The @Independent reports that, 'One senior medical adviser who served in Downing Street throughout the last decade said they were “totally surprised” to learn of the blueprint, despite having worked in emergency health planning and pandemic preparedness'.
The @Independent reports that 'the 2005 plan put together by the #DoH, warns of spread via “finer aerosols of infectious respiratory secretions, which stay in the air longer than droplets”, meaning it can be passed from one person to another through the nose, mouth or even eyes.'
'The document, uncovered by a Freedom of Information request, warns of the risk of “super-spreading events” and reiterates the need for good ventilation, particularly in a healthcare setting, in order to “direct airflow … and remove contaminated air”...'
Excellent➡️@Independent
The @Independent notes that,
'In the “lessons learnt” section, the document stresses the need for “clear and transparent communications”, surge capacity in hospitals and testing, rapid detection of illness and isolation of cases, and increased infection control measures,... PPE'.
'Pat Troop, who also helped develop the plan while chief executive of the now-defunct Health Protection Agency, said it “would have gone to ministers and probably been discussed in Cobra”. After that, she said, “I don’t know where it went.”...'
The @Independent notes that @Sir_David_King, chief scientific adviser from 2000-2007, who was involved in developing the document, said:
'The Sars contingency plan should have been used instead of the flu textbook at the beginning of the Covid pandemic'.
The plan "was overlooked,” @Sir_David_King said. “I believe tens of thousands of lives would have been saved. I think the economy would have been in a much better place too.”
As it stands, Britain has had more than 150,000 deaths attributed to the virus.
The @Independent reports that, @JeremyFarrar, a senior member of #SAGE, said 'Downing Street had turned to its flu textbook when Covid hit as it was faced with a “brand new infection… for which we which we had no diagnostics, treatments or vaccines”...'
The @Independent notes that the 'document, dated 23 June 2005 with the word “draft” in capitals across each of its 48 pages, begins by outlining the 2003 response to Sars, of which there were four confirmed cases in the UK and 8,000 around the world.' independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
The @Independent notes that, Professor @GabrielScally, a regional public health director in England throughout the 2000s, and now a member of @IndependentSage, said 'the Sars plan, which “likely crossed my desk”, would “definitely have made a difference” had it been implemented'.
Prof. @GabrielScally indicated that the 2005 Sars plan was the one he would have gone for, noting that, "There was a later one, which was influenza, but it was really apparent from the start that this wasn’t influenza. It was much more serious.” independent.co.uk/news/health/co…
The @independent article also reports that Prof. @GabrielScally noted that: as government contingency planning was cut through the early 2010s, “it’s not surprising that the Sars plan went missing”.
End piece @independent a government spokesperson said the vaccine programme had saved 60,000 lives & prevented >22million infections, & there have been no known cases of Sars anywhere in the world for >15yrs & it's right that government focused on more likely risks to pub health.
Source, an excellent article by the @Independent's Samuel Lovett, @samueljlovett, Science correspondent.
'In 2005 a blueprint was drawn up to fight a Covid-like disease caused by a coronavirus – then it was ‘lost’.'
💉#JCVI recommends💉16 and 17 year olds
➕🦠1 in 65🏴#ONS w/e 24 Jul
💉57.74% of total UK population
🦠977,466 cases in 28 days
🦠29,312 cases in 24hrs
⚰️119 deaths in 24hrs
🏥5,896 hospitalised
🏥668 admissions
🏥887 ICU
Further thoughts, given where we are today,
‘No, it won’t reach here,’ an ex-senior medical adviser said. 'This belief, it won’t ever reach here & we don’t need to learn from countries in Asia. We took a long time to wake up, even when it was in Italy.'
‘It won’t reach here,’ an ex-senior medical adviser said. 'This belief, it won’t ever reach here and we don’t need to learn from countries in Asia. We took a long time to wake up, even when it was in Italy.' @PMPmagToday
Well it did reach 'here', and it is still very much here.
