Don’t panic, says the government. Leave that to us

Thanks to Omicron, the deputy chief medical officer’s announcement was a little less reassuring than usual

It wasn’t the cheeriest of Jonathan Van-Tam’s public appearances. Normally the sight of the deputy chief medical officer presiding over a Downing Street press conference at which no politicians are present is somewhat reassuring. He is a man to whom most of us would entrust our lives. In fact we already have. But this time, not so much. It wasn’t yet time for doom and gloom about the Omicron – the new Nu – variant, he said. Yet.

Nor was it time for people to panic at this stage. At this stage. Clearly, he reckoned there might well be a moment for us all to panic. Though he was hazy on the details of what we should do if and when such a time arose. Should we all break into hospital pharmacies to help ourselves to doses of the booster vaccine? Or should we tie down Boris Johnson and force him to wear a mask at all times? Or just, as in the 1960s, sit under the kitchen table and wait for armageddon?

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3d3HYZL