COVID-19: Matt Hancock’s claims about timing of lockdown, asymptomatic transmission and PPE raise eyebrows | Politics News

Matt Hancock made a number of assertions during his testimony before the Joint Science and Health Committee, which were subsequently questioned by MPs and some scientists.

On issues such as PPE supplies, rationing of care and asymptomatic transmission, the health secretary’s account has been called into question on several occasions.

Here are some of the areas where Mr. HancockThe statements of have been subjected to close scrutiny.

PPE supplies

The health secretary said that while there were “local problems” around the supply of PPE last spring, there had “never been a national shortage”.

LaborSarah Owen suggested that this claim was impossible to reconcile with the images of health workers using trash bags for aprons widely circulated on social media at the time.

Matt Hancock pointed out the Report of the National Audit Office from last November to support his claim, directly citing this passage: “The NHS supplier organizations we spoke to told us that while they were concerned about low stocks of PPE, they were still able to get what they needed on time.”

However, Mr Hancock did not clarify that the next paragraph says: “It was not the experience reported by many frontline workers. Comments from caregivers, doctors and nurses show that a significant number of them felt they were not adequately protected during the height of the first wave of the pandemic. “

He goes on to say: “From the evidence from this survey, we cannot know to what extent these experiences are representative of the overall workforce, but the occurrence of shortages is supported by other qualitative evidence. “

A report by the Public Accounts Committee released in February came to a similar conclusion: “Many front-line health and social service workers have been placed in the appalling situation of having to care for people with COVID-19 or …