No 10 ‘tried to block’ data on spread of new Covid variant in English schools

[Northerner]

Downing Street leaned on Public Health England not to publish crucial data on the spread of the new Covid variant in schools, documents seen by the Observer have suggested. Scientists, union officials and teachers said that the lack of transparency was “deeply worrying”.

The focus of their anger concerns the pre-print of a PHE report that included a page of data on the spread of the India Covid-19 variant in schools. But when the report was published on Thursday 13 May, the page had been removed. It was the only one that had been removed from the pre-print. Days later, the government went ahead with its decision to remove the mandate on face coverings in English schools.

Evidence seen by the Observer suggests No 10 was directly involved in the decision not to publish it. The prime minister’s office acknowledged it was in correspondence with PHE officials about presentation of the data but vigorously denied this constituted “interference” or “pressure”.

No 10 ‘tried to block’ data on spread of new Covid variant in English schools

Scientists, unions and teachers concerned after data cut from Public Health England report ahead of shift on face masks

www.theguardian.com

 

[pm133]

It was Public Health England who failed to publish it.
They are independent from government are they not?
Government can't force them to do anything can they?
The head of that institution should be taking the heat here so I'm really not sure why that isn't happening.

PHE have also been quoted as saying that the data will be published in due course. Getting clarity on that is where pressure should be applied.

Our press seem to excel at "nothing" stories.
Oh and I really wish the SAGE advisors such as the two quoted in that article would stop this tedious media whoring when they don't actually know the details of what they are talking about. They have no idea what that data shows so should back off until they do. That's what a scientist behaving professionally would do.

 

[mikeyB]

PHE were maybe separate from government, but not separate from government enough to be abolished, so they could install a Tory pal Dido Harding, who knows bugger all about health, as head of the new National Health Protection agency. She used to run Talk Talk, which for years has been the mobile phone company with the worst company service in the country. (according to Which Magazine surveys). And that’s after she ran the worlds worst test and trace system.

In any event, as the story begins with government putting pressure on PHE, it wasn’t their decision to cover up the data.

And they can’t publish the data if they don’t exist. Why do you think they are being abolished? It’s so that such data can be shuffled into the files in the cellar.