________
Source: MailOnline
Astonishing document shown to Covid Inquiry reveals virus risk was rated 'red' but there were BLANKS for mitigation plans, as Matt Hancock slams pandemic preparations telling officials only cared about 'buying enough bodybags'
• The ex-health secretary lashes out at the 'doctrine' of Whitehall preparations
By GREG HEFFER, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT | 27 June 2023
Matt Hancock today tore into Britain's 'completely wrong' planning for a potential pandemic prior to the coronavirus crisis.
The former health secretary, giving evidence to the Covid Inquiry, lashed out at the 'doctrine' of Whitehall preparations for a possible virus outbreak prior to 2020.
He claimed officials were focused on planning for the 'consequences of a disaster' - such as buying enough bodybags or working out where to bury the dead - rather than stopping the spread of a dangerous disease.
Mr Hancock described a pre-2020 assumption that it would not be possible to halt the spread of a new pandemic as 'at the centre of the failure of preparation'.
He described problems with issuing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to health workers, a lack of plan to provide mass-testing, a reliance on foreign vaccine manufacturers and the absence of any stockpiles of antivirals targeting a coronavirus.
During his evidence session, the inquiry was also shown an astonishing document that revealed Whitehall planning for various risks ahead of the Covid pandemic.
It showed the risk of a major infectious disease outbreak as marked in red - but accompanying boxes to detail the mitigation plans in place were left blank.
Mr Hancock's evidence to the inquiry this morning focused on the Government's plans for a potential pandemic prior to the Covid crisis, rather than the actions of ministers during the 2020 coronavirus outbreak itself.
This is set to be covered in further parts of the inquiry later this year.
Mr Hancock, who took over at the Department of Health in July 2018, told the inquiry he asked for more details on emergency preparedness on his first day as health secretary.
'One of the areas that I pushed hard on was the lack of UK domestic vaccine manufacturing given the importance of a vaccine to responding to any pandemic,' he said.
But Mr Hancock revealed planning for a potential pandemic was not one of his three main priorities while health secretary as he focused on rolling out more technology in the NHS, tackling obesity and boosting staff numbers.
He pointed to assurances he had been given that the UK was 'one of the best-placed countries in the world for responding to a pandemic'.
'I was assured the UK was one of the best-placed countries in the world for responding to a pandemic and, indeed, in some areas categorised by the World Health Organisation as the best place in the world,' Mr Hancock said.
Please go to MailOnline to continue reading.
________
A rather accurate epitate for Hancock, no?
We are not dealing with what we would consider "normal" people here::
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.