Prof. John Ashton CBE - Coronavirus lessons learnt to date

In today’s podcast, we speak to the amazing Professor John Ashton CBE, one of the world’s leading experts in the field of public health and author of the book, ‘Blinded by Corona.’ Professor Ashton is a British doctor and academic who has held positions at the University of Southampton, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the University of Liverpool School of Medicine and also as Regional Director of Public Health for North-West England for 13 years. 

On February 1st 2020, Professor Ashton was one of the first voices to sound the alarm of a global pandemic via an interview held with British broadcaster, Sky News. During the interview, he mapped out the need for urgent and swift action, at a time the UK were witnessing 83 British nationals return from Wuhan, landing at RAF base Brize Norton, and the countries first confirmed cases of coronavirus we being identified in York. It proved to be a decisive moment, as Professor Ashton was asked by the Crown Prince of Bahrain, to join Bahrain’s COVID-19 Task Force and provide hands on training and knowledge to the countries coronavirus response. Bahrain alongside Taiwan, South Korea, New Zealand and Singapore would go on to be one of the few countries who provided a beacon of hope, in respect to their handling of the coronavirus pandemic so far.

How well a population can migrate beyond a pandemic, will depend on preparation, resilience, openness, transparency, trust, leadership, communication, cooperation and crucially the mobilisation of the public to act with evidence and science. Chatting to Professor Ashton was an absolute pleasure, this is an amazing episode and one not to be missed. So without further ado, please sit back, relax and we do hope you enjoy.

Links:
Lanesberg wine
https://www.lanebergwine.com

Blinded by Corona by Prof John Ashton
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blinded-Corona-Excellent-Pandemic-Britains/dp/1783341955

Exercise Cygnus
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/927770/exercise-cygnus-report.pdf

Guardian article may 2020 (Exercise Cygnus):
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/07/what-was-exercise-cygnus-and-what-did-it-find

PPE, Test and Trace and ongoing cronyism and legal cases.
https://goodlawproject.org/news/ 

Independent Sage Blueprint to achieve excellent find, test, trace, isolate and support system: https://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/New-FTTIS-System-final-06.50.pdf

Covid Bereaved Families justice group
https://covidfamiliesforjustice.org

Johnson’s superman speech - Greenwich Speech
https://youtu.be/OMwXlOQLu44

Take it on the chin - This Morning
https://youtu.be/SQDXmipIYF8

Edelman Trust Barometer
https://www.edelman.com/trust/2021-trust-barometer

Prof John Ashton Question Time
https://youtu.be/M-Up5XbgUg8

Panorama - Cashing in on Covid
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000t8td

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