IT started with a virus transmission from a bat to human, and led to a major loss of life.

You might think I’m referring to coronavirus, but no this was Ebola, a lesson that should have been learned from recent history.

The outbreak was in 2014, it devastated West Africa but with minor outbreaks occurring elsewhere worldwide. Two years later, in December 2016, the World Health Organisation announced a two year trial of a vaccine had been successful, but by that time Ebola was already forgotten in the minds of the international community, having fortunately not seen a similar situation to the global pandemic we see now.

Looking at Ebola is why blaming China for Covid-19 is a nonsense. Before anyone says it, yes the origins of how a virus emerges should be looked at, and finding ways to stop it happening in the future should be explored. But playing the blame game becomes an easy get out for national governments and politicians. After this Covid-19 nightmare is over, at some point in the future there is every chance another outbreak of something else, another threat to humans, will emerge somewhere. And we have to be more prepared. I have heard the line, 'but no one could have seen this coming, how can you be prepared'. Again I point to Ebola. It also emerged this weekend the government had even considered what we are seeing with this outbreak in an exercise drill code-named Exercise Cygnus, that took place in October 2016. Given those things, we should have been more ready for coronavirus.

To be prepared what you certainly don't do is make your health service weaker and yet, under New Labour and the Conservatives, we have had governments privatise and make significant cuts. NHS staff are being applauded for returning to service, as they should be. But many are staff who left during the cuts. We need to learn the lessons of the past, to prevent mistakes in the future.

• For now the coronavirus battle continues, I am staggered at the selfishness of some that emerged over the weekend. At this point there really is no excuse, if you are not following the rules you deserve to face the consequences. Whether that is those that enjoyed parties, footballer Jack Grealish going out, or simply those I saw in the supermarket not keeping their distance. We all have to follow the rules.