It’s not too late for the British government to develop an effective Covid strategy - The Guardian Opinion (7 December 2021)

Summary

In this opinion piece in The Guardian, Gabriel Scally, professor of public health and member of the Independent Sage committee, argues that the government's response to Covid-19 relies on personal responsibility rather than public health measures. He highlights that this will not be adequate to get the pandemic under control.

The author states that a public health-focused response should have three pillars: prevention, vaccination and control, but at the moment the government is using just one of these. He draws attention to the issue of resources being wasted on handwashing and sanitisation, when Covid-19 is primarily airborne, and argues that funding should be redirected to investing in ventilation improvements and promoting the use of more effective face coverings. He also highlights the failure of contact tracing in the UK, and calls for renewed efforts to develop a comprehensive public health response in light of the new Omicron strain.