The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have “damaged a generation”, former chief medical officer (CMO) Dame Sally Davies has told the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
Dame Sally, who was CMO between 2010 and 2019 and is now master of Trinity College, Cambridge, gave evidence to the inquiry’s lead counsel, Hugo Keith KC, on Tuesday.
Answering questions relating to the UK’s pandemic planning and preparedness, she said it was “clear” that “no-one thought about lockdown”.
She added: “We’ve got to remember we have a limited amount of money and limited people, both in the policy space and in the delivery space, whether it’s the NHS or public health.
“And so we also have to listen with respect to some of our academic colleagues who come up with things and say, but what is the risk of that happening? Is that something that we need to do a special plan for? Or can we amend a plan?
“It’s clear that no-one thought about lockdown. I still think we should have locked down, although a week earlier. But during that we should have thought do we need to further?”
