Why Did the UK Have Such a Bad Covid-19 Epidemic?

The answer to the question is "abject incompetence"

Like his fellow populist leaders, Trump and Bolsinaro, Johnson has proved himself to be good at spending money and lying to the extent that guillible voters elected him, but absolutely useless at governing in the interests of the people.

How stupid would you have to be to vote for someone who presides over the worst, second worst or third worst covid 10 epedemic in the world?

Ggumteeth
I totally agree we need a thorough review.
However, the OPs question was why we have had a worse experience than other countries. We won’t know until we take all the variables into account and review and compare countries - if indeed this is possible.
I also strongly agree that the Government management was too little too late on every count and I also deplore the Boris soundbites “ we’ll send this virus packing in 3 months” and the “game changing” app, and “world beating” track and trace system. None of which materialised.

It was "leeds for europe" but probably the same one .

it was all in the plan suziewoozie remember "lots of families will lose loved ones before their time" now either he has a chrystal ball or thats exactly how he wanted it to go and I believe its the latter .The man couldn't care less about the ordinary folk if they dont have at least multi millions theydont count and thats the simple truth.

Regardless of parties, lockdown flouting in all its guises - none of that explains the care homes death toll does it?

varian, spot on! However well we've managed individually, keeping strictly to the 'rules', we haven't been able to compensate for the too little, too late approach - and all the mistakes of our government.

Of course, I'm very disappointed in all those who've flouted the rules, disregarded the advice and had one long bank holiday party. Nevertheless, it's just too convenient to blame them, rather than government measures, for our horrific death toll.

Just imagine what the death rate would be now if many of us didn't self isolate ages before we were advised to, with many people volunteering to help us by setting up covid support groups.

A friend says she heard a programme about the low numbers in Japan. It was suggested that people there took more personal responsibility , and most wore masks, even before the government imposed rules

JenniferEccles

People have said the lockdown was started too late but the government had to time it right for maximum benefit.

It has been said on several occasions that they were staggered at the level of compliance with the lockdown.

The thinking was that if it was implemented too early, ie before we were near the peak, people would get fed up and start to flout the rules at exactly the wrong time when cases were at their highest.

So timing was critical.
Had they known in advance how obedient we would be it would have been brought in earlier.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it?

Yes, timing was critical and that's precisely why the country should have locked down earlier.

I started to self-isolate a week before the official lockdown and so did most sensible people I know. We could see what was happening. The government should have seen it too, but it still had some suicidal idea about herd immunity.

Those countries which made a swift response and locked down early, closed borders, imposed quarantines at airports and ports and had an effective test and trace system, not only had fewer cases and fewer deaths, but they were able to lift the lockdown earlier, doing less damage to their economies.

People have said the lockdown was started too late but the government had to time it right for maximum benefit.

It has been said on several occasions that they were staggered at the level of compliance with the lockdown.

The thinking was that if it was implemented too early, ie before we were near the peak, people would get fed up and start to flout the rules at exactly the wrong time when cases were at their highest.

So timing was critical.
Had they known in advance how obedient we would be it would have been brought in earlier.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it?

Is that the Led By Donkeys one, paddyanne

twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1278672972329504773

I just had a video sent from a relative in Leeds ....note not anti English as I am accused of being ,If you can locate it on FB it explains exacly why things are bad and not really getting better in England .Thats includes Boris' 5 missed meetings ,his holidays where the information sent to him had to be brief or wasn't read,the cancelling of the test and trace at the start of March and loads more.

We seemed to be unable to get a test and trace system up an running in good time

What's worse is that we had a test and trace system operating that was discontinued in early March (sorry, will have to check date)

Whingingmom

I agree that we seemed to be ill prepared, and locked down too late. However many other factors need to be taken into account, such as population density ( more people live in London alone than the whole of New Zealand for example), housing density, multi occupancies, strictness and length of lockdown, age and health of population and susceptibility to the virus, and closing of borders/quarantine. I don’t think there is an answer to this question as there are too many variables - and I am of no particular political persuasion.

This government was in for 10 years, while all the world put a pandemic at the top of the of this list of possible next catastrophes. You are surely not suggesting that the planning was wrong her because the government thought we were like New Zealand are you? Each country has it's own issues and plans for those. That is the governments duty. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses that imposes is part of the job.

There needs to be a review. If it is not down to the government that will be shown. However, no review means no chance to learn.

I put a long list and explanation of what need looking right at the beginning. I appreciate we do not always read all the posts as the thread gets longer so I will repeat them as a list.

1) We locked down late. Could the none attendance of Johnson at the first five COBRA meetings have led to the months delay?

2) The lack of supply and the reliance on old and dysfunctional stock of PPE

3) We seemed to be unable to get a test and trace system up an running in good time

4) Government is so centralised under the Tories that no system or an inadequate system that reported back locally was set up.

5) The ideological use of the private sector to oversee a national programme seems to have been a pretty unmitigated disaster.

6) The sloganizing of news-management rather than one of transparency and public engagement based on a broad range of professional advice has sent mixed and unclear messages.

7) The discharging of untested patients from hospital to Care Homes from where the PPE had been sequestered.

8) Then there is the almost certain to early easing of lockdown.

It really doesn't matter what your political views are or are not. We must have a review, learn from it and learn from those held in other countries.

A short, sharp spell of almost total lockdown could have contained the pandemic to levels where efficient testing and tracking could have dealt with local outbreaks.

We would now be in a situation where business and schools could be back to almost normal.

Instead of that, we had too many people who though they were exceptions and interpreted the rules to suit them.

Until or unless a vacinne has been found, we will have to have to either stay almost locked up and be very careful about going out and not socialising or risking it. In the end life has to go back to normal, I dont want to be a prisoner for how many years I have left. No freedom to shop, work and socialise, so it will have to be risk it. People whose conditions were managed with medication and could have lived perhaps 10 to 15 years, many of them have died, lots of people will get it lightly and recover, it's a lottery. It depends on the individual but our economy will not survive, as it is, wires when a lot of business's go under or jobs are lost after furlough. Children need education and do use interaction. It will come to that in the end. I strongly believe the path we we are taking is at the expense of the young and it doesn't sit easy.

Care homes of course

Whingingmom. the thing is that all the factors you list were known in advance and were exactly the reasons why we should have locked down earlier. Secondly the toll in card homes was nothing to do with those factors.

I’m in Wiltshire Paddyanne This was Thursday’s figure (attached). I have a friend, a senior manager in 3 large local hospitals, who says if you're going to get it, get it now. Anticipating a peak in August and again in winter - but, who knows.

paddyanne

why were there no figures for the 24 hours to today? My SIL is expected back to work in Wiltshire and my daughter is panicking asthere was no data available for Downing Street .Anyone hav eany idea why its not been made public? I did see something about the cases being near 4000 a week again but it wasn't a official figure

I don't know.

It seems they're in the process of changing how deaths are counted. I've read three different figures for 2 July:

89 (official one gov.uk)
176 (DHSC)
35 (England only - Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine)

I haven't a clue which one is correct (or maybe it's another one entirely)

I think the number of cases in Wiltshire have been relatively low; you could look up Wiltshire County Council's website for more detailed information.

paddyanne

576 new cases and, sadly, 89 deaths in the last 24 hours in the UKaccording to the Worldometer.

from Downing Street

why were there no figures for the 24 hours to today? My SIL is expected back to work in Wiltshire and my daughter is panicking asthere was no data available for Downing Street .Anyone hav eany idea why its not been made public? I did see something about the cases being near 4000 a week again but it wasn't a official figure