HE scientific advisor head of the British Government during the epidemic, Patrick VallanceHe lashed out at the UK’s top political leaders when it emerged on Monday in front of the covid commission. During more than five hours of testimony, Vallance reviewed notes from his personal diary he wrote during the worst months of the pandemic. “A complete lack of leadership.” the failure of then Prime Minister Boris Johnson and members of the Government to make decisions that would help stop the terrorist attack increased deaths and infections in the country.
Scientist assured that Johnson difficulties understanding statistics on many occasions and appeared “confused”. “Sometimes it was difficult to make sure he understood what a graph or a particular piece of information was saying,” admitted Vallance, who highlighted the former prime minister’s poor scientific training, having graduated from a classics degree at Oxford University. “The Prime Minister wonders: We overestimated lethality of this disease. He oscillates between optimism and pessimism… and is confused by different types of tests,” Vallance wrote in his personal notes presented before the commission this Monday.
irregular decisions
constant fluctuations Decision-making process by Johnson and his ministers took months cause of disappointment He is among the scientific advisers who condemned the lack of clear instructions and the enormous influence the media, some of whom openly opposed the closures, had on the former prime minister. Vallance also criticized the then Minister of Health: Matt HancockHe accused him of making a statement without his knowledge. “He definitely said something with a lot of conviction and it surprised me because I knew There was no scientific basis”.
The former Government adviser also attacked current Chancellor Rishi Sunak (then Chancellor of the Exchequer) for being “dogmatic” in advocating reopening the economy. In one of his personal notes, Vallance collected some statements from Johnson’s then-right-hand man: Dominik CummingsHe claimed Sunak thought: “It was right to let people die.”. The Minister of Finance of the period supported the campaign ‘Eat, help’According to Vallance, this practice, which aims to stimulate the economy of the hospitality sector by providing financial assistance to consumers, contributed to the increase in infections in the second half of 2020.
slow response
Slow response from ministers inevitable effect Pointing out that decisions need to be made, the scientist announced that there is an increase in the number of infections and deaths in the United Kingdom. “Faster, stronger and wider”. In one of the notes reviewed by the commission on Monday, Vallance described ministers as “docile as mice” and criticized their concerns about supporting the implementation of new restrictions. Some notes from the former Government adviser attributed to: “chaotic” situation This was happening at that time.
Vallance’s statements are part of the investigation independent commission It was created in mid-2022 to clarify what covid is. preparation level It sheds light on the evaluation of the country’s health services and the processes followed in decision-making and decision-making in the face of an epidemic with these characteristics. debugging responsibilities. Several senior Government officials, including Hancock and Sunak, appeared before commission chair Baroness Heather Hallett, who plans to hear evidence from other scientific advisers to the Government this week. The final results of the research will not be published until 2026.