The British government has published the scientific advice it says has shaped its strategy to deal with the novel coronavirus outbreak in the country.
“The collective evidence we have published today has played a considerable role in shaping our recommendations on when, how and why the government have made the interventions it has so far,” Britain’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance said of the advice.
“The UK is home to experts who are at the forefront of their chosen fields and we are making full use of their expertise to grow our understanding of Covid-19 as we work tirelessly to tackle this disease.”
The context: Despite ministers’ repeated insistence that they are being “guided by the science” in their coronavirus response, secrecy has shrouded the nature of that advice.
Prior to today, the current membership of the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE), the government’s main scientific advisory body, which changes depending on the crisis, had not been listed publicly.
The group had not published the basis of any of its advice for more than a month. The UK has been in lockdown for more than a month.
The UK has reported more than 191,000 coronavirus cases, including nearly 29,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
