As a doctor following the Cummings scandal, I understand the anger it has caused for all sorts of reasons. But the true harm of his rule-breaking has been fully spelled out: rather than seeking healthcare locally he took his ill kid to a *distant hospital*. (1/n)

For months we have known coronavirus causes regional rather than national outbreaks. Take Wuhan, Lombardy, New York and London as critical examples

Add to this that hospitals are increasingly being recognised as hotspots for virus transmission, despite healthcare professionals’ best efforts to maintain hand hygiene and PPE

No-one is blaming DC for seeking healthcare for his ill child. But by remaining in London, this could’ve happened in a hospital serving an already burdened population, rather than a hospital in North East England with a highly susceptible ‘naïve’ population (at the time) (4/n)

The ‘Stay Home’ message was designed to prevent community transmission (in workplaces, shops, gyms, etc) *but also* seeding from high- to low-transmission regions. If DC remains unaccountable for his flouting of the rules, he will set a deadly new norm for a second wave (5/5)

*hasn't been spelled out