Naive and arrogant: the UK’s response to Covid-19 cost countless lives

The joint report issued today is a stark and largely damning appraisal of the UK’s Covid response. The report asks why, despite being ranked alongside the US as best prepared for a future pandemic, the UK was among those countries worst affected by Covid during 2020. While it avoids directly apportioning blame, this document will doubtless inform the long-awaited public inquiry. Dr Michael Ryan from the World Health Organisation wisely said at the very start of the pandemic: “Be fast, have no regrets […] the greatest error is not to move.” This evokes the “precautionary principle” – ie assume the worst case scenario and hope to be proven wrong. Indeed, where the UK has succeeded, this principle is in evidence. Funding for vaccine research in 2016 led directly to the rapid development of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine, while the Vaccines Task Force successfully secured the national supply, which was ably distributed by the army and public volunteers.