Patrick Vallance now suggests colleagues at PHE failed on #COVID19 testing.

He now admits rollout had been too slow, and said it needs to be done at sufficient scale not just to test NHS workers but “to look at outbreaks and isolate” as Germany and S Korea have done. https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1249767686554476546

PHE officials previously downplayed the importance of mass testing and ministers kept saying they were “ramping up” the program.

Jenny Harries on 26/3 said testing “was not an appropriate intervention” for Britain.

https://twitter.com/patelshop/status/1243581329289207812?s=20 https://twitter.com/patelshop/status/1243581329289207812

Dr Harries: “We started with containment phase and every early case of this disease was followed through every contact was traced. We had some very strict and very successful containment facilities. But there comes point in pandemic where that is not an appropriate intervention.

And that is the point where we moved into ‘delay.’ And although we still do do some contact tracing and testing, for example in high-risk areas like prisons and care homes, that is not an appropriate mechanism as we go forward.”

Britain’s plan for herd immunity aimed for millions of people to contract the virus.

Whereas South Korea aimed to contain virus with massive test, trace, isolate program by testing thousands of people and placing all sick and those they came into contact with into quarantine.

If govt aimed for millions to get #COVID2019 why

did they move not cocoon vulnerable earlier?
prepare public better?
ensure hospital/social care staff had PPE?
increase ventilators?

Interesting that Patrick Vallance’s previous company, SmithKlineGlaxo have breakthrough hopes of cashing in on #COVID2019 treatments and vaccine next year. https://www.standard.co.uk/business/glaxo-and-astrazeneca-in-covid19-breakthrough-hopes-a4413876.html