I’d like to recommend going out and enjoying your life before you’re dead. Some people give the impression they’ve been partly living for 5 years now. Life is not a rehearsal.
There's not a lot of point going out if you're going to feel anxious about getting COVID etc. When I go out, which is much less than I did before COVID, I'm amazed at the number of people who are coughing and spluttering on the train, in pubs, and worse of all in hospitals waiting for appointments in packed rooms. If you're ill stay at home. If you've got to go out then stick a mask on. It's not difficult.
If you’re ill, don’t go seek medical attention? Seems off.
I’m a primary school teacher, if I stayed at home everytime I felt sick, I’d be in a day a week, I’ve spent all day around kids coughing and sneezing, I know I’m going to feel it tomorrow but not going in simply isn’t an option.
The more that people go in when they are ill, the more that infection will spread. It is self perpetuating. Some people can fight infection better than others and some may end up seriously ill.
It's time that this idea that you carry on spreading germs regardless, is stopped.
If you really must go in then the sensible thing is to wear a mask to protect others.
Do you include doctors, nurses, allied health workers etc in the “mustn’t go into work if you’re feeling a bit ropey” category?
I’d say especially that group. Many patients attending hospital or as inpatients are immunocompromised and catching even a simple cold virus can be devastating.
I’d like to recommend going out and enjoying your life before you’re dead. Some people give the impression they’ve been partly living for 5 years now. Life is not a rehearsal.
There's not a lot of point going out if you're going to feel anxious about getting COVID etc. When I go out, which is much less than I did before COVID, I'm amazed at the number of people who are coughing and spluttering on the train, in pubs, and worse of all in hospitals waiting for appointments in packed rooms. If you're ill stay at home. If you've got to go out then stick a mask on. It's not difficult.
If you’re ill, don’t go seek medical attention? Seems off.
I’m a primary school teacher, if I stayed at home everytime I felt sick, I’d be in a day a week, I’ve spent all day around kids coughing and sneezing, I know I’m going to feel it tomorrow but not going in simply isn’t an option.
I work long hours, 7 days a week. It's not sitting at a desk it's mainly outside, physical work. When I had COVID I was unable to do my job for about a week and had to rely totally on the help of friends. So I don't go out much as I really don't want another situation like that. I get fed up with people telling us to go out and live our lives. That's maybe what some people like doing but not everyone does. OK so you can't wear a mask at your job but at least stick one on in other circumstances.
Oh I have no people not living their lives, if people want to stay home to protect themselves that's entirey their choice, my issue is when people make unrealistic expectations of others, asking them to financially ruin themselves because they have a minor illness.
It's not unrealistic at all, the more that people go out and infect others, the greater the likelihood that people will become ill. If others didn't go out when infected, you would be less likely to need to take time off work.
If we can get infections down then it is better for everybody. I feel so sorry for those that feel they can't go out because picking up a virus would result in them becoming seriously ill, and there are many of them. Everyone would be able to get on with their lives if others took infection control more seriously.
We had a really good chance of reducing Covid infection in the summer of 2020 when levels of Covid were really low. Had we continued with good infection control procedures instead of eating out to help out, being able to meet 5 other people every night if you wanted to, under the rule of 6 and sending children to school, we would be in a much better position now. A proper test and trace system would have resulted in those infected being 'quarantined' and therefore unable to pass the virus on to others.
When we were at the height of the pandemic there was a lot of talk that in future people would take a different attitude to infection, sadly that hasn't lasted long. Society as a whole needs to radically change the thinking on living with viruses. We can do so much more if we have cleaner air in public buildings like schools, hospitals, public transport, in fact anywhere that people congregate. If you have a 'bug' wear a mask, if you really have no option but to go out, though staying at home is always preferable. Many people can work from home so there is no need to go out and infect others.
When restrictions were lifted it was said by the Government that we could control the virus by using vaccination and therapeutics, but that has fallen away to only a few now being able to access free vaccines and the criteria for being given therapeutics is so strict that even people like my sister-in-law who has COPD, was unable to get any antiviral meds and she was very ill with Covid.
There is a huge cost of doing nothing, with a very much sicker society than before the pandemic, millions unable to work due to Long Covid and a workforce that is constantly picking up bugs. The NHS is suffering with so many people needing hospitalisation due to viruses, when beds are needed to get the waiting lists down. The long term effect of being infected with Covid still not fully known, but with growing evidence that it can affect immunity, cause heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, brain damage, and damage to many other organs of the body, plus activate other viruses that have remained dormant in the body, we should be taking more action to stop spreading viruses. The more infections there are, the greater the chance of more damaging mutations occurring. Children are missing school with the constant round of viruses and they are not immune to getting Long Covid either.
