The UK, COVID19, Science & Government

Introduction In the UK during February and March 2020 the government was supplied with scientific advice generated by a group called the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) with the government’s Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) plus Chief Medical Office (CMO) being the interface between the science and politicians. We know that events overtook both the scientists and government resulting in the government imposing a nationwide lockdown on the 23rd March.   It was reported that a significant element in the government’s decision to lockdown was a report by Imperial College, which predicted hundreds of thousands of fatalities plus overwhelming the NHS’ capacity.   This report was published on the 16th March 2020, entitled: “ Report 9: Impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to reduce COVID-19 mortality and healthcare demand ” (Report-9).   The lead author was Professor Neil Ferguson, a member of SAGE but based at Imperial College in London.   The work was (par