[Sephiroth]

I'm no Boris fan but this is how I see it taken from the point where a grave situation had been identified

To amplify what TheDaddy said above:

1/
There was no vaccine and thus CV could not be stopped. Furthermore, we were not as prepared as the Guvmin thought we were (a major failure, imo).

2/
When lockdown occurred (whether too late or not), hospitals were getting into difficulty, not least of which the staff were going down with CV.

3/
CV, being highly transmissible and very bad for older folk, thus caused strain on ICUs which had insufficient ventilators.

4/
There being no vaccine, lockdown was the only answer to easing the pressure by reducing the case rate.

5/
Eventually the vaccine came (in the middle of a new wave due to relaxation of restrictions) and the rest you know.

With hindsight applied, all pretty obvious stuff. There are many questions that need answering (as well as Cummings' points, particularly on herd immunity):

a) Was there no early intelligence as to what was happening in China?

b) Were there no sensible alarm bells as to the goings on in Italy?

c) Why did the Guvmin think or pretend that the UK was pandemic ready?