When the next pandemic hits, it is going to be so much harder to control infection because of the attitude being taken now.
This is a very good reason why we need to do far more to stop infections:
NHS warns of 'tidal wave' of flu as hospital cases rise 70% in England
Number of hospital beds occupied by patients with flu has increased by 70% in a week, with norovirus, RSV and Covid-19 all forecast to rise.
The number of hospital beds in England occupied by patients with flu has increased by 70% in a week, NHS England said, as it warned of a “tidal wave of flu hitting hospitals”.
Health leaders said that people eligible for their free flu jab should get vaccinated as soon as possible to avoid “festive flu”.
An average of 1,861 flu patients were in hospitals in England each day last week, including 66 in critical care beds, NHS figures show. This is up from 1,099 patients the previous week, when 39 were in critical care. It is also more than four times the figure at this point last year.
NHS England said cases of norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were also on the rise.
Last week, health bosses warned hospitals were facing a “quad-demic” of disease over the winter months, with cases of flu, norovirus, RSV and Covid-19 all forecast to rise. On Thursday, there were warnings of a “tidal wave”.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, the national medical director for NHS England, said on Thursday: “The tidal wave of flu cases and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals is really concerning for patients and for the NHS – the figures are adding to our ‘quad-demic’ worries.
“While the NHS has plans in place to manage additional demand over the busy winter period, with one week left to book your vaccine, I cannot stress enough the importance of getting booked in to protect yourself against serious illness and to avoid ‘festive flu’.”
An average of 837 hospital beds in England were filled each day last week by patients with diarrhoea and vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms, up from 756 the previous week.
There were an average of 152 children with RSV in hospital wards in England last week, up from 142 the previous week and higher than at this point in 2023 when the figure was 107.
The number of hospital beds occupied each day by patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 averaged 1,343, down slightly week-on-week from 1,390.
I’d like to recommend going out and enjoying your life before you’re dead. Some people give the impression they’ve been partly living for 5 years now. Life is not a rehearsal.
All this worrying people do. Been over the hospital visiting someone last couple of days. 3 members of staff coughing without covering their mouth.
I’d like to recommend going out and enjoying your life before you’re dead. Some people give the impression they’ve been partly living for 5 years now. Life is not a rehearsal.
There's not a lot of point going out if you're going to feel anxious about getting COVID etc. When I go out, which is much less than I did before COVID, I'm amazed at the number of people who are coughing and spluttering on the train, in pubs, and worse of all in hospitals waiting for appointments in packed rooms. If you're ill stay at home. If you've got to go out then stick a mask on. It's not difficult.
If you’re ill, don’t go seek medical attention? Seems off.
I’m a primary school teacher, if I stayed at home everytime I felt sick, I’d be in a day a week, I’ve spent all day around kids coughing and sneezing, I know I’m going to feel it tomorrow but not going in simply isn’t an option.
The more that people go in when they are ill, the more that infection will spread. It is self perpetuating. Some people can fight infection better than others and some may end up seriously ill.
It's time that this idea that you carry on spreading germs regardless, is stopped.
If you really must go in then the sensible thing is to wear a mask to protect others.
I’d like to recommend going out and enjoying your life before you’re dead. Some people give the impression they’ve been partly living for 5 years now. Life is not a rehearsal.
All this worrying people do. Been over the hospital visiting someone last couple of days. 3 members of staff coughing without covering their mouth.
I hope they are out soon and enjoy Christmas.
I'm sure the 3 members of staff will be out spreading their germs for Christmas.
Following on from the above post, the following articles sum up pretty much everything I have been saying for the last few years. I hope that those who usually laugh at such posts will actually take time to read them and if they have evidence to disprove what is said, then it would be good to read it.
The articles are written from an American point of view, but the UK is also mentioned, as the two countries have some of the worst records in dealing with this new virus. Even the USA has more surveillance than the UK which has abandoned almost everything in its rush to declare that it has beaten the virus.
Following on from the above post, the following articles sum up pretty much everything I have been saying for the last few years. I hope that those who usually laugh at such posts will actually take time to read them and if they have evidence to disprove what is said, then it would be good to read it.
The articles are written from an American point of view, but the UK is also mentioned, as the two countries have some of the worst records in dealing with this new virus. Even the USA has more surveillance than the UK which has abandoned almost everything in its rush to declare that it has beaten the virus.
This article sums up very well how this country failed to protect healthcare/frontline workers in the early days and how those that made such terrible decisions remain in high ranking roles. The denial that Covid is an airborne disease, by the people making the decisions continues, and puts us all at risk whilst they cover their backs. The pattern is very similar to that of the Post Office Horizon scandal, where the actors continued to deny there was a problem.
