UK's Initial Herd Immunity Strategy (2020)

The UK's initial herd immunity strategy in March 2020 was a reckless gamble that stands as one of Europe's deadliest policy failures of the pandemic. The government delayed lockdowns until Imperial College London's modeling projected 250,000 deaths, then reversed course only after that alarm was sounded. This delayed pivot contributed to the UK having one of Europe's highest per-capita death tolls in the first wave, with over 40,000 deaths by June 2020.