By Ben Kerrigan-
There are mixed messages about whether the UK will open up sooner rather than later, after conflicting views provided by high standing experts associated with the government.
Less than 24 hours after a vaccine expert said the country is not experiencing a third wave of infections, a government minister poured water on hopes the economy could open back up on July 5.
Brendan Wren, professor of vaccinology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said on Sunday that having more than 81% of the adult population with a first coronavirus jab, and 59% with both doses is “very encouraging”.
Asked whether the success of the vaccine programme means England will not need to wait until 19 July to fully open up, he said: “We’d still need to be vigilant – but vigilance and vaccination are the two words.” So, I think if the numbers continue to be promising then I think there’s great hope we could open up on 5 July.”
However, on Monday, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng contradicted the professor’s assurance given only 24 hours earlier, saying he would “err on the side of caution” and “look to 19 July”.
Kwarteng told Sky News it could be before but I think that is unlikely. Generally we have stuck to the dates we have set,” he said.
“I think now I am very focused on 19 July,” he said.
Conflicting messages undermine the competence and integrity of any government or organization, making each side of two different argument potentially strong enough on their own, while also raising suspicion about why a message is changing.
On Sunday , Professor Calum Semple, member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which advises the government, has said that children and elderly people will be vulnerable to endemic viruses at the end of the year.
Calling it the “fourth wave winter”, he told Times Radio “there’s a sting in the tail after every pandemic” because social distancing will have reduced people’s exposure to usual endemic respiratory viruses such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis.
“I suspect we’ll have a pretty miserable winter because the other respiratory viruses are going to come back and bite us quite hard,” he said. “But after that, I think we’ll be seeing business as normal next year.”
Meanwhile, Dr Susan Hopkins, Public Health England’s director for COVID-19, warned “we may have to do further lockdowns this winter” depending on whether hospitals start to become overwhelmed.
The Healthcare Epidemiologist Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at Public Health England suggested that the government should “aim for” 70 per cent of the adult population to have had both doses in an attempt to ensure that what the prime minister has termed next month’s “terminus date” is not delayed again.
Why we should trust a government headed by a Health Secretary said to be hopeless by the prime minister and impliedly by the Nhs boss, but defended by others 24 hours later, like Robert Buckland, is anybody’s guess.
The British government must get its act together and be clear in its messages, so that the public have confidence they know what they are talking about.