![]() There are profound questions to be answered, about why Johnson’s government stood alone among the countries of the world, pursuing that herd immunity approach, and why, when they realised stricter measures were needed, the lockdown was still delayed. All are wary of being wise in hindsight, and sympathetic to ministers who took decisions they felt were right at the time.īut with Covid-19 having spread virulently, particularly during those first three weeks of March, more than 21,000 people have now died in hospitals alone and Britain is predicted to be possibly the worst affected country in Europe. Some said that while they had concerns, they were holding back some of their criticism because they did not want to damage public trust in government at such a delicate time. Many asked not to be named, because they were not authorised to speak publicly. The Guardian’s account of the government’s response to the crisis is based on interviews with sources in or close to Downing Street, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Cabinet Office, Cobra and Sage, as well as other advisers and experts. But they do not understand how the government can claim that herd immunity was not part of its plan. Well-placed government sources said on the strictest reading of the word “policy” that may be true. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, supported by Downing Street, has persistently denied that attaining herd immunity, by allowing the disease to infect most people, was ever a policy, goal, strategy or even “part of the plan”. I strongly believe that if the government had acted more quickly we wouldn’t have lost so many lives, and my wife could be here today.” “During those weeks, the virus was allowed to spread,” he says. The nurse died on 8 April after contracting coronavirus. Sazuze, who served 10 years in the British army before studying to be a nurse himself, says he “never liked that herd immunity idea”.Įlsie Sazuze. That week, although more physical distancing had been advised by Johnson, normal life mostly continued until the compulsory lockdown pubs, restaurants and gyms stayed open, as did schools, until Friday 20 March. Ken believes she became infected sometime in that eerie, frightening week after Monday 16 March, when Boris Johnson’s government reconsidered its previous light-touch approach, which had envisaged 60% of the population – 40 million people – would become infected, and while many would die, the majority would recover and attain “herd immunity”. Elsie died on 8 April, on a ventilator, in Birmingham’s Good Hope hospital. His wife, Elsie, was 44, a much-loved nurse, mother to their children, Anna, 16, and Andrew, 22 she was his soulmate and best friend, a “genuine person,” he says. See /privacy for more information.I n common with the many thousands of people whose lives have suddenly been devastated by Covid-19, Ken Sazuze cannot know exactly when the coronavirus landed on his family and wreaked its terrible damage. So, how can we seek truth in such divided times? Freddie Sayers invited Bret into the UnHerd studio in London to try to understand what his views really are. Without warning, the Dark Horse podcast was demonetised on YouTube and Weinstein was forced to split from the views of his former friends and supporters. Then the pandemic began and his heterodox perspective suddenly fell out of favour, even with many of his erstwhile allies.Īdvocating for alternative treatments for Covid, questioning the efficacy of the global vaccine programme and challenging narratives of the pandemic came at a cost. As a member of the so-called 'intellectual dark web', Weinstein was expanding his audience and being profiled by legacy media like the New York Times. Freddie Sayers sits down to discuss the pandemic response with Biologist, Bret Weinstein.īefore the pandemic, evolutionary biologist and former Evergreen professor Bret Weinstein was lauded by both sides of the political divide for his insights into the crisis on American campuses. ![]()
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