There are groups who are taking their employers to court for failing to properly protect them whilst carrying out their duties:
Following on from the above post, the following articles sum up pretty much everything I have been saying for the last few years. I hope that those who usually laugh at such posts will actually take time to read them and if they have evidence to disprove what is said, then it would be good to read it.
The articles are written from an American point of view, but the UK is also mentioned, as the two countries have some of the worst records in dealing with this new virus. Even the USA has more surveillance than the UK which has abandoned almost everything in its rush to declare that it has beaten the virus.
This article sums up very well how this country failed to protect healthcare/frontline workers in the early days and how those that made such terrible decisions remain in high ranking roles. The denial that Covid is an airborne disease, by the people making the decisions continues, and puts us all at risk whilst they cover their backs. The pattern is very similar to that of the Post Office Horizon scandal, where the actors continued to deny there was a problem.
There are groups who are taking their employers to court for failing to properly protect them whilst carrying out their duties:
I wasn't aware that there was anyone in the UK in a position to make decisions about Covid that denies it is an airborne virus.
My take on the current situation.
- There should be mitigation in medical settings - distance, masks etc...
- Air management in all public buildings just won't happen - there is no money.
- People will not always take time off work if they have a cold - very many people just couldn't afford it, especially those self-employed or with no occupational sick pay.
- Free Flu and Covid vaccines are already available to all vulnerable groups.
- FP3 masks should be made available, either free or subsidised, for all those with vulnerabilities.
That's about it.
Your constant preaching will not change peoples minds on this - quite the opposite in fact.
As this is a football forum, just wondered what your thoughts were on yesterday's performance and whether or not you think Jones should go.
This article sums up very well how this country failed to protect healthcare/frontline workers in the early days and how those that made such terrible decisions remain in high ranking roles. The denial that Covid is an airborne disease, by the people making the decisions continues, and puts us all at risk whilst they cover their backs. The pattern is very similar to that of the Post Office Horizon scandal, where the actors continued to deny there was a problem.
There are groups who are taking their employers to court for failing to properly protect them whilst carrying out their duties:
I wasn't aware that there was anyone in the UK in a position to make decisions about Covid that denies it is an airborne virus.
My take on the current situation.
- There should be mitigation in medical settings - distance, masks etc...
- Air management in all public buildings just won't happen - there is no money.
- People will not always take time off work if they have a cold - very many people just couldn't afford it, especially those self-employed or with no occupational sick pay.
- Free Flu and Covid vaccines are already available to all vulnerable groups.
- FP3 masks should be made available, either free or subsidised, for all those with vulnerabilities.
That's about it.
Your constant preaching will not change peoples minds on this - quite the opposite in fact.
As this is a football forum, just wondered what your thoughts were on yesterday's performance and whether or not you think Jones should go.
Bit off-topic seeing as you're posting that question in the 'How Likely Are You To Take The Covid Vaccine?' thread.
Don't want to read people talking about Covid? Maybe stay off the thread dedicated to it.
There's a number of people sniping on this thread that probably should do the same.
It's not unrealistic at all, the more that people go out and infect others, the greater the likelihood that people will become ill. If others didn't go out when infected, you would be less likely to need to take time off work.
Sure, it's absolutely not unrealistic if all you do is ignore all the reasons put forward as to why it's unrealistic.
This article sums up very well how this country failed to protect healthcare/frontline workers in the early days and how those that made such terrible decisions remain in high ranking roles. The denial that Covid is an airborne disease, by the people making the decisions continues, and puts us all at risk whilst they cover their backs. The pattern is very similar to that of the Post Office Horizon scandal, where the actors continued to deny there was a problem.
There are groups who are taking their employers to court for failing to properly protect them whilst carrying out their duties:
I wasn't aware that there was anyone in the UK in a position to make decisions about Covid that denies it is an airborne virus.
My take on the current situation.
- There should be mitigation in medical settings - distance, masks etc...
- Air management in all public buildings just won't happen - there is no money.
- People will not always take time off work if they have a cold - very many people just couldn't afford it, especially those self-employed or with no occupational sick pay.
- Free Flu and Covid vaccines are already available to all vulnerable groups.
- FP3 masks should be made available, either free or subsidised, for all those with vulnerabilities.
That's about it.
Your constant preaching will not change peoples minds on this - quite the opposite in fact.
As this is a football forum, just wondered what your thoughts were on yesterday's performance and whether or not you think Jones should go.
Bit off-topic seeing as you're posting that question in the 'How Likely Are You To Take The Covid Vaccine?' thread.
Don't want to read people talking about Covid? Maybe stay off the thread dedicated to it.
