WEDNESDAY 4 MARCH 2020Editorials
Johnson’s coronavirus
transformation is welcome
The prime minister was wise to bring along England’s chief medical officer (CMO), Chris Whitty, to his
press conference on the coronavirus outbreak. One of the more unfortunate legacies of Boris Johnson’s long
career in the public eye is that his word is not always taken at face value; that of Professor Whitty is. It
seems there are times when experts are needed, after all.
Mr Whitty was clear and honest about the meaning of the “reasonable worst-case scenario”. In that
circumstance, the rate of infection should not exceed 80 per cent, and will probably be lower. The broad