The Guardian view on Boris Johnson ’s Covid experts: sadly on tap, not on top | Editorial
Scientists cannot shield the prime minister from the fallout of an unethical policy that will see rising deathsThis week Boris Johnsonpresented the UK with his plan to lift all of England ’s Covid restrictions on Monday. He was flanked by Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser. Both men were there to show that Mr Johnson is following the science. To many experts, it seemed that the scientists were following the prime minister. Many suspect that their presence was political insurance rather than real reassurance.Such doubts are not unreasonable. England will be the first country in the world to end all constraints in the face of exponentially rising Covid-19 cases. Some experts say this is anunethical strategy of “herd immunity by mass infection”. It is hard to disagree. Other nations in the UK facepressure to follow suit. This policy will lead to more Covid cases, more hospitalisations and more deaths. The NHS risks beingoverwhelmed. Prof Whitty says the move is demanded by the roadmap out of lockdown. This has been defunct since vaccination rates beganfreefalling. Doubts persist over a shortage of vaccine stocks, which may explain a reluctance to jab the over-12s. The plan presumed no variants of concern, yet by May we had thehighly transmissible Delta variant. Its designation ought to have caused more than just a month ’s pause for thought.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Editorial Tags: Coronavirus Science Boris Johnson Politics Conservatives Chris Whitty Patrick Vallance Source Type: news