There's a number of people sniping on this thread that probably should do the same.
You know exactly where @bobmunro is coming from. I don't mean Stoke either!
This article sums up very well how this country failed to protect healthcare/frontline workers in the early days and how those that made such terrible decisions remain in high ranking roles. The denial that Covid is an airborne disease, by the people making the decisions continues, and puts us all at risk whilst they cover their backs. The pattern is very similar to that of the Post Office Horizon scandal, where the actors continued to deny there was a problem.
There are groups who are taking their employers to court for failing to properly protect them whilst carrying out their duties:
I wasn't aware that there was anyone in the UK in a position to make decisions about Covid that denies it is an airborne virus.
My take on the current situation.
- There should be mitigation in medical settings - distance, masks etc...
- Air management in all public buildings just won't happen - there is no money.
- People will not always take time off work if they have a cold - very many people just couldn't afford it, especially those self-employed or with no occupational sick pay.
- Free Flu and Covid vaccines are already available to all vulnerable groups.
- FP3 masks should be made available, either free or subsidised, for all those with vulnerabilities.
That's about it.
Your constant preaching will not change peoples minds on this - quite the opposite in fact.
As this is a football forum, just wondered what your thoughts were on yesterday's performance and whether or not you think Jones should go.
I will respond to each of your points separately'
Your first point leads me to believe you may not have read the first link in my post, as it clearly mentions some of the people at the very top STILL making decisions which affect us all, in particular Dr Lisa Ritchie, who is Head Of Infection Prevention & Control, NHS England. This lady was part of the secretive IPC cell which provided guidance on infection control during the early days of the pandemic, she was awarded an OBE for services to healthcare, particularly during the early days of the pandemic.
The last module of the Covid Inquiry heard evidence from many people that it was known very early on in 2020, that Covid was airborne, however as there were insufficient high quality masks, the advice was changed so that only certain groups of healthcare staff were allowed to wear the masks that would give them the best protection. As a result many died and many more are now unable to work due to Long Covid. Lisa Ritchie was one of those and she is still sticking to the line that the SARS Cov-2 virus is predominantly spread by droplet. I'll now quote from the article, though I recommend that you actually read the full article if you think 'there is nobody in the UK in a position to make decisions about Covid that denies it is an airborne virus'.
It is beyond belief that a group of people with such minimal understanding of occupational health and safety should be assigned the power and ‘life and death’ responsibility for the health and safety of over 1.2 million people working in the NHS confronting a lethal virus, let alone all those working in social and domiciliary care. Their performance during Covid-19 can only be described as an abject failure (witness the thousands of patient deaths and catastrophic levels of disease and death amongst HCWs). Some of these people still occupy positions of responsibility for IPC and this really does not bode well for the next pandemic whenever it may strike. For the future safety of the nation, the whole system (and the people within it) needs an overhaul.
IPC practitioners are members of an essential and well-respected profession. However, the conduct of some members of the IPC Cell, including the Chairs of the Cell from June 2020 onwards, Dr Ritchie and Dr Eleri Davies, have dealt the profession a hammer blow in respect of its reputation and credibility arising from their refusal to budge from their 'droplet dogma' and rejection of expert advice from PHE.
On 16 Sep 2024, I watched with utter incredulity at Dr Ritchie giving her evidence at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. When challenged with Professor Beggs’ IPC expert evidence concerning airborne transmission of Covid-19, Dr Ritchie appeared to contradict him by stating that the epidemiology and scientific literature did not support airborne spread as the predominant mode of transmission and that the latest World Health Organization (WHO) guidance hadn’t changed in this respect.
Baroness Hallett questioned her closely on this point as she thought that WHO had changed their view on this. As can be seen in the video clip below, Dr Ritchie maintained her position, causing Baroness Hallett to apologise and admit she was at fault.
In fact it was Dr Ritchie at fault and Baroness Hallett who was correct. This definitive document, whose self-explanatory title 'Indoor airborne risk assessment' sets out a description of the airborne transmission mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 (page 7): "The high viral load percentile is comparable to the evidence observed in literature for outbreaks with (long-range) airborne transmission identified as the main mode of transmission". It is a simple scientific fact that the concentration of aerosols giving rise to this long range risk will be very much greater within 1 metre of the patient where HCWs are delivering direct care. This is why they must have respiratory protection.
Given Dr Ritchie's position as Deputy Director of Infection Prevention and Control, a failure to understand the basic principles of transmission as currently defined by WHO is extremely disturbing.
