LONDON (AP) — Britain's government was too late in taking action against the coronavirus during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, the U.K.'s chief medical adviser said Tuesday.
“With the benefit of hindsight, we went a bit too late on the first wave," Whitty conceded.
Whitty, who remains the U.K.'s top medical official, was the latest to give testimony to the independent COVID-19 inquiry.
The probe was ordered by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021 to scrutinize and learn lessons from the U.K.'s response to the pandemic.
Whitty became a household name during the pandemic, when he often appeared alongside Johnson and senior officials at daily televised government briefings on COVID-19.
Persons:
—, Chris Whitty, Whitty, Keith, “ overreacting, Rather, ” Whitty, Boris Johnson, Johnson, Rishi Sunak
Organizations:
Treasury
Locations:
Europe, France, Spain, Italy