thousands of sun worshipers crowded the beaches across the country last summer to soak up the rays, raising concerns about Covid-19’s “super-disclosure” events.
But there was never an outbreak of Covid-19 related to a crowded beach, parliamentarians heard on Wednesday.
Professor Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, told the Science and Technology Committee: “During the summer, we were treated to all of this in television news and photos of crowded beaches, and there was a clamor to respect.
“There were no outbreaks linked to crowded beaches, there was never an outbreak of Covid-19 linked to a beach anywhere in the world, as far as I know.”
He said that mass gatherings – like a horse racing event – are an exception because they do not involve social distance and there are “pinch points” like places for trips and snacks.
“I think we have to understand where the risks are so that we can safely do as much as possible,” he added.
Sun worshipers gather at Bournemouth beach
The same panel heard how scientists were “crying out” for someone in a position of political power to decide what level of Covid-19 infections are “acceptable”.
“I think it is reasonable to say that we are not going to have worse winters in Covid than those with strong flu. But in fact, winters with strong flu can be very bad, ”said Professor Dame Angela McLean, chief scientific adviser to the Ministry of Defense.
“It is one of the things we continually cry out for – could someone in a position of political power tell us what an acceptable number of infections is?
“Maybe last year, maybe in 2020, where the number of infections and deaths was so high, maybe nobody would say that.
“But we need to decide what level is acceptable and then we can manage lives with that in mind.”
Professor Woolhouse added: “The answer is not zero. If you believe that no Covid death is acceptable or anything like that, you are writing a blank check to do any damage for the measures you have taken to try to control it.
The comments were made while the prime minister was playing with reporters at a mass vaccination center at the Cwmbran stadium in Cwmbran, southern Wales.
Mr. Johnson said: “I think they made 46,000 at this center, a really remarkable achievement.
“I think, as the song says, ‘I’ve been all over the world and then in Japan, I never found a place for vaccines like Cwmbran’. What about this? “
He added: “I think, overall, if you look at infection rates in the UK, they are dropping a little bit now. This is very encouraging.
“I think one of the big questions that people are going to want to ask is how far this is driven by vaccination. We hope so, there are some encouraging signs, but it is still the beginning. “