On Wednesday, Mark Drakeford declared that the Omicron variant is just as deadly as any previous Covid strain if the person infected had not contracted the virus before. In response to this statement, Jamie Jenkins, the former Head of Health Analysis at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), said that the Welsh First Minister was attempting to justify further Covid restrictions by deploying an “untrue statement with the intent to deceive” the public, and that the Welsh Government itself does not possess the evidence that upholds Drakeford’s conclusion. The Telegraph has the story.
Mark Drakeford has been accused of lying to the public by a former health statistics boss after he said Omicron was “probably” just as severe as delta, despite three studies concluding the opposite.
Jamie Jenkins, the former head of health analysis at the ONS, said that the Welsh First Minister had made an “untrue statement with the intent to deceive” as he scrambled to justify his Covid restrictions in the face of evidence that the latest Covid variant is milder.
On Wednesday, Drakeford said he did not think it is “as simple as saying Omicron is less serious than Delta”.
“If you have been infected previously, it may be that it is a less severe attack,” he told a press conference.
“If you have never had Covid and you get Omicron, the evidence is it is probably just as severe as any other form would be.”
His comments came despite new studies from the University of Edinburgh, the U.K. Health Security Agency and a group of South African scientists, which all suggested that Omicron produced less severe symptoms than delta, and was between 50% and 80% less likely to hospitalise patients.
Jenkins told the Telegraph that Drakeford was “deceiving the Welsh public” to justify Wales’s latest Covid restrictions, which include £60 fines for employees who travel to the office when they could work from home, a limit of six people in groups at pubs or restaurants and the return of two-metre social distancing.
He said that the Welsh Government appeared not to have firm evidence to support Drakeford’s assertion that Omicron was likely to be as severe as delta.
“I think the word ‘probably’ is a bit strange from the First Minister, because if you’re going to make statements to bring restrictions on businesses, you want more than ‘probably’,” he said.
“For him to say that the evidence is that it is ‘probably’ just as severe is just bizarre, because to say that, you have got to have some evidence, haven’t you?”
Worth reading in full.
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Surprise, the Communist Drakeford tells lies!!
Where are those blinking fact checkers when you need em
Why should anyone want to take heed of the unhinged maunderings of the scientifically illiterate Daffy Duckford?
Looooooooooooooooks like fiddy kidler some dirt on him somebody may have.
So Drakeford is a liar and a petty tyrant. So the measures he’s introduced in poor old Wales ( my sympathies to all Welsh readers) are unnecessary, over the top and Stalinist. What a surprise. That’s what he is, folks – a Stalinist, Jeremy Corbyn supporting dictator. So vote him out next time, before he buxxers up a perfectly good and viable country.
This mans mutterings are the very definition of insanity. God knows where his head is.
I feel sorry for the poor people of Wales who suffer in their malaise from the madness of his policies.
They appear more locked in than the English covidians are.
Drakeford lying. No. It can’t be true. A politician telling lies. I’ve never heard of anything so surprising.
There is an ivermectin panic on the big tech and MSM right now. Massive articles from MSM on Ivermectin trying to push a danger narrative and also negative press on Americans Frontline Dr’s, again, to keep the Covid narrative alive. Just go to the Goog and type ivermectin then look at all the panic news articles. We are over the target. Big-Pharma is panicking. This medicine has been widely used by humans without any problems for 40 years. It’s inventor won a Nobel Prize after 20 years of successful use and after 100 million people were cured of a broad spectrum of problems without any side effects. Get your Ivermectin while you still can! https://ivmpharmacy.com
I’m not sure why, but Drakeford reminds me of Touche Turtle.
brilliant 🙂
Oh dearie me, Drakeford’s not a very good liar, is he? Thank God they have not had the practice and the brutal formation that that the CCP leaders have had, otherwise we’d be in worse trouble than we are already. Good to see someone like this speaking up. The wheels are coming off their wagon, slowly.
Three words:
Kick
Him
OUT.
Harold Bishop…..you’re a cunt!
Who would have thought it, a politician lying about COVID. I’m finding it difficult to believe, not.
