I have no idea who the people are who led the Covid-19 Enquiry in the UK. Their findings were published on Thursday 20th, and accused almost everyone of wrong-doing or incompetence.
'Hindsight' is a wonderful thing, and one must never forget that Covid claimed the lives of over 7 Million people; 232,000 of whom were here in the UK.
Covid was a new and dangerous illness. We all knew that it spread like wildfire, and that the effects could be fatal. Wisdom suggested that we should have as little contact with others as possible. We stayed at home, wore our masks and sterilised our hands. Most of us were also inoculated. There was PANIC everywhere. We literally thought we could die; and many did!
Our own government made drastic decisions to save us from disaster. Boris Johnson, the then Prime Minister, took advice from the country's top experts; Chris Whitty The Chief Medical Officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance The Chief Scientific Advisor (both above in photo with Boris), amongst others. Together they decided that a period of 'Lockdown' was the only way to help stop the spread of the disease, and save lives; which it did.
I was in France during the pandemic. We live way-out in the countryside so were almost immune, other than when shopping became imperative. We had our jabs, and managed to evade any illness. We did both eventually contact Covid, but that was a couple of years later back in the UK. For us the experience was no worse than a nasty cold.
The recent Covid-19 Enquiry was chaired by Baroness Hallett; someone I haven't heard of. I believe she was a big-wig Judge. I taught Whitty (Centre in photo) at Prep' School before he went up to Malvern, and seeing his daily broadcasts during the pandemic, gave me great confidence in their collective wisdom.
Personally I found this enquiry unnecessary, and divisive. We suffered, we survived, and it's now part of our history. We've all learnt lessons, so let's not now drag-up what some ex-Judge thinks we COULD have done better. Retrospective sniping may please the anti-Boris stalwarts, but it helps no-one.
Personally I would prefer that governments of all political colours look after our welfare, rather than listen to some judge with no medical or scientific knowledge, who makes pronouncements about what they should or shouldn't have done.
Let's now put it to sleep, and get on with our lives. Although, of course, Covid is still around!
It didn't need hindsight to know that most countries response to COVID was hysterical overreaction. The answer was staring the powers in the face from the experience of the Diamond Princess cruise ship very early on. It was primarily an infection likely to be harmful to the very elderly (average age of those dying from COVID was higher than the all causes average age of death), and to pretty much no one else. Closing schools and universities was insane, the masking was insane....
ReplyDeleteAt least Sweden showed that more sensible actions did not lead to the mass deaths that the likes of Ferguson had predicted. We had a pandemic plan based on decades of prior work, yet the numpties in power, egged on by an hysterical press and idiots like Nicola Sturgeon playing political games, threw that plan out within days.
The long-lasting financial, economic and social costs will plague this country for decades to come.
It seems that every major 'Enquiry' tells us things we already knew. this 'Covid' one cost us £200 Million. A new 'Grooming Gangs' enquiry would probably cost even more, and again tell us nothing new.
DeleteAs you wrote 'hindsight' is a wonderful thing. I heard a summary on YouTube that seemed to put all the blame on Boris for not acting fast enough.
ReplyDeleteBut none of us had any idea of what could happen, even the experts.
2 people on the island died. They were both health risks anyway. The so called lock down was a laugh, except for us. We isolated for 3 months but it was winter and we hibernate anyway. I spent the days cooking, baking and eating. The worst we suffered was weight gain. Now I've had covid twice, to my knowledge, after 4 injections. It was the flu and is now considered as such.
Maybe all the fuss was a good dress rehearsal for something worse in the future
That's a terrible thought, although rumours do go around saying that worse its to come. I've always thought that it would be disease that would finish humanity, rather than war.
DeleteI loved that life suddenly became slow and calm, everyone for themselves and their homes, and on the other hand the whole world was experiencing a common hardship. The only thing that was hard for me was the distance from my grandchildren. During the lockdown, there was one time when only families whose family members had been killed in the army were allowed to go to the cemetery on Memorial Day. As a war widow, I took advantage of the opportunity, took memorial candles with me, in case the police stopped me, because that's what they did back then, and I actually drove to my grandchildren who live in another direction. Of course, when I got there, we only spoke through the window and with masks on, because we were all scared, like in many other places in the world. It was also the only time that our troubles here were also the troubles of the wider world, and there was a certain relief in that, for someone who is used to being alone with their troubles.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think your experience was a far more drastic one than for most of us. I can honestly say that WE didn't feel any hardship or deprivation. Other than wearing a mask to go shopping, we would hardly have known that there was a pandemic.
