Leading virologist Professor Richard Tedder says we should have gone in to lockdown in January
06:00, 21 June 2020
One of the UK's most eminent virus experts has said we were two months late going into lockdown.
Prof Richard Tedder, a leading member of a team trying to find an antibody, said the nation should have closed down and started testing for for Covid-19 in January just after news of the outbreak broke from China.
The infectious disease specialist from Cobham, near Gravesend, who has travelled the world working on research into SARS and HIV, said warnings were coming from the far east before Christmas.
And he has accused fellow scientists "of not grasping the reality" of the disease and its deadly outcome sooner.
He said:"I was having some horrific conversations with people in Bejing. I wrote to our Chief Medical Officer to offer my help, but did not hear anything.
"The fact is that we were too slow, too stupid and did not take it seriously. People looked at SARS and just thought that never really took off globally. You can never trust a new agent.We did not realise how devastating it would be. "
He believes flights should have been curtailed earlier with people entering the UK going into quarantine for 14 days. Only last week the medical press reported that Covid was brought into the country on at least 1,300 separate occasions between February and March, according to analysis.
"The fact is that we were too slow, too stupid and did not take it seriously..."
Prof Tedder, 74, a father-of-three, added that while social distancing and lockdown had been effective, he thought a second spike was "inevitable".
He said:"But people are now more aware and will call for help very quickly."
The medical virologist with 35 years experience in his field said the only answer was a vaccine, but would not be drawn on how long off that might be in materialising.
He said: "Too many people did not think outside of the box, It's terribly easy to be wise after the event, this is a new virus and lessons will be learnt.
"It's no good pointing the finger now. But questions will be asked in the wash-up and the truth will come out."
Since January he has been working with a team from London's Imperial College research university on a blood test which identifies antibodies with potential to tell if somebody has previously been infected.
Prof Tedder works from home liaising with laboratory staff by email and Zoom throughout the day.
He said :"I find it frustrating because I am a laboratory man. I am supposed to have retired. But what is retirement?"
Prof Tedder was head of the Department of Virology at University College, London Medical School and worked as a virologist for Public Health England.
