London - The British government was too
slow to react on several fronts to the novel coronavirus
outbreak that could cause the deaths of 40 000 people in the
United Kingdom, a leading public health professor told lawmakers
on Friday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson initially refrained from
approving the stringent controls that other European leaders
imposed but then closed down the country when projections showed
a quarter of a million people could die in Britain.
So far, more than 14,576 people with Covid-19 have died in
British hospitals, though new official data indicates the true
death toll could be much larger.
"Where were the system errors that led us to have probably
the highest death rates in Europe?" Anthony Costello, professor
of International Child Health and Director of the UCL Institute
for Global Health, asked at the Health and Social Care
Committee.
"We have to face the reality of that: We were too slow with
a number of things," Costello told the committee. "We could see
40,000 deaths by the time it's over."
Costello, a paediatrician who is an expert in epidemiology,
said the government should make sure its response to the second
and additional waves of infection was not too slow.
The government also faced separate criticism over its supply
of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers.
The Guardian newspaper said shortages meant guidelines were
being relaxed, and that doctors might need to treat patients
without wearing full-length protective gowns.
Ministers on Friday acknowledged a shortage of gowns -
departing from their position that there were adequate supplies
of PPE but some logistical problems getting it to where it was
needed. The health department did not immediately comment on the
Guardian report.
Britain has the fifth-highest official death toll from
Covid-19 in the world, after the United States, Italy, Spain and
France, though the UK figure only covers hospital fatalities and
the real number is probably much higher.
British ministers have defended their response to the
outbreak, saying they followed scientific advice and have
responded with urgency in what amounts to a war-like situation.
Costello said the United Kingdom needed wide-scale testing
and the right systems in place to deal with further flare-ups of
the outbreak.
"The recent estimates, even from the chief scientific
officer, is that after this wave - we could see 40,000 deaths by
the time it's over - we could only have maybe 10%, 15% of the
population infected or covered," he said.
"So the idea of herd immunity would mean another five, six
waves maybe in order to get to 60%," he said. "We have got to
pray the vaccinologists come up."
The government launched a new initiative on Friday to
coordinate British efforts to find a vaccine, although business
minister Alok Sharma said any such solution would take many
months and refused to set out a timetable.
COVID-19 TESTING
Health minister Matt Hancock said mass community testing was
part of the British strategy, though the government has yet to
find an antibody test that is accurate enough to be used.
"It is part of the strategy - we will be introducing it when
we can," he told the parliamentary committee.
He said testing was being expanded to include the police,
the fire service, prison staff, critical local authority staff,
the judiciary, and the work and pensions ministry.
Hancock was also questioned by lawmakers about the daily
death toll data - which gives hospital deaths but ignores deaths
at home or in care homes.
Hancock said the rate of deaths due to Covid-19 in care
homes was higher than the 2% of the total indicated by official
data, adding he was concerned about how the novel coronavirus
was spreading in places housing vulnerable people.
"We do know the number of people who die outside hospital
and they very largely die at home," he said.