I haven’t noticed anyone writing about what for me is the most obvious reason why Wales has imposed harsher (and stupider) restrictions on its citizens than England has. The Welsh NHS.
For years and years prior to “the Covid”, the health service in Wales was frequently reported as being calamitously bad, eg
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/welsh-nhs-cold-winter-flu-17224111.amp
So in the past 2 years it has been vital for the Welsh government to do anything and everything to keep people away from this wreck, even if it means locking them into their homes with armed guards outside.
Drakeford’s not naturally a dictator. It’s just that if the Welsh were given even the modest freedoms the English have had since the summer, there would be bodies piling up in the streets.
And the recent DS story about Scots gov imposing sanctions on buisnesses ….. because the gov was not sure what Omicron’s intentions might be.
On the subject of compensation for business: ‘How quaint. But you can’t reasonably expect gov to even think about compensation ….. when Omicron’s intentions are unknown.’
Gotta hand it to em.
When the pandemic is over, Drakeford will take the ‘most miserable face/voice combination’ prize at the Covid Awards.
What pandemic.. I wasn’t aware there was one..
For any business that is affected, it is time to start suing the government for the damage they cause. And apart from that organizations such as taxpayers unions should start tagging all the involved individuals for criminal investigation.
Anyone in UK that owns a bar, cafe, restaurant etc should be giving life bans to any of the people responsible for this. I have seen one or two pubs doing this but I can’t believe more haven’t.
I live in Scotland and if I had one of these businesses I would have given a life ban to the at least the following:
Sturgeon
Swinney
Yousaf
The Dentist
Bauld
Sridhar
It would be great if nowhere in Scotland would let them in the door.
‘criticised’, he should really be arrested, he’s putting law abiding people under house arrest with lies
At last, somebody having a go at the nasty, wrinkly, weaselly, abjectly poor copy of Stalin.
My Christmas has begun!
If it wasn’t for the fact that so many people are either retired, unemployed or work for the state, Drakeford would have ruined the Welsh economy.
As it is he’s only ruining the lives of the few that work in the private sector. I suppose he doesn’t have to worry about them.
In a sane world he would now be forced to resign
In a sane world he would be on trial.
And on conviction sold into slavery. With all his family.
Based on the available evidence, I think it’s fair to say that Drakeford is definitely a lying asshole.
Yep they all are. He’s just stupid enough to be caught. We need more of this with the bigger cheeses
I’m not aware of nay Member of the Senedd questioning his restrictions.
Maybe he was correct in that leaked video when eh said, “Oh shit! Let’s hope nobody is bright enough to ask.”
Speaking of misinformation (AKA lying), Paul Joseph Watson has found out that it appears ‘John from London’ was telling porkie pies about ‘the first death from COVID-o:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUOWI5FfWjI
I wonder how many more of this sort of thing will emerge in the coming months? Hopefully a LOT.
Denial is more than a river in Africa.
Yes, and we know its source.
To me it now appears that this is more behavioral science that they’re applying as opposed to pressure for compliance. Gatherings, clubs, anywhere where one can socialise results in discussions, debate and importantly the realisation that what’s going in is all bullsht
Trying to deter a “preference cascade”
It must be difficult for the Welsh to accept health advice from someone who isn’t exactly an expression of it.
I assume that all doctors are, of course.
It’s about time these bastards were dragged onto the streets and given a damn good thrashing! I don’t care if you think violence isn’t the answer. Peaceful protests certainly aren’t. I hope he doesn’t feel safe walking the streets…
I think they certainly make a good case for the reintroduction of corporal punishment.
Don’t you mean capital?
Slavery would be better. And forced repentance every Sunday. In chains.
The comment I was responding to mentioned a damn good thrashing, but now that you bring it up…
He needs a horsewhipping – at least.
Prison is too good for Drakeford, unless perhaps he is put in the same cell with Sturge and Bozo.
Or his son perhaps?
All of the above. And a trans heavyweight boxer with an aggression problem.
I guess he does visit though
a little late to the party.