Matt Hancock outside the Epsom Downs Racecourse vaccination centre
Credit: reuters
SIR – Matt Hancock says he hopes that, by the end of the year, Covid-19 will be a disease that Britain can “live with, like we do flu”.
I am afraid that is not good enough, without the prospect of a much earlier end to lockdown. Vaccination numbers are rising rapidly, but so are those for hospital waiting lists. Cases of mental illness, domestic violence and unemployment are also going up.
The Government must focus on easing lockdown and mitigating the collateral damage being caused to young and old alike. This is urgent: it should be a matter of weeks, not months. Mr Hancock, in particular, should not be diverted from this task by embarking on a restructure of the NHS before the pandemic is over.