Nuanced message from the WHO… David Nabarro on Andrew Neil’s Spectator TV programme {he appears 15m in}.
Interesting discussions, leaving out nitty-gritty fundamental issues - like the usefulness of the PCR test, treatments that might make The Virus less dangerous, and the effect of nutritional status of the populations on its severity.
[I realize that these omissions might cause many to stop reading, but there’s really not enough room in the living room for all those elephants 
]
Nabarro said we are still in the early days of this coronavirus. And that countries should stop using lockdown as main means of coronavirus control.
This message is being quoted as a U-turn by the WHO on lockdowns but Nabarro didn’t say the first lockdowns were wrong. He stressed that lockdown only serves one purpose - to give a bit of breathing space, to build up Test, Trace, Isolate regime, through local organisation.
It might look like a hasty tweak but doesn’t invalidate the idea of the first lockdowns, however appallingly carried out in some countries. It’s vital, Nabarro said, to use that breathing space to build up useful networks and resources to check the spread of the virus.
Reading between the lines you can conclude Nabarro is saying that many western countries didn’t do that. Eight months on the UK still haven’t got T+T beyond the ‘shambles’ stage.
He said Germany were doing pretty well, and parts of Canada too. Looking at the numbers, this only seems true by comparison - Germany with western Europe and Canada with North America (meaning with the US?).
The Canada comment may have been stressing localised approach - if so, it’s all a bit subtle!
Western Europe was not quite there yet he said - but could get there, or something like that (meaning what - extinct populations? 
).
Ya don’t say…western Europe and the US have dominated the virus numbers! If you took them out, the pandemic numbers might struggle to beat the flu ones. Just sayin’…
He didn’t say how to do testing; in the UK it’s arguably the failure of existing testing has led to Lockdown second time around!
He also said lockdown could double world poverty and child malnutrition in a year.
Not a very strong message, consistent with ‘useful if you read between the lines’ and also with ‘gaslighting in both directions’. But probably the WHO are concerned about lockdown as a lever for politicians to push and pull at will.
Good question from Andrew Neil. How did Asia do it?
Nabarro: Asia its got public onside NOT JUST through topdown pressure; distancing and masking. It got people on board from the beginning. (That aspect probably is not so easy in the west)
Developed public health capacity like a honeycomb across the community, knew where people were ill.
They worked out they needed to keep their hospitals open not just for covid.
Didn’t muck around - went into readiness super fast. Got on with what needed to be done (Unlike…?).
It’s hugely important to act early. Aimed at the UK and the western Europe? Maybe he’s also on Australian TV saying it’s vital not to overdo the measures.
There were other contributions, a mayor or two talking about the lack of communication with the North of England which was leading to their outspoken criticisms.
Just some more snippets:
Here’s a strange quote on from James Forsyth on the 12bn spent on T+T
“That’s more than TWO aircraft carriers”.
Well, maybe he’s spent too long in ResPublica
Mayor of Middlesboro said 82% of cases arising from socializing at home. No idea what he meant by that other than don’t close the pubs.
Interesting graph shown by another crew member
Needs to be looked at carefully…aren’t education and restaurants workplaces? But hospitals not featuring much.
Govt not communicating with the north at much, just telling them what to do.
Nabarro, who had been clamouring to be brought back in, stressed the importance of Local Integrated Responses. Factories, community organisations, churches etc.