I'll finish this section with David Osborns closing statement:
I hope that you have found this blog thought-provoking as we remember those awful days at the height of the pandemic – the consequences of which still blight so many peoples’ lives today. Sadly, of course Covid is not over, despite the Government and the media continuously referring to it in the past tense. We know that repeat infections increase the risk of Long Covid even if the acute stage of the disease doesn’t hit too hard. The long term effects (especially on children in the years and decades to come) are not well known. However, all the information I have seen suggests that our current lackadaisical approach to the disease could be a ticking time-bomb, with future generations looking back on us with incredulity, asking “why did they not do more to protect us?"
Your point about air filtration being
too expensive, at what point do you consider keeping people safe and giving
them clean air to breathe is too expensive? We currently have over a million
more people claiming sickness and disability benefit since the start of the
pandemic. This is an enormous cost to the country and given that 2million were
estimated to have Long Covid in March 2024, the figure is likely to be very
much higher now, as we have had several waves of Covid this year. I've posted in the past about the economic costs of allowing so much sickness, this runs into £billions.
I've heard people say that the NHS is
overwhelmed every winter and that is true, but it's getting worse, so we need
to do something about it by changing attitudes. If someone has to go out with a
cold or cough, why not wear a mask, so they don't pass on their viruses to
others. What is so unrealistic or difficult about that? Last week there was
much in the news about A & E departments being full of people on trollies, many of them with preventable viral infections. Ambulances are having to wait at A& E departments as they cannot discharge their patients into the hospital, this may prevent other sick people from being admitted to hospital.
When it became known that many viruses were water borne, the authorities didn't say we must learn to live with it, they did something to make water safe for drinking, by spending a lot of money.
We now know that many viruses are airborne, so why should we have to breathe contaminated air when we have the tools to clean it. Why should children sit in a classroom breathing in viruses, many of whom will go home and pass it on to other family members. A CO2 monitor is a good indicator of the air quality in a room. The higher the level of CO2, the greater the likelihood of there being airborne viruses.
If we don't change attitudes we are going to continue to have high sickness levels, which is not good for people and not good for the businesses affected by so much sickness.
Interestingly a lot of money was spent in upgrading air filtration systems in the Palace of Westminster and US government buildings like the Pentagon, Capitol and Whitehouse.
The cost of doing nothing about air quality is going to cost a lot more in sickness benefit and long term health conditions.
As for preaching, this is a thread about Covid and therefore it isn't unreasonable to post about that subject. I post on topics that are of interest to me and if I have something useful to say. Nobody on here has been able to provide any evidence that Covid is not a dangerous virus.
I leave others to post on the football part of the forum and wasn't aware that it was a requirement to do so.
Covid hasn't gone away and the evidence of the whole body harm that the Sars Cov-2 virus can cause, is growing every day. I think people should know about that, because those in charge are not informing the public.
As has been the case in the Post Office Horizon scandal, it sometimes takes a few lone voices to continue trying to get the truth to be known.
The following link is to a website which collates studies regarding the whole body harm of a Covid infection:
Nobody really knows the truth or real answers so I’m happy to see everyone’s point of view and long may it continue. Today’s crackpot theory may yet turn out to be spot on tomorrow. Personally, I think a lot of today’s increased illnesses, if that really is the case, probably has more to do with lockdown and technology and the paradigm shift to a lot of people losing the motivation and opportunity to socialise in person.
Another hospital worker coughing without covering their mouth.
Aside from the fact the people should know better. It's basic manners.
It’s not just that. It’s enough to get that member of staff into trouble. There are or should be signs displayed encouraging the public and other staff members to challenge the staff member over poor hygiene. I’d definitely encourage doing just that.
. Nobody on here has been able to provide any evidence that Covid is not a dangerous virus.
Maybe because the vast majority of people know it is exactly that, that doesn't mean they need to obsess over it daily, as that might be more harmful than the virus itself.
You have little to no interest actually in engaging in any counter points made, just keep hitting that CRTL V, the reality is the government can't afford to keep people fed and clothed, but you think air filtration systems are the way to go? Absolutely bonkers.
. Nobody on here has been able to provide any evidence that Covid is not a dangerous virus.
Maybe because the vast majority of people know it is exactly that, that doesn't mean they need to obsess over it daily, as that might be more harmful than the virus itself.
You have little to no interest actually in engaging in any counter points made, just keep hitting that CRTL V, the reality is the government can't afford to keep people fed and clothed, but you think air filtration systems are the way to go? Absolutely bonkers.
All new or refurbished where possible public buildings should have air filtration systems fitted. Retro fitting is not a feasible option.
. Nobody on here has been able to provide any evidence that Covid is not a dangerous virus.
Maybe because the vast majority of people know it is exactly that, that doesn't mean they need to obsess over it daily, as that might be more harmful than the virus itself.
