Thread by @PaulTavares74

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer This strategy is politically cynical beyond belief. I'll explain why (thread):

1. Fix the NHS: NHS hospitals are currently operating under capacity, some wards remain virtually empty, and all because the NHS has prioritised Covid over all other treatments.

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer Meanwhile, several Nightingale hospitals have been torn down (having remained unused), and now we hear of some hospitals closing down vital medical service departments as part of their Covid-response strategy (UCLH & Royal Free closing children’s A&E).

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer 2. Fix test, track & trace: Testing sits at approx. 250k per day, far higher than in other countries. There have been some issues that need fixing but a shutdown does nothing to aid that process.

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer £12bn spent on a Test & Trace app that doesn’t work & is being under-utilised by the public for many different reasons. We were promised a world-beating system earlier this year & it hasn’t materialised. The idea that it can be miraculously fixed in 2-3 weeks is for the fairies.

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer Track & Trace systems are so complex for technical & cultural reasons that we now hear France has completely abandoned its own Test & Trace programme.

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer 3. Reduce R-Rate: The R-rate increases when children are at school, even if the no of +ve tests / cases remain the same. So to coincide a 2-3 week ‘circuit break’ with half-term will automatically reduce the R-rate even if the no. of infections remain the same - a false victory

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer 4. Reduce Hospitalisations: Locking down the entire country will mean people won’t attend hospitals because of the restrictions, so naturally hospitalisations will go down, but at what cost? We saw during the original lockdown (originally supposed to be 2-3 weeks too),

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer the NHS “hidden waiting list” (England, start of September) stood at 15.3m, Cancer screenings during lockdown 30% per month, elective surgeries suspended & non-elective ones reduced significantly such that patients waiting for an operation >1 year rose from 1k to 50k & surgeons

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer operating at 50% capacity despite record waiting times, NHS treatment delays linked to more child deaths than coronavirus (Royal College), huge increases in levels of suicide & mental health, 15 million dentist appointments delayed...the list is endless!

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer Conclusion: “In our analysis, full lockdowns and widespread Covid-19 testing were not associated with reductions in the number of critical cases and overall mortality” ~ The Lancet

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer The WHO have now also publicly stated that their policy guidance is that lockdowns should not be implemented as they are ineffective and cause far greater harm than good. So a lockdown goes against WHO scientific guidance

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer National lockdown will irreparably harm the economy further, destroy businesses, lead to great job losses, do nothing in terms of suppressing the virus but merely delay its impact deeper into the winter months, increase NHS waiting lists & deny people potentially life-saving

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer hospital appointments - but hey, it’ll give @UKLabour & SAGE a political victory thanks to some dodgy statistics, so win-win!!

@SadiqKhan @Keir_Starmer Please unroll .@threadreaderapp. Thank you