The letter published last week suggesting it is somehow wasteful for the council to have more than one public health specialist shows how poorly understood the crucial role of public health is, even during a pandemic. As well as disease prevention, health education, immunisations and environmental health, public health have also been leading the Covid-19 response for the county and have done an excellent job in keeping us safe.

Throughout the pandemic, the hardest thing to manage has been the gap between what we need to do to protect each other, and the frankly negligent attitude of our government, which continues to rely on herd immunity, a policy described by the World Health Organisation as ‘epidemiological stupidity’. Covid-19 infection remains very unpleasant for most, and we still don’t know the long term consequences of infection and long Covid. Reducing testing and stopping isolation and the wearing of face masks is incredibly shortsighted as we head into yet another wave of yet another variant, now without even knowing who or how many people are infected. Our community has shown such a strong response to Covid, but we need to continue to protect each other, by isolating when unwell and wearing face coverings when near others.

Dr Simon Lennane, Ross-on-Wye