South Korea 20,000+ tests/day at the start
Scotland 1,370 tests/day at the peak
A country taking the threat of a pandemic seriously might have prepared for one. Like South Korea did after MERS.
Scotland and the UK were unprepared. The projected outcome? 100 times as many Scottish deaths (per capita) and vastly multiplied economic damage.
In the future it may be that money will be found to take the necessary precautions. But there is no doubt that starving public services in Scotland ensured proper precautions against a pandemic could not hitherto be funded despite the warnings of epidemiologists.
‘Maybe it will never happen’ proved to be wishful thinking on the part of our politicians.
Which is why Scotland needs to move immediately to AGR/LVT as state revenue. One of the numerous positive outcomes for Scots would be to find the contents of their public purse doubling in short order. After which any and all precautions against pandemics will be easily affordable …not to mention the rest of Scotland’s currently enfeebled publicly funded services.