You have little to no interest actually in engaging in any counter points made, just keep hitting that CRTL V, the reality is the government can't afford to keep people fed and clothed, but you think air filtration systems are the way to go? Absolutely bonkers.
On the contrary, I try to put a case to every point made, except those comments that don't actually make a point, but snipe instead.
If you are going to make a case for something, you need to provide evidence to support your case, that is why I paste links to evidence. Nobody has been able to put a case for this being a virus of little or no consequence.
I disagree that we can't do better with air filtration, Chris Whitty said we should be doing more on air filtration in public buildings, when he gave his testimony at the Covid Inquiry this Autumn. The economic and health costs of not improving air quality in public buildings are huge, running into £billions. The NHS will continue to be overwhelmed with people in hospital with preventable infectious diseases, stopping other conditions being treated.
Others have posted about the lack of care by healthcare staff in stopping the spread of viruses, but it's hardly surprising when Dr Lisa Ritchie, the NHS Deputy Director of Infection Prevention & Control, is still sticking to the line that the SARSCov-2 virus is predominantly spread by droplet and not via aerosol.
Comments
If we can get infections down then it is better for everybody. I feel so sorry for those that feel they can't go out because picking up a virus would result in them becoming seriously ill, and there are many of them. Everyone would be able to get on with their lives if others took infection control more seriously.
We had a really good chance of reducing Covid infection in the summer of 2020 when levels of Covid were really low. Had we continued with good infection control procedures instead of eating out to help out, being able to meet 5 other people every night if you wanted to, under the rule of 6 and sending children to school, we would be in a much better position now. A proper test and trace system would have resulted in those infected being 'quarantined' and therefore unable to pass the virus on to others.
When we were at the height of the pandemic there was a lot of talk that in future people would take a different attitude to infection, sadly that hasn't lasted long. Society as a whole needs to radically change the thinking on living with viruses. We can do so much more if we have cleaner air in public buildings like schools, hospitals, public transport, in fact anywhere that people congregate. If you have a 'bug' wear a mask, if you really have no option but to go out, though staying at home is always preferable. Many people can work from home so there is no need to go out and infect others.
When restrictions were lifted it was said by the Government that we could control the virus by using vaccination and therapeutics, but that has fallen away to only a few now being able to access free vaccines and the criteria for being given therapeutics is so strict that even people like my sister-in-law who has COPD, was unable to get any antiviral meds and she was very ill with Covid.
There is a huge cost of doing nothing, with a very much sicker society than before the pandemic, millions unable to work due to Long Covid and a workforce that is constantly picking up bugs. The NHS is suffering with so many people needing hospitalisation due to viruses, when beds are needed to get the waiting lists down. The long term effect of being infected with Covid still not fully known, but with growing evidence that it can affect immunity, cause heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, brain damage, and damage to many other organs of the body, plus activate other viruses that have remained dormant in the body, we should be taking more action to stop spreading viruses. The more infections there are, the greater the chance of more damaging mutations occurring. Children are missing school with the constant round of viruses and they are not immune to getting Long Covid either.
When the next pandemic hits, it is going to be so much harder to control infection because of the attitude being taken now.
NHS warns of 'tidal wave' of flu as hospital cases rise 70% in England
Number of hospital beds occupied by patients with flu has increased by 70% in a week, with norovirus, RSV and Covid-19 all forecast to rise.
The number of hospital beds in England occupied by patients with flu has increased by 70% in a week, NHS England said, as it warned of a “tidal wave of flu hitting hospitals”.
Health leaders said that people eligible for their free flu jab should get vaccinated as soon as possible to avoid “festive flu”.
An average of 1,861 flu patients were in hospitals in England each day last week, including 66 in critical care beds, NHS figures show. This is up from 1,099 patients the previous week, when 39 were in critical care. It is also more than four times the figure at this point last year.
NHS England said cases of norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were also on the rise.
Last week, health bosses warned hospitals were facing a “quad-demic” of disease over the winter months, with cases of flu, norovirus, RSV and Covid-19 all forecast to rise. On Thursday, there were warnings of a “tidal wave”.
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, the national medical director for NHS England, said on Thursday: “The tidal wave of flu cases and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals is really concerning for patients and for the NHS – the figures are adding to our ‘quad-demic’ worries.
“While the NHS has plans in place to manage additional demand over the busy winter period, with one week left to book your vaccine, I cannot stress enough the importance of getting booked in to protect yourself against serious illness and to avoid ‘festive flu’.”
An average of 837 hospital beds in England were filled each day last week by patients with diarrhoea and vomiting or norovirus-like symptoms, up from 756 the previous week.
