Boris Johnson promised to level with Britons about coronavirus – he’s still yet to do so

Social media abhors a vacuum. When the government fails to publish detailed data on the coronavirus outbreak, the consequences are predictable. What data does exist is misinterpreted and misused; conspiracy theories multiply; “covidiots” make up their own science.

It is natural that the public is worried. Scenes from Italy are distressing; as are the media reports, however accurate, of the threat to all ages.

Yet the public can only put things into perspective if the government opens up the flow of information about the virus. Accurately estimating infection and mortality rates is difficult; yet the government must present them, with context. It appears the stages and severity of infection vary so much between individuals; all the more reason why the government should present precise information on the profile of those who have had the disease. The public’s understanding of public health may be poor, but the alternative is far worse.

There should also be an open discussion about Britain’s performance compared with other countries, in order to create a benchmark against which the government may be judged. Such comparisons should extend to, for example, the availability of testing kits, respirators, intensive treatment beds, protective equipment and so on. Again, the public has a right to understand if everything that could have been done was done.

Apart from some excellent work by the select committees, parliament has now absented itself from the scene, giving the media an even more important duty to hold those managing the crisis to account. In order to be able to ask the right questions, journalists must be highly informed; must understand why it is, for example, that daily testing is only at 6,000, why it is taking so long to reach the official target of 25,000 per day.

There is a balance to be struck between spreading false hope and alarm – and the more information the government publishes on coronavirus, the greater its chance of getting that balance right. Boris Johnson said two weeks ago that he needed to “level with” the British people – he still does.