Any Biobankers on here?

[Eric Olthwaite]

I still think they've steered pretty much the right course, although I suspect they would have wanted us to lockdown earlier in March last year

Vallance publicly advised against a strict lockdown on 13 March 2020

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...f-defends-uk-measures-criticism-herd-immunity

 

[Rocky]

Vallance publicly advised against a strict lockdown on 13 March 2020

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...f-defends-uk-measures-criticism-herd-immunity

Yes, I remember that. I wonder if he really thought that or was towing the Government line.

I do agree with you that they have made mistakes. I'm sure they could have done better but as my boss used to say, perfection is the enemy of the good. From my perspective, I think they were good, most of the time.

 

[Eric Olthwaite]

I do agree with you that they have made mistakes. I'm sure they could have done better but as my boss used to say, perfection is the enemy of the good. From my perspective, I think they were good, most of the time.

I think this is true of both the scientists and the government

 

[Bazzer]

Whitty and Valkance may be good scientists, as I presume you are, but they are responsible for driving this country to the edge of ruin. Thry are just another part of the totally inefficient unaccountable vastly overpaid and overstaffed beaurocratic nightmare called NHS. They have been caught totally unprepared and expect the country to bow down before them.
Remember to protect the NHS because it won't protect you.
You regularly sing their praises so you must be another who believes that eternal lockdowns are the only way forward. We all know that June 21 will see little real change because they won't agree to it. We also know that there is another major lockdown coming in Octover/November and we all know that restrictions will be with us until the end of next year -2022 - at the earliest.

So now that you have done your perpetual cheerleading for laughing boy and his acolytes perhaps you could answer the original question. Of course you may not care to pass on the real answer. I wonder why?

And your solution would have been, (without the benefit of hindsight)?
Mistakes have been made, I don't think anyone would disagree. It also gave the opportunity for some people to line their pockets at the public expense.
As to your comment about the NHS not protecting you, there are thousands who would otherwise be dead who disagree with you. Yes there have been knock on effects to, for example, elective surgery, but I am sure your solution will have addressed this too.

 

[Rocky]

I think this is true of both the scientists and the government

I think I'd agree - I do wonder about the high numbers of deaths and whether anything could have been done. It has been a tragedy but could we have done any better? I'm not sure. With hindsight, PHE should have had more investment, we should have had better PPE stocks, care homes should have been protected. However balance that with vaccine development and rollout, the Recovery trial (repurposing drugs like dexamethasone), the work of the NHS and the overall public response - there are some things to celebrate.

 

[Eric Olthwaite]

I think I'd agree - I do wonder about the high numbers of deaths and whether anything could have been done. It has been a tragedy but could we have done any better? I'm not sure. With hindsight, PHE should have had more investment, we should have had better PPE stocks, care homes should have been protected. However balance that with vaccine development and rollout, the Recovery trial (repurposing drugs like dexamethasone), the work of the NHS and the overall public response - there are some things to celebrate.

We could probably have done better in some respects, but it's hard to avoid hindsight. Care homes for example, a panicked response driven by a fear of NHS overwhelm that turned out to be unjustified. But how were they supposed to know?

More generally, in relation to "the high numbers of deaths", it gives me no satisfaction to suggest that by the end of May, the UK may well have one of the lowest cumulative death rates of any European country.

 

[Rocky]

More generally, in relation to "the high numbers of deaths", it gives me no satisfaction to suggest that by the end of May, the UK may well have one of the lowest cumulative death rates of any European country.

Sadly, I have a feeling you might be right there.

 

[DRM]

Right at the beginning when we saw how things were going in Italy, Spain and France, we should have stopped all international travel, anyone on holiday, should have continued with it, then been flown back on their booked flight/ferry crossing, where they went straight home and isolated, no one should have left the UK, and perhaps if Boris had the bottle to do this, we wouldn’t have had so many deaths, as for allowing Spanish football fans into Liverpool to watch a game of football, that just beggars belief, sadly with the vaccine farce in Europe I agree some other countries could well loose more citizens due to not vaccinating them sooner

 

[Arrowfoot]

While much of the world was shutting international airports or having mandatory testing for incoming passengers, Heathrow and Gatwick was wide open for months on end. Australia shut out 40,000 of its citizens overseas from returning in March 2020. Seats were rationed and mandatory quarantine at designated hotels was applied for all incoming. NZ did similar things.

Most countries had mandatory quarantine at designated hotels nearly 8 months ago, we did not.

Nothing to do with NHS or the Health professionals.

 

[Eric Olthwaite]

While much of the world was shutting international airports or having mandatory testing for incoming passengers, Heathrow and Gatwick was wide open for months on end. Australia shut out 40,000 of its citizens overseas from returning in March 2020. Seats were rationed and mandatory quarantine at designated hotels was applied for all incoming. NZ did similar things.

Australia and NZ are not "much of the world" - they are isolated islands with small populations. What major European countries closed down international travel in this way?

 

[PaulSB]

Whitty and Valkance may be good scientists, as I presume you are, but they are responsible for driving this country to the edge of ruin. Thry are just another part of the totally inefficient unaccountable vastly overpaid and overstaffed beaurocratic nightmare called NHS. They have been caught totally unprepared and expect the country to bow down before them.
Remember to protect the NHS because it won't protect you.
You regularly sing their praises so you must be another who believes that eternal lockdowns are the only way forward. We all know that June 21 will see little real change because they won't agree to it. We also know that there is another major lockdown coming in Octover/November and we all know that restrictions will be with us until the end of next year -2022 - at the earliest.

So now that you have done your perpetual cheerleading for laughing boy and his acolytes perhaps you could answer the original question. Of course you may not care to pass on the real answer. I wonder why?

Normally I don't bother with your posts but this one takes the biscuit. You spout utter nonsense every time you hit the keyboard. Your OP made no sense to me whatsoever.

 

[Arrowfoot]

Australia and NZ are not "much of the world" - they are isolated islands with small populations. What major European countries closed down international travel in this way?

You are right only OZ and NZ had shut downs , the rest of the World including all of Europe has/ had free travel, no controls, no tests and no quarantine like Heathrow and Gatwick.

 

[alicat]

Hi OP you lost me at 'biobank'