“It is disappointing that government officials did not follow Covid’s rules to control the spread of the virus,” said Sir Patrick Valance, the government’s chief scientific adviser.
Sir Patrick, 62, was one of the key scientists who briefed the public through television briefings during the pandemic, sometimes accompanied by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
He was speaking after receiving a tribute from the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace for helping lead the UK’s battle against the coronavirus, amid attempts by Tory MPs this week to remove Mr Johnson from office following the infringement scandal. of the blockade on Downing Street.
Asked about the Partygate scandal, Sir Patrick said: “At all stages, it was really important for everyone to stick to the rules. It worked when people clung to them. It is disappointing that this was not the case. “
Conservative MPs voted 211 to 148 on Monday in support of Mr Johnson, after a tough few months in which the prime minister and his government were scrutinized not only for the blocking parties but also for standards. political life and the crisis of the cost of living.
Sir Patrick said the darkest days of the pandemic were when there was still “huge uncertainty” about the rapidly spreading virus, including when the prime minister himself was hospitalized after contracting it.
He recalled this as a “difficult” time, adding that while new waves of infection are likely, the nation needs to be better off dealing with the virus.
He said: “The darkest days in many ways were the first days of the pandemic, when obviously a lot of people got sick pretty quickly – obviously the people in the government got sick and the prime minister was very sick, and those were very difficult days.
“It simply came to our notice then. We didn’t know much about the virus. We didn’t know much about how it spread.
“We didn’t know there would be vaccines and treatments. We hoped there were and tried to work on them, but we just didn’t know. There was a lot of uncertainty at the time, and that was the hardest part. “
Prince William joked with him that this was his “second chance of luck” as he presented Sir Patrick, who was originally a knight on the 2019 New Year’s List, with an improved award that made him a knight commander of the Order of the Bath – an honor that recognizes the work of senior military and civil servants.
Sir Patrick said the most positive time during the pandemic was when the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to approve a vaccine.
He said, “It was a real moment when we thought, ‘This is going to be the way out,’ although it was more than a year before it was finally a way to get out of it.” That was what changed the course of the pandemic. “
Sir Patrick believes next winter may be a time for testing, but said NHS management is aware of the potential difficulties it may face and is preparing.
He said: “We are in a very different position [now] due to the high level of vaccination and immunity among the population. I’m afraid we’ll see further waves of infection, maybe next winter.
Sir Patrick believes that an “annual vaccine for people over a certain age” may eventually be introduced and that the spread of the virus could be “more like the flu we get every winter”.
He added: “It will be difficult because there will be people who are really affected by it, but the key to that is the right vaccination and the right management in the health service.
“Then gradually, over the next two or three years, I think this could become a background infection, but we’re not quite there yet.
Sir Patrick praised the “most amazing scientists and experts” who helped ensure that there were evidence-based comments during the pandemic at a time when people were doing some “horrifying” things.
He added: “It was one of those experiences where you realize the importance of other people, humanity and goodwill, hard work, passion and experience. It’s good to feel trusted and I’m grateful for that.
“What I have tried to do, and what others have tried to do, is to make sure that we are as honest and candid as possible about how we saw the situation at each time of the pandemic and that we are as realistic as possible. – both in terms of the treatment and vaccines that are coming, but also in terms of the course of the pandemic. “
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