This thread aims to share our members thoughts, each struggling with the broad and significant impacts of the announcement to be made today by Boris Johnson in the HoC.
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"End of any freedom with covid has now been stolen for the vulnerable."
"The mental health of my children going to school will now spiral downwards uncontrollably."
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What will happen to our children?
"End of any freedom for our teenagers to live 'normal' lives."
"My child will be sat in class wondering if her peers will infect her, when she's at highest risk of death from Covid."
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"It is disgusting when Iβm told to check my child for nits, yet being CEV myself with a CV child in Primary Iβm not told of covid cases but the Govt thinks its ok to spread covid to kids repeatedly [.].Why is covid not mentioned on this school infectious disease control list?" 5/
Many have been forced out of unsafe schools already. @halfon4harlowMP 's so called "Ghost Children" offensive terminology given some may die.
"This means we may likely deregister children from school to protect a CEV family member. Schools arenβt safe. This is unfair."
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Don't forget the teachers!
Told not to wear masks. Surrounded by infected children.
"As a teacher with blood cancer I will risk my life every time I step in the classroom."
"As a dedicated Headteacher of a primary school I feel let down and marginalised."
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"My life now depends on other people doing the right thing- so terrifying. CEV teacher, Mum and wife."
It is not much to ask #Testing #MasksInSchoolπ· #HEPAπ¨
(which will pay for itself by reducing sick days)
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Forcing people to return to work F2F is meaning people who can contribute to society are choosing between 'lives & livelihoods'.
"My hubby will be forced back to the office, while I will probably have to isolate in a room to keep myself safe this is not freedom for all."
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"I have incurable cancer, kept stable by immunosuppressant drugs; I am well enough to work and play an active role in society but how can I once all the measures that help me protect myself against covid are gone?"
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"I didnt feel safe so resigned from Education. Now have to count the pennies to keep us afloat."
"It feels like all hope of rejoining society is gone now (age 47, immunosuppressed mum, worked and lived a typical, active life pre COVID)."
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Safe access to *not just schools* but anything including vital healthcare will be essentially denied.
"It will be totally impossible to safely receive: eye tests, dental treatment, medical care, vaccines & essential home repairs after βFreedom Dayβ."
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"Iβm left weighing up whether itβs more dangerous to miss my medical appointments and blood tests for my chronic condition, or to attend them?"
"No chance of a near normal life for me now, stay at home indefinitely just to stay alive."
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"This terrible decision makes everyone's life more dangerous. It will make my life and other CEV peoples lives smaller, more stressful and for some, unnecessarily, much shorter."
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"Well I'd better plan my own funeral as I will no longer be safe anywhere; CEV is not a choice."
"Sickness absence management policies will mean people with covid DO go to work and WILL pass it on to others, it is much more than a respiratory disease"
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Facing a constant and unending threat to life impacts on mental health for children and adults in affected households. People are dealing with the breakdown of relationships, self harm & suicidal thoughts.
"Samaritans on speed dial."
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We need 'reasonable adjustments' or mentally how do we square this circle?1
"As a immunosuppressed parent Iβm now facing the choice of curtailing my young daughterβs life indefinitely or continuously risking my own. These are avoidable choices noone should have to make."
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People don't know where to turn.
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If we go anywhere we must wear masks. This is about 'Social Responsibility' NOT 'Personal Responsibility'.
"I'm wearing my mask to protect *you*." #WearAMaskπ·
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"Whereβs the evidence to support this, is it so difficult to wear a mask in crowded indoor places, on public transport and stay at home if you have Covid?"
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"Maintaining simple measures against Covid 19 wonβt impact the majority but could literally mean the difference between life and death to millions of CEV people. Why donβt we matter enough? Protect the most vulnerable in society!"
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"What do the scientists say? I thought we were 'Following the Science'?"
"This terrible decision makes everyone's life more dangerous. It will make my life[.] shorter [and] more stressful [.]."
"This will make our family feel even more like collateral damage."
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Transplant patients carry a precious gift.
"This approach makes a mockery of Max and Keira's organ donation law that we fought so hard for. The second chance of life gifted to transplant recipients will be placed in jeopardy.
Callous, careless & cavalier!"