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#Breathtaking: Since 8 Aug 2023, daily number of hospital beds occupied by people suffering from COVID, in England, hasn't been less than 2,000.
29-weeks where people occupying hospital beds infected with this airborne virus averaged around 3,245.
No wonder the NHS is exhausted!
Chart: estimated number of🏥patients, in England, admitted each 24 hours, where patient known to have COVID-19, plus patients diagnosed in hospital with COVID-19 in previous 24 hours [Jun 2023-23 Feb 2024].
🤔Approx 95,000; average 355 daily.
Data source: england.nhs.uk/statistics/sta…
Some 'countries neighbouring China have [reportedly] now raised their alert levels to high amid the rapid spread of the mystery strain of 'white lung pneumonia' - aiming to prevent the 'Covid-like' virus from spreading...' Report via @the mirror
‘The Covid-like pneumonia virus has been a source of chaos in China for weeks; experts now fear a new pandemic could be on the way. Officials in other countries are preparing in case the virus spreads through their population...’ Article @DailyMirror
Ventilated, clean air, plays key role preventing spread of COVID & its impact on performance & productivity.
Repeated exposure to poor indoor air quality proven to: lead to 🫁&🫀diseases, & cancer, exacerbate asthma, increase absenteeism. @JohnsHopkinsSPH publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/regulatin…
'Indoor air quality can be polluted by range of sources, including mold, radon, CO2, particulate matter, chemicals in cleaning products, off-gassing from building materials and furnishings, and even outdoor air #pollution.' @ggronvall @JohnsHopkinsSPH publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/regulatin…
What’s 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 our 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 air?
'Many 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 diseases, including COVID, flu, RSV, and measles, spread through airborne transmission, which occurs much more easily in indoor environments.'
@JohnsHopkinsSPH @JohnsHopkins publichealth.jhu.edu/2023/regulatin…
'𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻* is an important line of defence for infection control in the healthcare environment.' @NHSEngland
✍️1,077,993 people currently predicted to have symptomatic COVID in the UK: report @Join_ZOE 9 May 2023.
Healthcare settings to note: england.nhs.uk/long-read/appl…
✍️Important notice for healthcare settings:
'Application of #HEPA filter devices for air cleaning in healthcare spaces: guidance and standards.'
✍️Ventilation* is an important line of defence for infection control in the healthcare environment. @NHSEngland england.nhs.uk/long-read/appl…
Latest @Join_ZOE 5 May 2023
🦠1,022,039 currently predicted to have symptomatic COVID in the UK
✍️Wave, after wave, of infections, means more illness, hospitalisations, deaths, and impact of #LongCOVID.
𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹.
'Variation' is key to the #SARSCoV2 'waves', observes @MackayIM 🇦🇺
'Each peak of a ‘wave’ (a new epidemic).'
❔Likely that new COVID-19 waves, and hospitalisations, are driven and dominated by a genetically different variant of the virus called #SARSCoV2.
'𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 adapting to the situation, through selection and expansion of 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀' - in response to our immune system’s pressure on their evolution - has been the one constant driver of every wave in 🇦🇺, and probably everywhere...' @MackayIM
'COVID-19 #PHEIC 'officially' over but the #pandemic will be with us for many years. Nor is it clear that govts have learned sufficiently from the outbreak to be ready to fight off new emerging microbes that could trigger worse calamities.' @RobinMcKie theguardian.com/world/2023/may…
Can't flick a switch and declare the pandemic over, especially one so damaging and of such scale.💯@SGriffin_Lab
Whether labelled global pandemic or not, many countries experiencing significant waves of infection, thousands dying every week.💯@SusanMichie theguardian.com/world/2023/may…
'This bittersweet [@WHO] announcement seems more a white flag than a cause for celebration. While there has been profound progress, this decision reflects the political reality of Covid more clearly than the medical situation.' @DrBenNeuman@TAMU_Biology