The U.K. Coronavirus Strategy Is Negligent, We Must Do Whatever It Takes By Any Means Necessary

by Youssef El-Gingihy @ElGingihy

The great German physician Rudolf Virchow once said that, “Medicine is a social science and politics is nothing else but medicine on a large scale”. The framing of the coronavirus pandemic, in the context of different ideological approaches, confirms what Virchow meant — medicine is never just clinical, it is political too.

As a GP working in Tower Hamlets, it is important not to catastrophise. Panic has already been induced as evident from stockpiling with subsequent empty shelves in supermarkets. There has also been a clear backlash of anger and fear against the government’s current strategy and poor communication.

However, we cannot underplay the immense gravity of the situation. This is the biggest public health crisis in a generation. It touches all of us — nobody is exempt with politicians, footballers and movie stars testing positive. However, the poorest and most vulnerable will be most affected as borne out by the norms of health inequalities.

As a patient, who has survived Hodgkin’s lymphoma, I apparently fall into the category of being mildly immunocompromised. My parents are elderly with my mother on an immunosuppressant drug. My father requires dialysis…