Hey guys. I have been working on something for a while now. Partly to feel more useful and partly to take back some control from an indifferent leadership.
Covid Fit is a campaign trying to reduce some of the risk factors associated with Severe Covid.
We are in a much better place now if we get Covid than we have been previously. Treatment, vaccines, and immunity have reduced the chance of severe disease and the complications associated with severe disease.
But we are stuck in a bit of a merry-go-round just now and our chance of exposure to Covid keeps the risk it poses higher than any other infection, across most age ranges.
There are though ways many of us can reduce the risks associated with Covid.
Together with some colleagues (and some Twitter Legends), Covid Fit will look at optimising weight, improving our level of physical activity, improving mental health, optimising some health conditions, and other lifestyle measures.
It's not about being super-fit or losing lots of weight,...it's about getting going and moving in the right direction. Small, incremental steps towards better physical health.
Here is Part 1, with an intro and a brief section on the importance of Movement.
I will post other health tips throughout the week and look out for other Twitter friends posting stuff too.
Astonishingly, some folk are still under the belief that the NHS is well-funded and well-resourced.
More astoundingly, some don't believe we are in the worst healthcare crisis we have ever been in.
Misinformed or just die-hard Tory supporters?
Either way...a dose of truth
1/10
In terms of resources/funding, there is no question that the NHS is underfunded versus comparative nations.
An extensive peer-reviewed study undertaken by the London School of Economics and the Harvard Global Institute of Global Health in 2017 showed...
2/10
"We examined 79 health systems metrics in the UK and nine comparable countries and found that the UK had lower spending and slower growth in expenditure than comparators."
Of the comparator nations, they spent from 30% more (Aus), to 50% more (Germany), to 266% more (USA).
3/10
Is Monkeypox something we should be worrying about on an individual level?
At this point in the pandemic, the risks are really small*, and the government should be worrying about it so we don't have to.
Not so worried about my risk, but the government's impotence!
*see below
I think there are many more things we should be more concerned with...poverty, corruption, covid, anti-microbial resistance, and of course climate change.
At an individual level, the risk of Monkeypox is small, purely because the current chance of catching it is so small, but..
having sex with multiple partners likely puts you at more risk and it is probably worth adapting behaviour around this while we find out more about Monkeypox.
Projections suggest we will know a lot more over the next one to three months.
She managed chemo well and we protected her from Covid, despite everyone else getting it.
We spent money we didn’t have doing it, but money comes and goes.
Was hard not to compare with U.K…
1/8
The cancer treatment feels worlds apart from the current U.K. provision.
Presents to GP with red flag symptom…GP does ultrasound…CT scan that evening…diagnosed, staged, and portacath (for chemo) placed by Wednesday - 6 days!!!
Meanwhile, U.K., Thousands wait months!
U.K. airport was depressing in comparison to German one.
Crowded together like cattle with little respect for social space or those clearly more vulnerable to Covid in U.K. vs Germany.
Health Info:
Not sure how hot it's going to get, but the forecast is for a few days of potentially dangerous heat.
Some advice:
> BE really careful with those who can't easily take action to cool themselves - Babies, infirm, intoxicated, animals, etc, gov.uk/government/pub…
>Avoid direct sunlight or areas that trap heat, like cars, prams, in front of windows, small rooms with no airflow, etc...
> Avoid exposing your skin or head directly to sunlight.
> Wearing light, baggy clothes when in the sun is much better than shorts and T-shirt.
> Hydrate. Water is best. If you are (like me) an avid tea drinker, even in the heat, then try having a cup of water every time you make tea or coffee.
> Try and keep sunlight out the house...close curtains and blinds.
It feels proper gloomy just now. Government unhinged, cost of living is ridiculous, healthcare crisis deepening, Covid back with a vengeance, climate change on our doorstep, media falling into an abyss,..
But I'm not sure things are quite as bad as they seem...
I think we are beginning to realise how intertwined all these issues are, or at least why they are not being managed properly...Leadership!
We'll come back to that.
First, Covid.
It's easy to feel betrayed by the government. They told us it was over. It clearly is not. They said it was like the flu. It clearly is not. And yet, most of us have pulled the trigger on getting back to normal, and many of us really don't want to go back!
She is in Germany looking after her Sister's kids as her Sister gets treatment for cancer. The kids have Covid too.
The husband brought it home after his boss came to work with Covid.
Now, my SIL can't go home, must go through chemo on her own...,
won't see her two kids (under 3 yrs old) for at least ten days (a long time with stage 4 cancer) and will have to stay in a hotel alone while recovering from chemo.
Cancer is lonely enough, hard enough, without having to go through it alone and without the comfort of your home.
I get the argument for easing the need to test and quarantine when travelling. I get the need to open up society and for us all to get on with our lives. Covid is here and it doesn't look like it is going anywhere soon.
But I cannot see spreading it freely as anywhere near ok!