MoD Chief Scientific Adviser Dame Angela McLean has said what many have been calling for – the Government must agree what an acceptable level of Covid deaths would be going forward. Speaking to the Science and Technology Committee this morning, Dame Angela said:

“I think its reasonable to say let’s not have Covid winters that are any worse than bad flu winters. But bad flu winters can be quite bad.”

The UK has seen flu winters cause excess deaths in the region of 20,000 before – an annualised 55 deaths a day. It is not unreasonable to suggest the same could be societally acceptable for Coronavirus. Dame Angela went on to say scientists had been crying out for politicians to set out what an acceptable level of infections is, in order to manage the disease with that in mind. It is, after all, a political not scientific decision…