Boris Johnson s decision to avoid imposing a circuit-breaker lockdown back in September was catastrophic
SAGE member Sir Jeremy Farrar claims PM wanted to save the economy at the cost of lives and health
Wellcome Trust director also claimed Mr Johnson said lockdowns were bulls t in extract from new book
Sir Jeremy is now warning talk of Freedom Day tomorrow is premature as the pandemic is far from over
From Boris Johnson s self-isolation U-turn to Barnard Castle, our leaders have treated us with contempt msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Professor Chris Whitty was worried about over-reacting to the threat of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to tensions with his scientific counterpart Sir Patrick Vallance, according to a senior Government adviser.
Sir Jeremy Farrar, who is head of the Wellcome Trust, said England s chief medical officer had been much more cautious about speeding up preparations for a pandemic when cases were first identified in Britain early last year.
In what is the first criticism of the role played by England s chief medical officer at the start of the crisis last year, Sir Jeremy said Professor Whitty was wary of over-reacting to the threat posed by the virus.
Covid wave will get worse and last until autumn, says SAGE expert
“I think this wave of the epidemic will be quite long and drawn out”
Covid wave will get worse and last until autumn, says SAGE expert
Sign up to the Hull Live newsletter for daily updates and breaking newsInvalid EmailSomething went wrong, please try again later.
Sign up here!
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time.More info
The Government “did not react fast enough” in the early stages of the pandemic, a leading health expert has said.
Sage adviser Sir Jeremy Farrar lamented the pace of the Government’s initial response in an interview with The Times.
His comments come in advance of his new book, Spike: The Virus v The People, which details his account of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sir Jeremy, who is director of the Wellcome Trust, told the paper it was clear in the early stages of the outbreak that the Government response needed to be military-like.
He said: “Certainly in my lifetime, and even in the past 100 years if you exclude war, I can’t think there’s been such a disruptive event in the world.