A major exercise testing the UK’s ability to deal with a pandemic - codenamed Cygnus - exposed “terrifying” failings, the Sunday Telegraph reports. Cygnus - a three-day test exercise - was carried out in October 2016 to see how hospitals and other services would manage if struck by a major flu outbreak with similar death rate to coronavirus. More than a thousand organisations were involved, ranging from NHS trusts to the military and British Medical Association. Officials say Cygnus’s results have been largely kept quiet due to “biosecurity” concerns and not wanting to alarm the public. However, documents seen by the Sunday Telegraph reveal that it did lead to guidelines being sent to NHS trusts on how to prepare for a pandemic.

Source: Daily Mirror March 29, 2020 02:04 UTC