DeleteI carried on as normal. I was forced to adjust my behaviour a bit gut queuing outside shops I refused to do, if there was a queue then I didn't bother nor did I wear a mask. The masks generally worn would stop nothing smaller than a dust particle.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like having to queue 6 ft apart outside shops. In France they took that very seriously, and like you, I didn't bother to wait.
DeleteSurely, enquiries are there to avoid repeating past mistakes in the future. That is where "hindsight" comes in useful. If that wasn't so why would anyone ever open a history book, never mind study the fallout of past events and how to avoid same mishap in the future?
ReplyDeleteU
In this case, as with many other 'enquiries' we all knew what had gone wrong, and what 'should' have been done. All of that became evident a short while after the event. We really don't need to pay £200 Million just to hear it all again!
DeleteHeather Hallett was appointed to chair the inquiry back in 2021 and it began its work in June 2022, eliciting responses from a large number of witnesses and gathering a rich store of evidence upon which to base the final report. It was is most certainly not "what some ex-Judge thinks" for Mrs Hallett was merely the chairperson of the inquiry. Those who died, those still suffering from "long covid" and the country at large deserved clarity about what happened and what lessons should be learned for the future. The final report provides that.
ReplyDeleteI think most people knew all that.
DeleteI agree. It was unprecedented. As you say hindsight is a wonderful thing so easy to know all the answers after the event. Raking up muck does no good and the expense this enquiry has cost would be better spent on research into the next "super-bug" that will inevitably hit mankind. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteAt last some common sense, YOU should have 'chaired' the enquiry. Such a lot of money to spend on what we already knew. To have spent it on research might have done some lasting good. The enquiry has done nothing!
DeleteAn inquire handled like a postmortem is worthwhile.
ReplyDeleteVaccines were justifiably rolled out on an emergency basis. That said, they were administered as a one-size fits all.
We all know someone that reacted badly to the vaccine. This fact needs investigation.
mRNA changes immune cells and this can and does impact people differently. This needs investigation.
The latest flu vaccine is now also a mRNA vaccine. Again, some people are not reacting well.
I am not against vaccines, but I want the best possible outcomes for all people and investigation will lend itself to that goal.
I wasn't going to have a Flu Jab this year, but I have a Doctor's appointment for next month, where my Doc' might give me one. My wife has been pestering me!
DeleteCro, I questioned whether to get another Covid (we've had about 5 or 6) but my doctor says if you've not had a bad reaction to any, go ahead and get it. I will always get the flu shot as I had the flu back in the 90's and it was awful (lasted for weeks) - never want that again. As for how things were done during the pandemic, it was unprecedented and millions died! Wearing a mask seemed a little thing to do... (our doctors still recommend it and we still do when around crowds during flu season). They wear one in the office and during surgery - doesn't that say something?)
ReplyDeleteI'm seeing quite a lot of 'medically' masked people around at the moment. I imagine they're people who have Flu rather than Covid. Who knows!
DeleteIf you have flu you won't be getting out of bed!!
DeleteI don't think your average Joe is going to sit through an 800 page Enquiry.
ReplyDeleteSure I also had covid pass through me twice, but I let nature take it's course with natural remedies that the brilliant Dr John Campbell pushed for, and they worked well, the most obvious remedies that the NHS, the BBC, the media and the Government were ignoring. They just pushed for everyone to take the tried and untested and rushed out jab. We were bullied into it, but as I was in the vulnerable category with the embryo stages of bladder cancer and kidney disease, then I was wise not to take it.
The American Amish community gave quite a humourous response when asked by the outside media how they were coping with covid. They replied "No problems at all. We don't watch tv or listen to the radio."
The Amish were probably the most sensible amongst us. Had we all not known anything about it, we might have behaved normally, and stayed safe.
Delete