» Anyone with mild symptoms told: Stay home
» But ex-Health Secretary fears plan is too slow
» Footie Euros may be axed till after June ‘peak’
SENIOR Tory Jeremy Hunt last night warned Boris Johnson’s slow response to the coronavirus crisis could plunge the NHS into chaos as it struggles to cope with the rapidly rising number of cases.
The former Health Secretary told of his shock at the PM’s latest reaction to the outbreak, while medical chiefs fear the real number of infected Brits is between 5,000 and 10,000.
Mr Johnson had warned many people could die of the disease and called it the “worst public health crisis for a generation” – but refused to close schools or ban large gatherings.
England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said anyone with a persistent cough or high temperature must immediately self-isolate for a week to slow its spread.
The public was also warned by Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries they could be putting themselves more at risk of catching coronavirus by wearing face masks because it could “actually trap the virus” and lead to them breathing it in.
But Mr Johnson was accused of doing too little, too late and Mr Hunt insisted countries that have acted quicker, closing schools and introducing social distancing, have the disease under more control.
He spoke after medical chiefs suggested the population would suffer coronavirus “fatigue” if they are put in lockdown and ordered to stay away from each other too soon.
Mr Hunt said: “Many people will be surprised and concerned that we are not moving sooner. And the reason is because the one thing we do have now is evidence of countries that appear to have been strikingly successful in turning back the tide of the virus.
“The places that succeeded are the ones that moved earliest to social distancing, trying to keep the most vulnerable people away from places where they could catch the virus.
“I’d like to see the modelling that really says people are going to tire of social distancing in a national and international emergency of this nature.
“The point of taking drastic measures is to slow the onslaught on the NHS. So 5% of the population get the virus, and 5% of those people need an intensive care bed that’s over 150,000 people who will need intensive care and we only have 4,000 beds.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/21043/425639/5e6ba2b37b80d/1584112296_loc.JPG]
“The evidence from around the world is that countries that acted earlier on social distancing have had more success.”
Former regional director of public health for North West England, Professor John Ashton added: “It’s pathetic. We have a superficial Prime Minister who has got no grasp of public health. Our lot are behaving like 19th-century colonialists playing a five-day game of cricket.” Dr Jenny Vaughan of The Doctors’ Association said she feared “we will be burying our colleagues” as medical staff on the front line step up their war on the virus.
But Mr Johnson insisted the Government was doing the right thing. He said anyone with a cough or cold who self-isolated for seven days would “help us delay and flatten the peak, squash that sombrero”. The PM was referring to a graph in which the sombrero’s peak represents the number of total cases expected in the UK if the public does not heed the medical advice.
Such a peak would be expected to come at the end of April and would overload the NHS.
If it can be flattened however, the cases will be spread out over a longer period of time and will keep the patient load below the NHS’s surge capacity.
The PM yesterday officially moved from the “contain” to “delay ” phase of its attempts to battle against the pandemic – as the number of confirmed cases rose to 596. There were two more deaths, bringing the number to 10. At a No10 press conference, attended by his chief aide Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson said of the coronavirus: “Some people compare it to seasonal flu, alas that is not right. Due to the lack of...
» But ex-Health Secretary fears plan is too slow
» Footie Euros may be axed till after June ‘peak’
SENIOR Tory Jeremy Hunt last night warned Boris Johnson’s slow response to the coronavirus crisis could plunge the NHS into chaos as it struggles to cope with the rapidly rising number of cases.
The former Health Secretary told of his shock at the PM’s latest reaction to the outbreak, while medical chiefs fear the real number of infected Brits is between 5,000 and 10,000.
Mr Johnson had warned many people could die of the disease and called it the “worst public health crisis for a generation” – but refused to close schools or ban large gatherings.
England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said anyone with a persistent cough or high temperature must immediately self-isolate for a week to slow its spread.
The public was also warned by Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries they could be putting themselves more at risk of catching coronavirus by wearing face masks because it could “actually trap the virus” and lead to them breathing it in.
But Mr Johnson was accused of doing too little, too late and Mr Hunt insisted countries that have acted quicker, closing schools and introducing social distancing, have the disease under more control.
He spoke after medical chiefs suggested the population would suffer coronavirus “fatigue” if they are put in lockdown and ordered to stay away from each other too soon.
Mr Hunt said: “Many people will be surprised and concerned that we are not moving sooner. And the reason is because the one thing we do have now is evidence of countries that appear to have been strikingly successful in turning back the tide of the virus.
“The places that succeeded are the ones that moved earliest to social distancing, trying to keep the most vulnerable people away from places where they could catch the virus.
“I’d like to see the modelling that really says people are going to tire of social distancing in a national and international emergency of this nature.
“The point of taking drastic measures is to slow the onslaught on the NHS. So 5% of the population get the virus, and 5% of those people need an intensive care bed that’s over 150,000 people who will need intensive care and we only have 4,000 beds.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/21043/425639/5e6ba2b37b80d/1584112296_loc.JPG]
“The evidence from around the world is that countries that acted earlier on social distancing have had more success.”
Former regional director of public health for North West England, Professor John Ashton added: “It’s pathetic. We have a superficial Prime Minister who has got no grasp of public health. Our lot are behaving like 19th-century colonialists playing a five-day game of cricket.” Dr Jenny Vaughan of The Doctors’ Association said she feared “we will be burying our colleagues” as medical staff on the front line step up their war on the virus.
But Mr Johnson insisted the Government was doing the right thing. He said anyone with a cough or cold who self-isolated for seven days would “help us delay and flatten the peak, squash that sombrero”. The PM was referring to a graph in which the sombrero’s peak represents the number of total cases expected in the UK if the public does not heed the medical advice.
Such a peak would be expected to come at the end of April and would overload the NHS.
If it can be flattened however, the cases will be spread out over a longer period of time and will keep the patient load below the NHS’s surge capacity.
The PM yesterday officially moved from the “contain” to “delay ” phase of its attempts to battle against the pandemic – as the number of confirmed cases rose to 596. There were two more deaths, bringing the number to 10. At a No10 press conference, attended by his chief aide Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson said of the coronavirus: “Some people compare it to seasonal flu, alas that is not right. Due to the lack of...
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Daily Mirror UK (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 13, 2020