There were an average of 152 children with RSV in hospital wards in England last week, up from 142 the previous week and higher than at this point in 2023 when the figure was 107.
The number of hospital beds occupied each day by patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 averaged 1,343, down slightly week-on-week from 1,390.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/dec/12/nhs-warns-of-tidal-wave-of-flu-as-hospital-cases-rise-70-in-england
The articles are written from an American point of view, but the UK is also mentioned, as the two countries have some of the worst records in dealing with this new virus. Even the USA has more surveillance than the UK which has abandoned almost everything in its rush to declare that it has beaten the virus.
https://www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives/blog/debilitating-a-generation-expert-warns-that-long-covid-may-eventually-affect-most-americans?fbclid=IwY2xjawHKMjxleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHRXhi38KxHECf9JU8lOm0nIlDt5hgcZNtdlqisi1zyZoSnqjvINw175FMQ_aem_T584POJ5VGEj4fSpK-vjhw
From Long COVID Odds to Lost IQ Points: Ongoing Threats You Don’t Know About | Institute for New Economic Thinking
This article sums up very well how this country failed to protect healthcare/frontline workers in the early days and how those that made such terrible decisions remain in high ranking roles. The denial that Covid is an airborne disease, by the people making the decisions continues, and puts us all at risk whilst they cover their backs. The pattern is very similar to that of the Post Office Horizon scandal, where the actors continued to deny there was a problem.
There are groups who are taking their employers to court for failing to properly protect them whilst carrying out their duties:
https://www.context.news/socioeconomic-inclusion/uk-doctors-and-nurses-with-long-covid-to-sue-for-compensation?fbclid=IwY2xjawHGOqdleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHeanTgeIbqxEh9_XyLAlSCCsOsc50_4UyFxVLHBw-EWjVOEq8aRa3papPQ_aem_n-3idIm2eXLObFNBh6u1rw
Don't want to read people talking about Covid? Maybe stay off the thread dedicated to it.
There's a number of people sniping on this thread that probably should do the same.
I don't mean Stoke either!
I will respond to each of your points separately'
Your first point leads me to believe you may not have read the first link in my post, as it clearly mentions some of the people at the very top STILL making decisions which affect us all, in particular Dr Lisa Ritchie, who is Head Of Infection Prevention & Control, NHS England. This lady was part of the secretive IPC cell which provided guidance on infection control during the early days of the pandemic, she was awarded an OBE for services to healthcare, particularly during the early days of the pandemic.
The last module of the Covid Inquiry heard evidence from many people that it was known very early on in 2020, that Covid was airborne, however as there were insufficient high quality masks, the advice was changed so that only certain groups of healthcare staff were allowed to wear the masks that would give them the best protection. As a result many died and many more are now unable to work due to Long Covid. Lisa Ritchie was one of those and she is still sticking to the line that the SARS Cov-2 virus is predominantly spread by droplet. I'll now quote from the article, though I recommend that you actually read the full article if you think 'there is nobody in the UK in a position to make decisions about Covid that denies it is an airborne virus'.
It is beyond belief that a group of people with such minimal understanding of occupational health and safety should be assigned the power and ‘life and death’ responsibility for the health and safety of over 1.2 million people working in the NHS confronting a lethal virus, let alone all those working in social and domiciliary care. Their performance during Covid-19 can only be described as an abject failure (witness the thousands of patient deaths and catastrophic levels of disease and death amongst HCWs). Some of these people still occupy positions of responsibility for IPC and this really does not bode well for the next pandemic whenever it may strike. For the future safety of the nation, the whole system (and the people within it) needs an overhaul.
IPC practitioners are members of an essential and well-respected profession. However, the conduct of some members of the IPC Cell, including the Chairs of the Cell from June 2020 onwards, Dr Ritchie and Dr Eleri Davies, have dealt the profession a hammer blow in respect of its reputation and credibility arising from their refusal to budge from their 'droplet dogma' and rejection of expert advice from PHE.
On 16 Sep 2024, I watched with utter incredulity at Dr Ritchie giving her evidence at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry. When challenged with Professor Beggs’ IPC expert evidence concerning airborne transmission of Covid-19, Dr Ritchie appeared to contradict him by stating that the epidemiology and scientific literature did not support airborne spread as the predominant mode of transmission and that the latest World Health Organization (WHO) guidance hadn’t changed in this respect.
Baroness Hallett questioned her closely on this point as she thought that WHO had changed their view on this. As can be seen in the video clip below, Dr Ritchie maintained her position, causing Baroness Hallett to apologise and admit she was at fault.
