Thread by @cpeedell

THREAD: Summary of UK’s #COVID19 Crisis
1. Viral pandemics are top of Government’s risk register
2. Despite this, Cygnus report showed we were unprepared
3. We had advanced warning in January
4. PM put his free market ideology ahead of public health (Feb 3rd “Superman” speech)

5. Herd immunity strategy adopted instead of strict early lockdown, which eventually came but far too late
6. PM’s “hand shaking” speech was a public health calamity
7. Sporting events like Cheltenham, Liverpool/Madrid, & Rugby internationals were a public health calamity

8. Test, Trace, Isolate dropped, when it should have been a key measure
9. Failure to protect nursing/care homes. Hospitals told to discharge patients into these vulnerable places
10. Failure to protect NHS & social care staff, & other frontline staff with adequate PPE or no PPE

11. Failure to adopt the use of masks in public places
12. #SAGE group lacked key public health expertise and has made serious mistakes. Lack of transparency & openness. Resulted in the “Independent SAGE”
13. SAGE politicised by presence of #Cummings who wasn’t just an observer

14. #Cummings scandal has resulted
in a collapse of public trust, which is an essential component for public compliance to public health policy
15. UK already one of the worst hit countries in the world with clear evidence of many tens of thousands of excess deaths

16. NHS effort to tackle pandemic has been immense but has taken its toll on management of other conditions like cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes etc. Surgical waiting lists now huge
17. Due to that effort, NHS staff are exhausted, especially those on the frontline

18. NHS is just starting to recover & expand many of its other services, so releasing “lockdown” now is a serious mistake
19. Worse still, the PM’s easing of “lockdown” is against advice of his own scientific advisors and his own rules & conditions for easing have not been met

20. A second wave is now almost inevitable according to many experts, especially with the “Cummings” effect
21. The current test, trace, isolate policy isn’t fit for purpose. It’s been rushed, outsourced against expert advice, lacks key technology components, & is set up to fail

22. This Government lacks the necessary talent to deal with a pandemic and is dangerously incompetent. It is epitomised by Boris #Johnson and his key advisor, Dominic #Cummings
24. This is a shameful episode in our history
25. An honest & open public inquiry would confirm this