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Antivirals π should be offered to ALL Clinically Vulnerable & elderly patients but only 50% can access these via the Panoramic Trial.
We see this as 'health rationing' since they are already proven.
Immunosuppressed who do qualify struggle to access.
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I'm clinically vulnerable at risk of death, why can't I have 100% assurance that I can get life saving antivirals if you insist on putting my life at risk by removing protective measures?"
So we must with engage with our world class scientists. We are 2 years into the pandemic (yes, it is a pandemic still - ask the @WHO) need a sustainable long term response.
Instead @BorisJohnson frames protections preventing infection & long term damage as "restrictions".
"Restrictions pose a heavy toll on our economy our society, our mental wellbeing & on the life chances of our children."
The Vulnerable have lost the most of all of the above.
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Bereaved Families @CovidJusticeUK have and lost loved ones. We fear that their group will continue to grow at a faster rate.
This simply isn't "Learning to Live with Covid" it is shortsighted and will undermine authority in any future effort to respond to new variants.
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So we ask for compassion, understanding and the support from the people of Britain.
Please stand with us against removing *protections* which have allowed vulnerable people a small taste of freedom these past months.
The UK has not shared data from 2025. But for CV people it is much worse:
2024 JCVI data showed that vaccines reduced hospitalisations for Clinically Vulnerable people by 45%.
They published it!
...then removed millions with health conditions from eligibility!
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45% may sound lower.
But if your baseline is 2-12x more likely to be hospitalised from Covid, a 45% reduction in risk prevents 2-12x more hospitalisations per dose.
The JCVI removed high-risk groups on cost-effectiveness grounds.
But the cost-effectiveness case is stronger!
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The government just published its Pandemic Preparedness Strategy.
TLDR: Some welcome commitments inc. on ventilation. But Clinically Vulnerable people are still not clearly defined or automatically protected, and the prioritisation framework won't arrive until 2027.
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What's new?
Published 25 March 2026, this is the UK's first major pandemic strategy since Covid.
It covers all 4 nations, sets out 12 principles and detailed action plans to 2030, backed by around Β£1 billion of investment.
But what about the detail...?
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They know another pandemic is coming... and epidemics are also a risk.
The question is:
Will Clinically Vulnerable families be protected when it does?
- This document raises the question more than it answers it.
β οΈEast Kent Trust failed to report their first case for 2 daysβ οΈ
Here's what you need to know.
TLDR: Peaked 13th March. No new cases since - with reporting delays, but that's even better news than it sounds.
1/π§΅ π @laurabundock @SkyNews
THE OUTBREAK IS DECLINING but understates how well that's going. π
The earliest case became unwell on 9th March, with the latest on 16th March, and the peak was 13th March.
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Cases take time to be confirmed and reported.
The fact that nothing new has surfaced in the data as of 23rd March - despite the reporting lag - means the real-world situation is almost certainly better than the numbers show.
Meningitis
* Important thread for those who prefer balanced and factual information *
In order to understand risk we need to break down a few things....
π¦ Risk from the bacteria
πππ Individual risk
π Environmental risks 1/
The Kent outbreak is predominantly MenB (Group B). This is a serious infection - and potentially an adapted strain - investigations are ongoing...
Bacterial meningitis is rare but more severe than viral, and up to 1 in 10 cases of bacterial meningitis in the UK is fatal.
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MenB isn't new. There are around 300 cases of MenB per year in the UK, even with vaccination programmes.
What's unusual is the cluster - multiple cases linked to a single location in a short window. It has now spread to a student at a second university in Canterbury, Kent. 3/
UK COVID INQUIRY - CVFπππ
@AdamWagner1 Closing Submissions
The Covid Inquiry has good ventilation protocols (as advised by CVF at the start of the Inquiry) including HEPA filters.
Under 1000ppm is therefore the safe threshold ( but without it would be under 800ppm).
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We need to understand airborne transmission in order to make all indoor environments safer for everyone, and especially for Clinically Vulnerable people.
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The need for Clinically Vulnerable people to have:
CVF were concerned that many older people, who were at high risk, were not supported to shield - which included advice on how to stay safe, as well as food deliveries and community outreach.