries.”
Also true and literally what I used to do for a living up till last year, and continues to be the foundation of communicable disease control
5. “[The stay at home advice for people with symptoms will] be reinforced with a national communications campaign so everyone knows what they can do: how you can play your part”. Good, but I agree public communication could have been better/more prompt.
6. “Today......take a call to arms for a drive to build ventilators and other equipment the NHS will need”. This is important, the NHS needs more capacity to cope with peak demand which is why #flattenthecurve is such a big deal
7. “SAGE has advised the next planned effective interventions will need to be instituted soon, including measures to ‘shield’ older and medically vulnerable people from the virus.....We will provide expert advice and support as soon as we progress to this phase”.
SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies) provides scientific and technical advice to support govt decision makers during emergencies. Advice is considered carefully/from all angles. This is not some hastily contrived plan to bump off the elderly, contrary to some comments
8. “Next week we will publish our emergency bill, to give the Government the temporary powers we will need to help everyone get through this. The measures in it allow for the worst case scenario.” I have no more information on this one!
Remember, #FactsNotFear and #BeKind
