Boris Johnson apologises for calling long Covid ‘b*******’ and comparing poorly-understood condition to Gulf War syndrome
Boris Johnson today apologized for dismissing Long Covid as 'b*******' and comparing the poorly understood disease to Gulf War Syndrome.
In a sensational speech during the Covid inquiry, the ex-prime minister said he regretted using that language and argued he was just “trying to get to the truth” about what the condition was.
Mr Johnson's thoughts were scribbled on an October 2020 document detailing the symptoms of the condition.
Asked about the memo, he said: 'The words I scribbled in the margins of submissions on long Covid have now been clearly published and I am sure they have caused pain and offense to the vast numbers of people who are indeed suffering from that syndrome.
“I deeply regret using that language and should have considered the possibility of future publication.”
Boris Johnson set out the things he thought could have been done differently as he acknowledged there were inevitable missteps at the start of the pandemic
Boris Johnson wrote in the margins of his notes that Covid was 'b*********' for a long time and compared the poorly understood disease to Gulf War Syndrome
He said he was trying to “get to the truth behind the case” about what the syndrome was.
Mr Johnson told the inquiry he did not get a 'real' article on long Covid until the summer of 2021.
Lead lawyer Hugo Keith KC alleged that Mr Johnson “continued to make disparaging references” in February 2021, and again in June 2021.
A WhatsApp message previously shown to the inquiry, dated February 2021, said Mr Johnson wrote: 'Do we really believe in long Covid? Why can't we cover it better? I bet it's complete Gulf War Syndrome stuff.”
The term refers to unexplained illnesses complained of by hundreds of thousands of American and British veterans of the 1991 Gulf War, who suffered from fatigue, memory problems and chronic pain.
Chemical warfare agents, such as sarin, and post-traumatic stress disorder are possible causes, experts believe.
Mr Johnson told the hearing: 'It's no disrespect to long Covid patients and I saw in the victim impact videos some of the victims of long Covid, I can imagine what a terrible thing it is.
'But there are also many people with Gulf War Syndrome who have terrible symptoms for a very long time.
“There are also people who think they are suffering, I think this is now accepted, from something related to the Gulf War, but in fact they are not suffering from anything related to the Gulf War.
“So what I was trying to say was, 'Where's the, where's the line?' And “can someone please explain to me what this is?”
'Because I received anecdotal stories from people who were affected by it, and I wanted to be able to say what we understood about it and what we did about it.
“And what we did about it was fight Covid, because the way to stop Covid for long is to stop Covid.”
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 1.9 million people, or almost three percent of the population, suffered from long-term Covid in March.
Fatigue, 'brain fog' and shortness of breath are the most common self-reported symptoms of the poorly understood phenomenon, which refers to Covid symptoms that linger more than four weeks after infection.
While many long-term Covid sufferers find their symptoms eventually fade, some people experience them for months or even years.
Some experts believe that long Covid-19 is similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
Responding to the comments, Sammie McFarland, CEO of Long Covid Kids, said: “Boris Johnson did not apologize for using the language because it was wrong; he only apologized because he was found out and his actions have led to years of bullying and stigmatization of people suffering from long Covid-19.
“We need a sincere apology.
“But more than that, we need action and research to make meaningful and impactful recommendations going forward.
Johnson also said that people think they are not feeling well. He must recognize that this is a real disease and a consequence of the pandemic, in addition to the unfortunate deaths and hospitalizations.”
Earlier in the inquiry, Mr Johnson highlighted how “I am sorry for the pain, loss and suffering” of those affected by the pandemic.
He acknowledged that mistakes had been made in 'hindsight', and suggested that the danger had been underestimated by scientists in the early stages because the last such crisis was 'beyond living memory'.
Mr Johnson said the government “did not yet believe” at the start of February that the “reasonable worst case” of the virus sweeping Britain would materialize.
He confessed that he “got really upset” when he saw the impact on Italy, where hospitals were overwhelmed. “We should have struck a lot sooner… I should have struck,” he said.
But he rejected the idea that his decisions had led to more excess deaths than in other parts of the Western world.
Britain was “well down the league” of countries with the highest Covid deaths, he said after being challenged for being “the second worst off in Europe”.
In a testy exchange with lead lawyer Hugo Keith KC, Mr Johnson played down the idea that government decisions had led to a 'materially' higher number of deaths.
He pointed to an aging population and dense population as reasons why Britain was hit hard.
And he suggested it was unlikely that earlier restrictions could have avoided the need for a lockdown altogether.
Later in the inquiry, Mr Johnson choked up when speaking about Covid's 'tragic' toll.
He had to take some time to collect himself, saying he had to be “realistic” about what happened in 2020 — a year that also saw him hospitalized with the virus.
Mr Johnson also revealed that major sporting events such as the Cheltenham Festival should not have taken place in March 2020.
He outlined the things he thought could have been done differently, recognizing that there were inevitable missteps at the start of the pandemic.
Johnson also said he shouldn't have shaken hands with “anyone” early that month.