PROFESSOR John Ashton has said he is "embarrassed" that the UK has "lost control" of coronavirus on BBC Question Time.

The professor of medicine and former director of public health and former professor of public health hit out at Boris Johnson, who he says should have convened Cobra weeks ago.

He said the Government's approach has been "paternalistic" and that "we've lost four or five weeks".

Ashton also criticised the Government, saying it should have "learned from ebola".

He warned that "at the hight of this epidemic somewhere between 12 and 25% will be infected".

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He added that "at the hight of this epidemic somewhere between 12 and 25% will be infected" and blamed Public Health England for "dire" communications which aren't preparing the public for the outbreak.