A coronavirus carol; From HIV to Covid-19, Boris Johnson must face the ghosts of viruses past, present and future to stop the current one from becoming a catastrophe, writes Jonathan Cooper

Like many of us, I lived through the Aids crisis. I was in my late teens as the news of this condition that was killing gay men spread. It was first documented in 1981. Being gay, I was terrified. I was just about to come out. I'd started to have sex. I leapt back in the closet and bolted the door. I became simultaneously obsessed with and petrified of Aids. In the end, I became deeply immersed in all aspects of the crisis. I minutely observed the politics. I charted progress in healthcare. Aids...