Dear Editor,
Writing from the country with the fifth highest total of Covid-19 deaths in the world at 127,191, we in the UK are in no real position to offer Guyana advice on its’ nascent Covid-19 catastrophe but I will try…
1. Take it VERY seriously.
2. Act quickly and soon. Britain was late in March 2020 in foreseeing the pandemic -thousands of deaths resulted from that tardiness. Closing the air borders took nearly a year. Thousands more extra died.
3. Test, test, test and do it well. The UK is spending £38 Billion (yes billion pounds sterling) on Test and Trace. Much wasted.
4. Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate. Any jab which has passed the regulators is mainly safe. The risks are very small. Boris Johnson and his government have saved their bacon and the UK by vaccinating 33 million of the population at pace. The relief in the populace is palpable.
5. Lockdown works. The loss of ‘liberty’ for some is worth the freedom from disease and death for the many. People will whine but the lawless minority cannot dominate the zeitgeist and the public’s health. Caution pays.
Brazil shares a border with you – let it not share its phenomenal and unacceptable death rate.
Sincerely,
John Mair