In fact it was Dr Ritchie at fault and Baroness Hallett who was correct. This definitive document, whose self-explanatory title 'Indoor airborne risk assessment' sets out a description of the airborne transmission mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 (page 7): "The high viral load percentile is comparable to the evidence observed in literature for outbreaks with (long-range) airborne transmission identified as the main mode of transmission". It is a simple scientific fact that the concentration of aerosols giving rise to this long range risk will be very much greater within 1 metre of the patient where HCWs are delivering direct care. This is why they must have respiratory protection.
Given Dr Ritchie's position as Deputy Director of Infection Prevention and Control, a failure to understand the basic principles of transmission as currently defined by WHO is extremely disturbing.
I'll finish this section with David Osborns closing statement:
I hope that you have found this blog thought-provoking as we remember those awful days at the height of the pandemic – the consequences of which still blight so many peoples’ lives today. Sadly, of course Covid is not over, despite the Government and the media continuously referring to it in the past tense. We know that repeat infections increase the risk of Long Covid even if the acute stage of the disease doesn’t hit too hard. The long term effects (especially on children in the years and decades to come) are not well known. However, all the information I have seen suggests that our current lackadaisical approach to the disease could be a ticking time-bomb, with future generations looking back on us with incredulity, asking “why did they not do more to protect us?"
Your point about air filtration being too expensive, at what point do you consider keeping people safe and giving them clean air to breathe is too expensive? We currently have over a million more people claiming sickness and disability benefit since the start of the pandemic. This is an enormous cost to the country and given that 2million were estimated to have Long Covid in March 2024, the figure is likely to be very much higher now, as we have had several waves of Covid this year. I've posted in the past about the economic costs of allowing so much sickness, this runs into £billions.
I've heard people say that the NHS is overwhelmed every winter and that is true, but it's getting worse, so we need to do something about it by changing attitudes. If someone has to go out with a cold or cough, why not wear a mask, so they don't pass on their viruses to others. What is so unrealistic or difficult about that? Last week there was much in the news about A & E departments being full of people on trollies, many of them with preventable viral infections. Ambulances are having to wait at A& E departments as they cannot discharge their patients into the hospital, this may prevent other sick people from being admitted to hospital.
When it became known that many viruses were water borne, the authorities didn't say we must learn to live with it, they did something to make water safe for drinking, by spending a lot of money.
We now know that many viruses are airborne, so why should we have to breathe contaminated air when we have the tools to clean it. Why should children sit in a classroom breathing in viruses, many of whom will go home and pass it on to other family members. A CO2 monitor is a good indicator of the air quality in a room. The higher the level of CO2, the greater the likelihood of there being airborne viruses.
If we don't change attitudes we are going to continue to have high sickness levels, which is not good for people and not good for the businesses affected by so much sickness.
Interestingly a lot of money was spent in upgrading air filtration systems in the Palace of Westminster and US government buildings like the Pentagon, Capitol and Whitehouse.
The cost of doing nothing about air quality is going to cost a lot more in sickness benefit and long term health conditions.
As for preaching, this is a thread about Covid and therefore it isn't unreasonable to post about that subject. I post on topics that are of interest to me and if I have something useful to say. Nobody on here has been able to provide any evidence that Covid is not a dangerous virus.
I leave others to post on the football part of the forum and wasn't aware that it was a requirement to do so.
Covid hasn't gone away and the evidence of the whole body harm that the Sars Cov-2 virus can cause, is growing every day. I think people should know about that, because those in charge are not informing the public.
As has been the case in the Post Office Horizon scandal, it sometimes takes a few lone voices to continue trying to get the truth to be known.
The following link is to a website which collates studies regarding the whole body harm of a Covid infection:
https://www.panaccindex.info/p/what-covid-19-does-to-the-body-sixth
You have little to no interest actually in engaging in any counter points made, just keep hitting that CRTL V, the reality is the government can't afford to keep people fed and clothed, but you think air filtration systems are the way to go? Absolutely bonkers.
If you are going to make a case for something, you need to provide evidence to support your case, that is why I paste links to evidence. Nobody has been able to put a case for this being a virus of little or no consequence.
I disagree that we can't do better with air filtration, Chris Whitty said we should be doing more on air filtration in public buildings, when he gave his testimony at the Covid Inquiry this Autumn. The economic and health costs of not improving air quality in public buildings are huge, running into £billions. The NHS will continue to be overwhelmed with people in hospital with preventable infectious diseases, stopping other conditions being treated.
Others have posted about the lack of care by healthcare staff in stopping the spread of viruses, but it's hardly surprising when Dr Lisa Ritchie, the NHS Deputy Director of Infection Prevention & Control, is still sticking to the line that the SARSCov-2 virus is predominantly spread by droplet and not via aerosol.