Dr Mark Toshner

Lockdown was Boris Johnson’s only option

(Getty images)

Lockdown is brutal. I don’t want it, you don’t want it, nobody ‘wants’ it. We are, however, at an intensely difficult moment in our fight against Covid-19. The latest wave of the virus is out of control, with the new variant significantly contributing to the huge hike in coronavirus cases. Our healthcare system is reaching the point of no return. This means that there is little choice than for us to face up to the reality that we are in the midst of a crisis – and that Boris Johnson had little choice but to tell us all to ‘stay at home’ once again.

1,041 deaths from Covid-19 were recorded yesterday, and the high number of those dying from this disease looks set to continue. These grim figures are despite a much improved mortality rate, which is possibly attributable to improved understanding and care in hospitals (and probably related to the impact of dexamethasone, a steroid which has been used to treat Covid patients). 

There is a chance that our health service will be overwhelmed in the coming weeks whatever happens

Yet while we understand this disease better than we did when it first hit our shores in large numbers last March, we cannot bury our heads in the sand about the situation we are in and what the coming weeks will look like. In the last week, on top of the huge mortality reported, 403,914 people tested positive for Covid-19. Let that sink in. There are no good options from here. Only the least worst one. But, still, not everyone accepts what is unfolding. 

So here’s the reality: Covid-19 is real, the extended wave is real and not one single frontline doctor will tell you anything other than their deep fears for patients if we don’t rapidly get control of the situation.

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