Tory Health Secretary Sajid Javid has been blasted for saying the public should not “cower” from the deadly coronavirus.
Experts described his choice of words as “painful” and “poor”, while MPs lined up to criticise his insensitive comments.
Since the pandemic struck, tens of thousands of people have died and lives have been turned upside down.
Key parts of the economy have taken a massive hit and loved ones have not been able to attend the funerals of relatives.
Javid, who replaced Matt Hancock in the UK Cabinet, went into self-isolation this month after announcing he had been infected.
He announced at the weekend he had made a “full recovery” and said his symptoms had been very mild due to the vaccine.
But he also wrote: “Please - if you haven’t yet - get your jab, as we learn to live with, rather than cower from, this virus.”
His comments triggered an angry backlash, with Professor Devi Sridhar, who advises First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on covid, saying:
“This must be painful to read for those who were severely ill & for those who lost loved ones to COVID. It wasn’t because they were weak- just unnecessarily exposed to a virus. And wanting to avoid getting COVID isn’t ‘cowering’- it’s being sensible & looking out for others.”
Professor Linda Bauld, who has won praise for her commentary and analysis during the pandemic, endorsed the Sridhar criticism:
“Agree - poor choice of words.”
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford weighed in: “Cower from this virus. Really. The job of Govt is to keep people safe. To show empathy with folk. To seek to protect people when necessary. This is not acceptable. You might want to reflect and think about your role as health secretary in England.”
And senior Labour MP Yvette Cooper also chastised Javid: “129,000 people who died didn’t cower, they fought for their lives.
“Frontline workers didn’t cower, they kept calm & carried on
“Millions in lockdown didn’t cower, they followed your rules & made sacrifices for others
“Glad you’ve recovered but pls never treat illness as weakness.”
