Scientists Condemn UK Government’s “Dangerous & Unethical COVID-19 Experiment”

Scientists from the University of Birmingham are among more than 100 experts to sign a letter published in The Lancet accusing the British government of conducting a ‘dangerous and unethical experiment’ and urging it to reverse its plans Lifting, rethinking COVID-19 restrictions.

The doctors and scientists, including professors Alan McNally, KK Cheng, Alice Roberts and Joanna Parish at the University of Birmingham, argue that the government’s strategy of mass infection when only half of the UK population is fully vaccinated is “both acute and long-term illness.” will entail.” The letter states that any strategy that “tolerates high levels of infection is both unethical and illogical.”

The signatories, including former Chief Scientific Adviser and Chairman of Independent SAGE Sir David King, and Council for the British Medical Association President Dr. Chaand Nagpaul, call on the government to reconsider ending the restrictions on July 19 detailing such a move. as ‘dangerous and premature’.

In particular, the letter, co-written by University of Birmingham Professor Alice Roberts, highlights the risk of long-term Covid for the wider population; especially those who are vulnerable and younger people and children, who are currently not vaccinated. The letter notes that the exponential growth of the virus “will likely continue until millions more are infected, leaving hundreds of thousands long-term sick and disabled.”

It continues: “This strategy risks creating a generation left behind with chronic health problems and disabilities, the personal and economic consequences of which will be felt for decades to come.”

The letter also draws attention to the global risk of creating “fertile soil” for vaccine-resistant variants.

The letter also says that lifting the restrictions on July 19 does not make the disruption to children’s education any less likely. It claims allowing transmission in the summer will create a “reservoir of infection” that will accelerate when schools reopen in the fall.

dr. Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet, said: “Contrary to statements by government scientists, there is no scientific consensus on the current government plans to abolish protective mandates on July 19. Instead, there is deep disagreement. Many scientists are genuinely concerned that we are at a very dangerous time in the pandemic, with sub-optimal double vaccinations and rapidly increasing transmission rates.

“Withdrawing mandates on July 19 will not only accelerate virus transmission, with significantly more acute illness, hospitalization and prolonged COVID-19, but also create the conditions for the emergence of new variants that could escape vaccine protection. The government plan is not, as some have characterized it, a reasonable gamble – it is a completely unnecessary and self-inflicted risk that will cause real harm to health.”

Reference: “Mass Infection Is Not Option: We Need To Do More To Protect Our Young People” By Deepti Gurdasani, John Drury, Trisha Greenhalgh, Stephen Griffin, Zubaida Haque, Zoë Hyde, Aris Katzourakis, Martin McKee, Susan Michie, Christina Pagel , Stephen Reicher, Alice Roberts, Robert West, Christian Yates and Hisham Ziauddeen, July 7, 2021, The Lancet.
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21) 01589-0