The government must take a more cautious and focused approach to a pandemic that is not over
Post-lockdown Britain is sailing dangerously close to the wind. Wednesday’s tally of 49,139 cases is far higher than equivalent figures being recorded elsewhere in Europe. Hospitalisations and deaths are on the rise, and one in five intensive care beds is currently occupied by a Covid patient. The NHS – struggling to deal with a waiting list of 6 million people – has warned that if the escalation in cases is not checked, invidious decisions will have to be taken about priorities. Exhausted staff, too few in number, say they are on the cusp of being overwhelmed. And winter has yet to begin.
Given that darkening context, Sajid Javid’s first Covid press conference did very little to reassure. Mr Javid’s announcement that two new anti-viral drugs, which reduce the severity of Covid infections, may be available in months, was very good news. But as the NHS Confederation calls for urgent measures to prevent an imminent crisis, it was also a distraction. On the issue of the day, the health secretary flatly rejected the idea that the pressures on the NHS were becoming unsustainable, despite admitting that Covid cases could rise as high as 100,000 a day. He offered instead a pep talk to the public, urging it to remember to act cautiously when mixing.
