Thread by @Peston

The threat of #Covid19 to wreck our way of life was already clear to senior health experts on 22 January (this date is etched on my brain because I argued that day with colleagues that we had to discuss it on #Peston show). And on 11 February...

I emailed ITV colleagues that a senior government source had told me “we should know within a fortnight or so if we are looking at a pandemic in the UK...The risk is 60% of population getting it. With mortality rate of perhaps just over 1%, we are looking at...

not far off 500k deaths”. Ministers knew by 2nd week of February the gravity of what confronted us. So I am literally gobsmacked by the @thesundaytimes disclosure that the PM was not prioritising the looming Coronavirus catastrophe till March. thetimes.co.uk/article/corona…