COVID-19: an overview of the evidence
The data is in: lockdowns serve no useful purpose and cause catastrophic societal and economic harms. They must never be repeated in this country.
The ‘sunk cost fallacy’ is a well known one. World War 1 is the classic example. By Christmas 1914 it was obvious to all that the war was a catastrophe, but to admit this was to admit that all the lives lost had been lost pointlessly. And no country would confess that.
However, after a year of pain, suffering and enormous loss, the UK must reach
for new solutions to the COVID-19 problem and any future respiratory disease
outbreaks. We must learn from errors, acknowledge the harms of the measures we
have taken and account for them moving forward. We now need a more holistic,
measured approach.
Many international studies bear out that lockdowns have proven to be a complete
failure as a public health measure to contain a respiratory virus. They did not
succeed in their primary objective of containing spread yet have caused great
harm.
Lockdowns were explicitly not recommended even for severe respiratory viral
outbreaks in all pandemic planning prior to 2020, including those endorsed by
the WHO and the Department of Health. The reasons for ignoring existing
policies and adopting unprecedented measures appear to have been (i) panic
whipped up by the media (especially scenes from China), (ii) a reluctance to do
things differently to neighbouring countries and (iii) the unfaltering belief
in one single mathematical model, which latterly turned out to be wildly
inaccurate (Imperial College, Neil Ferguson).
We must find the courage to do things differently and to admit mistakes. The
USA is leading the charge here, with more and more states turning their backs
on lockdowns and mask mandates.
Moving forward, we would recommend the following
steps:
1.
Reinstate the existing pandemic planning policies from 2019, pending a detailed review of the policies adopted
in 2020. Look to countries and states which did things differently. There
should be a clear commitment from the Government that we will never again
lockdown.
2.
Stop mass testing healthy people. Return to the principles of respiratory disease diagnosis (the
requirement of symptoms) that were well researched and accepted before 2020.
Manufacturers’ guidelines state that these tests are designed to assist the
diagnosis of symptomatic patients, not to ‘find’ disease in otherwise healthy
people.
3.
Stop all mask mandates. They are
psychologically and potentially physically harmful whilst being clinically
unproven to stop disease spread in the community and may themselves be a
transmission risk.
4. Vaccination. Abandon the notion that vaccine certification is desirable and that
children should be vaccinated. There is no logical or ethical argument for either.
5.
Devise a public education programme to help redress the severe distortions in beliefs around disease
transmission, likelihood of dying and possible treatment options. A messaging
style based on a calm presentation of facts is urgently needed.
6.
A full public enquiry into
the extent to which severe/fatal COVID-19 is spread in hospitals and care
homes. There is stark recent evidence on this from Public Health Scotland and
if true for the rest of the UK, there needs to be better segregation of
COVID-19 patients and staff within these settings.
7.
More funding and investigation of treatments for COVID-19, instead of only focusing on vaccination as a
strategy. Given the high rates of hospital transmission, encourage a drive for
more early treatment-at-home using some of the protocols discussed herein.
8.
Divert funds. The not
inconsiderable money saved from ceasing testing programmes can be diverted to
much needed areas, such as mental health, treatment research and an increase in
hospital capacity and staffing. The vast debts accrued during 2020 will also
need to be paid off, a fact that seems to be worryingly absent from economic
recovery plans.
Our group of scientists, medics and public health
experts have put together this rigorously and widely researched document. Topics included
are:
- COVID policies and harm to
children – Dr Ros Jones; Dr Zenobia Storah
- COVID-19 vaccination in
children – major ethical concerns – Dr Ros Jones
- Vaccine passports – an ethical
minefield – Dr Malcolm Kendrick
- Asymptomatic spread – who can
really spread COVID-19? Dr John Lee
- Economic impacts – the true cost
of lockdowns – Professor David Paton; Professor Marilyn James
- Mutant strains and the futility
of border closures – Dr Gerry Quinn
- ‘Zero Covid’ – an
impossible dream- Professor David Livermore
- Masks – do the benefits outweigh the harms? – Dr Gary
Sidley; Dr Alan Mordue
- Psychological impact of the
Government’s communication style and restrictive measures – Dr Damian
Wilde
- Lockdowns – do they work? –
Professor Marilyn James
- Mortality data & COVID-19 – Joel Smalley
- The ONS Infection Survey: a
reevaluation of the data – Dr Clare Craig; Dr Paul Cuddon
- Promising treatment options – Dr
Ros Jones; Dr Edmund Fordham
- Care homes – we must do better
for the most vulnerable in society – Dr Ali Haggett
- Ethical considerations of the COVID-19
response – Professor David Seedhouse
- Vaccination certificates –
impact on the high street – Professor Marilyn James
- Natural vs vaccine
immunity: which is safer or more effective – Dr Gerry Quinn
