Heroes

"To be a hero denotes that something is unusual, extraordinary and uncalled for. That would suggest that something has gone wrong." Anonymous NHS medical worker.

We are all heroes of our own story. And, unfortunately, we all engage in comparisons, whether personal or at a broader level. Covid-19 brought this trait into sharp focus with nations involved in a grim game of comparing infection and death numbers. And yes, I'm as guilty as the next person. 

Yet, it's baffling to observe the UK engaged in mass 'clapping', the deification of Captain Tom Moore and the ascent of the NHS to 'medical Valhalla'. My sense of unease increased as I witnessed this collective glorification of failure. 

Then it struck me. The British are a forgiving and obliging lot, who are being played so that the hard facts slip off the front page. Despite claims to the contrary, 'clapping' does nothing tangible except affirm a herd mentality. Instead of 'clapping' people should be yelling from the rooftop "Where is the PPE? Where is the leadership?". 

This 'clapping' business is reminiscent of the manufactured-grief over Prince Diana's death that engulfed the UK in 1997. Of course, if you didn't join in, you earned the label 'heretic". North Koreans would understand.

Granted, signs of solidarity with hard-pressed health workers is commendable, but it's also a useful distraction. At least one doctor is waking up to this charade. 

Next up is the formidable Captain Tom Moore. I commend the man. No one can take away from him the fact that he's captured the attention of the nation with his grit. He is a true hero.

​Yet, the fact that a 100-year-old man needs to raise money in such circumstances raises questions. Why isn't adequate public funding available? 

Then his achievement is hi-jacked by self-serving politicians, who harness it to their agenda to bask in the reflected glory. Likewise, seeking to shift blame to China is a distraction that doesn't help tackle the problem on the ground.

From the Charge of the Light Brigade to Scott of the Antarctic, we Brits flip defeats on their head. We can't help ourselves as we make these stories cherished examples of the British spirit. 

Boris Johnson, Britain's Prime Minister, is seeking every opportunity to engage in this sort of gesture politics. The 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe is an ideal fit. Meanwhile, real initiatives to curb the spread of Covid-19 are lacking.

From the outset, the UK was on the wrong track. Blinded by arrogance — and perhaps some belief in British exceptionalism — Johnson opted for the 'herd immunity' model.

​This idea came from the experts at Imperial College, London. Instead of watching what was happening in China, Japan and South Korea, and learning, the UK went off on a different approach. 

As the UK entered March, it soon became clear that the model was wildly wrong. The boffins had assigned the virus a percentage of patients that need ICU care with ventilators. But, nobody bothered to tell Covid-19.

As the virus spread, the ICU rate proved to be 50 per cent out. Perhaps the UK could have weathered the storm with a fully prepared NHS. But the NHS was far from ready. 

Thus, with only 5000 ventilators and death projections moving towards 500,000, Johnson needed to act. By mid-March 'herd immunity' was dropped as Johnson pivoted to the social distancing approach. You know, the sort of thing that worked in China and elsewhere. By then, it was too late.

Only this week did Heathrow Airport put in place temperature checks for passengers. Again, far too late. It was needed in late January, as news of the pandemic emerged.

Besides, the UK's contact tracing, testing and the supply of PPE remains well below par. Germany tested some 20,000 people per day in the second week of March, Britain was testing on average under 2,000. 

With over 31,000 deaths by early May, the harsh truth is the UK failed. The system failed, the politicians failed, the NHS planners and the media failed. From the outset I was appalled at the very idea of herd immunity: Doctor William Hanage said it better than me. 

None of this takes away from the thousands of medical workers toiling to save patients. But here's the thing. If Hong Kong can get through without a single medical worker infected, what does it say when so many frontline UK medical workers die of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, the UK's official death toll from Covid-19 is now the highest in Europe. But it's hard to know for sure whether these statistics are accurate. Experts think it's too soon to say whether the UK has been hit the hardest. It may be years before we have a final reckoning. 

What is clear is that the UK lost vital time by adopting the false promise of 'herd immunity'. Moreover, don't forget that Johnson missed five emergency Cobra meetings. Johnson attended his first Cobra meeting on 2nd March when the outbreak had already taken hold. 

Plus, he decided in early February to delegate responsibility for tackling Covid-19 to his health secretary. That decision turned what could have been a total-government response into a departmental one for a crucial month.

In short, the captain wasn't on the bridge, and no one took the issue seriously until it was too late. Since then the UK played chase with a virus that doesn't bother about your politics.

​Then Johnson's brush with death took the focus off his failures, the shortages and the poor messaging by government. He was taken ill on 27th March.

Britain's ongoing shortage of tests and lack of robust contact tracing means a return to any semblance of normal life could be far slower than other countries. 

​Meanwhile, hundreds of people are still dying every day, and there are more new infections. Let us hope that hard lessons don't fade in the jingoistic hubris.