Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
The problem is that by the time Omicron started to bite in the UK there was mounting evidence from South Africa that it simply wasn’t as serious an infection as previous variants.
|
This was very fast-moving though, we're talking about new data coming out every day, and there was also concern on exactly what the data was telling us.
I think you can forgive scientists and the Government for acting with caution when presented with incomplete data. Even if it was only because of their experiences with not being cautious enough a year earlier. Remember this was spreading at an alarming rate so if something about that South African data turned out not to be applicable here the hospitalisation rate would have been huge and a couple of weeks delay means you don't have the luxury of waiting. You need to make a call.
Quote:
|
The data from the last 4 weeks demonstrates that South Africa told us everything we needed to know about Omicron, and just how far we actually needed to trash Christmas and New Year in fear of it. The obvious over-reaction in Whitehall and particularly in the devolved administrations will come back to bite us all on the bum if we have to go through all this again because people will be less willing to believe another cry of “wolf”.
|
I would hope the relative success we've had over the last two years would give people faith that we're actually quite capable people in dealing with this. The science got most of it right and getting some things wrong doesn't invalidate that, they'll get more things wrong I am sure.