Not only does the UK have the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in Europe (& second highest in the world) but we also clocked up those deaths faster than any other country.
Our coronavirus fire caught later, but burnt brighter and hotter. That translates into missed opportunity.
Our coronavirus fire caught later, but burnt brighter and hotter. That translates into missed opportunity.
We could have damped that fire right down while it was still only smouldering. After all, we had the example of all the other countries riding their own pandemic curves ahead of us to draw on. But we're talking about the Tories, who don't do forrin. So we sang Happy Birthday...
And here's a rolling 3-day average of daily confirmed COVID-19 deaths.
Again, we're hugely above other countries.
And yet, our death toll steepened much later than in Italy or Spain, so again we had the perfect opportunity to learn and act. But no, we shook hands with everyone.
Again, we're hugely above other countries.
And yet, our death toll steepened much later than in Italy or Spain, so again we had the perfect opportunity to learn and act. But no, we shook hands with everyone.
We left lockdown measures too late. Here's the UK visually falling behind the rest of the world.
(Maps, L-R: March 14, March 17 and March 23 - lockdown day)
Coronavirus cases were doubling every 3 days back then. So every 3 extra days delay made the problem twice as disastrous.
(Maps, L-R: March 14, March 17 and March 23 - lockdown day)
Coronavirus cases were doubling every 3 days back then. So every 3 extra days delay made the problem twice as disastrous.
By March 13, most of the world required public events to be cancelled. (A few countries only recommended it.) The UK did nothing.
And then, you have to consider that the UK is turning up the most cases of COVID-19 per test. We're conducting a mere 5.7 tests before getting a positive. That's bad! Other countries are doing way more tests before finding any. The perfect proof we're not testing nearly enough.
We also stand almost alone on contact tracing. Not doing any, that is.
We went straight from a comprehensive contact tracing approach up until March 12 to none. We just gave up.
March 12 is also the day Boris Johnson warned people they'd lose loved ones before their time!
We went straight from a comprehensive contact tracing approach up until March 12 to none. We just gave up.
March 12 is also the day Boris Johnson warned people they'd lose loved ones before their time!
And yet, despite the overwhelming evidence that the UK zigged where everyone else zagged, and sat on its hands when the rest of the world acted, the Goverment still insist they've handled the pandemic perfectly.
All available data says otherwise.
All available data says otherwise.
