LEADING scientists and doctors have called for an urgent inquiry to prepare for a “probable” second wave of coronavirus in winter.
The 27 medical and scientific experts have warned that many more Britons may die if a second Covid-19 wave hits at the end of the year.
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Their warning comes as the virus reproduction rate R number – the number of people each infected person passes it onto – has risen toward 1 in parts of the country, greatly increasing the chances of it spreading rapidly.
In a letter to The Guardian, the scientists and medics say the government needs “quick, practical solutions to some of the structural problems that have made implementing an effective response so difficult”.
“Despite strenuous efforts by health professionals and scientists inside and outside government, the UK has experienced one of the highest death rates from Covid-19 in the world, with the poor and certain minority ethnic groups affected especially badly,” they write.
“If, as seems probable, there is a second wave this winter, many more will die unless we find quick, practical solutions to some of (these) structural problems.”
Among the signatories are former World Health Organisation director Professor Anthony Costello and former Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) member Professor Deenan Pillay.
“We call on all political parties to commit to a rapid, transparent, expert inquiry to address these issues,” says the letter.
“This must avoid diverting the efforts of those responding to the crisis or apportioning blame, but should propose feasible ways to overcome the obstacles faced by those on the frontline of the response and help them to save lives.”
Signatories to the letter say issues such as “the fragmentation of the NHS, public health and social care” and the way in which scientific evidence feeds into policy, also threaten any future response.
On Friday Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, said the R number for England was between 0.7 and 1 and it remained between 0.7 and 0.9 for the UK as a whole.
An R of one is the crucial threshold and anything lower means an epidemic is in decline, but if it goes higher then cases increase rapidly.
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