Tomorrow we launch our Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies Report. We make 18 recommendations to the government to help the UK suppress the virus, save lives and get the economy moving again. (1)
The UK Government's COVID-19 Recovery Plan Report 'Our Plan to Rebuild' released today will not ensure the suppression of the epidemic. Find, test, trace and isolate is crucial to success. Yet four months on, the government plans remain misguided and over-centralised.(2)
WHO ask that "governments refocus the whole of government on suppression and containing COVID-19". There is no refocus or commitment except to manage the spread. This is 'herd immunity' and 'take it on the chin'. (3)
WHO ask for government to commit to evidence that shows that COVID-19 transmission is controlled. We are still seeing 20,000 cases per day with up to 400,000 contacts each day. (4)
WHO ask that 'sufficient public health+health system capacities are in place to identify, isolate, test and treat all cases, and to trace and quarantine contacts.' Nothing is joined up. Tests by Deloitte, tracing by SERCO. Nothing linked to primary care or local public health (5)
The Government has appointed Baroness Harding to lead the COVID-19 Test and Trace Taskforce, ex-CEO of Talk Talk when 4 million people had bank details accessed by fraudsters. When asked if the data was encrypted or not, she said: "The awful truth is that I don’t know." (6)
Report says "Outbreaks amongst the socially excluded - whether through poverty or homelessness - are likely to be especially difficult to detect and harmful, since people in these groups may lack the means to isolate themselves when ill. " Solution? NONE. (7)
WHO asks that 'Preventive measures are established in workplaces, with physical distancing, handwashing facilities and respiratory etiquette in place, and potentially thermal monitoring.' No government guidelines. (8)
WHO asks that 'Outbreak risks are minimized in high vulnerability settings, such as long-term care facilities (i.e. nursing homes, rehabilitative and mental health centres) and congregate settings.' This isn't happening. (9)
"The Government is providing widespread, swift testing of all symptomatic care home residents, and all patients discharged from hospital before going into care homes." This is not what we're hearing from the frontline. (10)
WHO asks for "Communities have a voice, are informed, engaged and participatory in the transition." Nothing. No engagement. A strategy that is so top-down, Scotland, Wales and N Ireland weren't even informed. (11)
In short, the government plans will lead to the epidemic returning early, cases rising, further preventable deaths, and no guarantee that herd immunity will ever occur. This is compounding the disastrous policy of March 12. (12)
Apparently the plan was not approved by the chief scientific advisor and chief medical officer. We need them to confirm one way or another. This strategy will do harm. They should not endorse it. Primum non nocere. (13)
There is still time to implement our recommendations. We look forward to the government's response. (14)
