While all media attention continues to focus on #DominicCummings' explosive claims about Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock, Cabinet Sec et al, there is one issue that has had less attention: whether the govt STILL believe in #herdimmunity through natural infection? @IndependentSage
Even until a few weeks ago, following Stage 2 of the Roadmap (with a Third wave on our doorstep in Europe), Boris Johnson talked about learning to "live with the virus" and accepting more hospitalisations and [inevitable] deaths with reopening more places. itv.com/news/2021-04-1…
And it's clear that UK govt are neither "following the science" nor adhering to "data not dates" when we're told that there's "nothing in the data" to suggest the govt need to "deviate" from its Roadmap. Covid cases, linked to so-called #IndianVariant are rising across many areas
I’ll be on @SkyNews *today at 8.05* discussing why we should care about [some of] what #DominicCummings says, whether Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock have learnt anything from their flawed and discredited “natural herd immunity” policies and what needs to happen next. Join me!
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This is ALARMING. Last night while #Eurovision was on Public Health England released a delayed report showing that #B16172 so-called Indian variant has spread v. fast across the country, now in all regions and is deemed high risk re: transmissibility and *some* vaccine escape.
Large % of B1617.2 India variant have been identified in NW, London, East England & East Midlands BUT it is everywhere. And while 2 doses of #CovidVaccine ~81% effective against B1617.2 variant, 1 dose only 33% efficacy. That leaves 60% of adults and ALL children still at risk.
On Friday Boris Johnson said he sees no *current signs* of having to "deviate" from plans to scrap the last lockdown curbs YET both he and PHE were fully aware of ALL this alarming data. They are also holding back important data on number & extent of school outbreaks re: #B16172
It is extremely worrying that Boris Johnson is not reconsidering ANY of the relaxation of rules in nxt step of #Roadmap May 17, given SAGE modelling showed a 30-40% more transmissible #B16172 'Indian' variant could lead to January level hospitalisations EVEN IF vaccines work well
On Fri @IndependentSage published its 6 point plan on what ACTION the govt needed to take in order to prevent a 3rd lethal wave. We are extremely concerned that even though the govt have NOT MET all 4 tests of Roadmap (i.e. variants of concern) they are proceeding without caution
We now know #B16172 variant identified in India is 50% more transmissible than Kent variant, which drove our 2nd devastating wave last year. Given two-thirds of UK population partially vaccinated/not vaccinated at all why have govt not placed any limits on indoor mixing on May17?
This is really concerning. The government are carrying out human guinea-pig experiments in Liverpool to see *whether or not transmission increases* (which may result in hospitalisations and death) if clubbers only take (unreliable) lateral flow tests before mass events.
The best way to keep people safe at mass events, indoor pubs is to ensure that local & national rates of covid are low. That means a functioning test, trace & supported isolation system which not only brings cases down, but keeps them down. Tests only don’t prevent transmission
Couple of quick points after seeing some of the replies: 1/After a devastating year with an infectious & deadly virus linked to >150,000 deaths in UK, it is not unreasonable to raise ethical, methodological & safety concerns about a mass clubbing trial with 6000 ppl in Liverpool.
There's been a lot of discussion this week about #BlackLivesMatter demands to "defund the police" without any real understanding of what this means. Nobody is saying police shouldn't exist; what they're saying is that safety and protection is not a priority for all ethnic groups.
The sheer irony of Boris Johnson announcing a cross-government Commission (NOT a govt strategy or plan of action) into “all aspects” of racial inequality in UK when his govt have yet to publish a held-back report on how to save BME lives during a pandemic. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-530453…
Just ystday @RunnymedeTrust had a letter published in @thesundaytimes calling on the govt for MORE ACTION and *less rhetoric* on racial inequalities. How tone deaf do you have to be to ignore the evidence produced by your OWN government on racial inequalities? #BlackLivesMatter
If the robust data on racial inequalities across all aspects of life on the govt's OWN website (Ethnicity facts and figures) and from their own reviews (e.g Timpson's review on school exclusions) is not sufficient evidence of racial inequalities, then what is? #BlackLivesMatter
After a year's delay the Windrush Lessons Learned Review (i.e. why the #Windrush scandal happened) is being published tmrw. This was one of the most appalling injustices to happen to BME citizens in this country; please put aside some time to find out why theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/m…
It's been 2yrs since the #Windrush Scandal came to light, but it's hard to forget how ppl like Paulette Wilson, Michael Braithwaite, Anthony Bryan, Albert Thompson & many others lost their livelihoods and were detained even though they had lived here legally for over 50 years.
Priti Patel, discussing the #Windrush Lessons Learning report (WLLR) on bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/b…. Highlights decades of institutional thoughtlessness. But not once has Home Sec mentioned govt's Hostile Environment policies which significantly contributed to the Windrush injustice.