The Observer view on the coronavirus errors that have cost precious lives | Observer editorial
The government made many mistakes in its response to the pandemic. We need to know that it is learning from them
Last week, Dr Peter Tun died from coronavirus at the Royal Berkshire hospital in Reading, where he had worked for more than 20 years. His son has reported that he had complained about personal protective equipment (PPE) being reallocated from the ward on which he worked and that at least four patients on that ward later tested positive for Covid-19. "The thought that if only he had a proper protective mask, he might still have been able to enjoy his hard-earned retirement after a lifetime of service just kills me," his son said on Thursday.
It should haunt us all. Tun is one of at least 55 people working in the NHS who have lost their lives to Covid-19; the true number is likely to be higher, and the number that includes care home and homecare staff even greater still. Every day, medical staff report having to work without adequate protective equipment that would minimise the risk to other patients and to themselves and their families. And on Friday night, it became apparent that Public Health England guidance that stipulates the protective equipment doctors and nurses need to wear when treating patients with Covid-19 has been watered down in the face of national shortages. Staff are now being told to wear flimsy plastic aprons in place of full-length waterproof gowns when the latter run out, a situation many NHS trusts are expected to face this weekend.
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