And is beginning to call out how the ‘economic choice’ is used to disguise the political one that is really made (just over a minute):… Read more
Category:
Covid-19
Unless building back better is a metaphor…
It doesn’t look to have much prospect of coming about. The Independent reports: Builders are being forced to down tools amid a “perfect storm for construction” which is putting the UK’s economic recovery in doubt, industry groups have warned. The cost of building materials has soared by 20 per cent, exacerbating the problems facing an… Read more
Obesity helps Covid
Who knew? This new report is even peer reviewed and they point out a worrying correlation that has long been suspected. Essentially, in summary: Across 168 countries, for every 1% increase in obesity prevalence, the mortality rate for Covid-19 was increased by 8.3%. Additionally, higher median population age, greater female ratio, higher Human Development Index,… Read more
Covid – where we are and where we’re heading…
I post this report from former Director of Public Health, Cam Bowie, with permission. It does not make for particularly optimistic reading. Introduction The Covid Count a fortnight ago suggested a third wave now and a huge fourth wave in the winter if the delta variant is 20% more transmissible than alpha. We have up-to-date… Read more
More Project Fear bumping up against reality
The fact that even the Telegraph thinks that the army is on stand-by to assist in food and medecine distribution means, I think, that it is true. Yet more of project fear looks set to turn out to be project fact. And we left the EU less than eight months ago… Quite how a couple… Read more
‘Living with Covid’ probably means dying sooner of something else
This was an interesting tweet from a Dr Kelly from the University of Queensland and summarises what most of us who are not health professionals (or at least me) have never thought of: So the government suggestion of living with Covid from now on is possible only if you revise your health provision to include… Read more
Confuse the message, stay vague and blame the public
So Health Secretary, Sajid Javid was ‘feeling groggy’ and nonetheless, in fact, opted for the wrong Covid test. I feel tempted to ask whether these people have any advisors – I’m sure they do – but we know there exists throughout the cabinet a certain distrust of experts. It shows. Then Rishi Sunak and Boris… Read more
The NHS is unsafe in Conservative hands
This is the Coventry South MP, Zarah Sultana’s withering take: We might care to think too that since the Conservatives have come to power – and prior to Covid there are/were: 100,000 fewer doctors & nurses 17,000 fewer hospital beds 100 fewer A&E facilities Hospital waiting lists have doubled. That is a litany of the… Read more
Mask wearing decisions…
Ahead of this afternoon’s trailed government announcement, there is a very good (and long!) thread by the Professor of Primary Care at Oxford, Trish Greenhalgh, on mask wearing here. To briefly and imperfectly summarise – there are very few reliable tests on maskwearing because they are virtually impossible to organise but such studies as there… Read more
An emergency in UK emergency care
A horendous report from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine seems to have gained little media traction – and certainly the new health minister hasn’t mentioned it. The statistics are stark: The data show that in June 2021 1,436,613 patients attended Type 1 Emergency Departments, the highest ever figure since records began. A total of… Read more