Following the Science: The UK Government’s Response to “Herd Immunity” During Early COVID-19

Miriam Green

Chapter 6 in The Complexities of Sustainability, 2022, pp 155-192 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: The aim of this chapter is to discuss the importance and impact of scientific advice on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a subject worthy of more than one book, so the topic is confined to the question of “herd immunity” or “mitigation”: a strategy considered in the United Kingdom (UK) during the early appearance of the virus in the first months of 2020. This chapter also considers definitions of science and problems within science itself and how these have impacted considerations of herd immunity during the first months of the pandemic. The relationships between the scientists who have advised the government, the politicians involved, and the impact this has had on the scientific advice given and implemented are discussed, as are the problems regarding the concept of “following the science”. The practise of herd immunity is outlined, as are attitudes to these in the UK in the first quarter of 2020. Finally, the position of science and scientists in relation to the responses to COVID-19 is considered in the broader political and ideological context of 21st century Britain.

Keywords: Sustainability; Sustainable Development; Corporate Social Responsibility; Corporate Governance; Pandemic; Science; Technology; Innovation; Organisation; Society; Accounting; Government; Multinational; Reporting; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Higher Education; Universities; Environment; Corporate Performance; Management; Disclosure (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G34 L26 M14 Q01 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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