As we navigate our way through the post-Covid world, it's important to consider the link between infections and outcomes.
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TLDR :
๐ซ Try to avoid catching / spreading infections
๐จ Clean air will help
While you may well start off healthy, anyone can become Clinically Vulnerable at some point in their life, making them more susceptible to severe infections.
Take it from us, it isn't particularly fun - and frequently, our lives feel less valued.
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Covid infections or repeat infections of healthy people can lead to Long Covid*, where people experience prolonged symptoms and conditions including: fatigue, brain fog and respiratory issues.
* Some data suggests that up to 1 in 10 infections result in long-term symptoms.
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Also, people with Long Covid can become Clinically Vulnerable if they acquire conditions including:
You might have noticed people who have developed a persistent cough.
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According to the final ONS Covid Survey data, Clinically Vulnerable people have a 5.4x increased risk of Long Covid following Covid infections.
๐ Catching Covid isn't healthy
๐ It doesn't promote 'natural immunity'
๐ Living with Covid = constant reinfection
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Vaccination has been a crucial tool in breaking the Covid cycle and protecting lives.
Highly vaccinated countries are experiencing lower mortality despite the virus not actually being milder.
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However, we mustn't forget that Covid continues to claim far too many lives.
Anyone can be at risk, and we are all 3 years older and 3 years more vulnerable.
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To further break the Covid cycle, we need clean air as Covid spreads in aerosols.
We mustn't simply accept ~6 peaks a year as new variants continue to rip through the global community. It places a continuous burden on struggling health services. It is not 'flu.
No one wants to see more people suffering from Long Covid or losing their lives.
While the Covid cycle may be here to stay, we can't simply accept current rates of infection and reinfection.
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Going forward, we should consider the following:
๐จ #CleanAir
๐ท #WearAMask in high-risk, poorly ventilated indoor settings inc. healthcare
๐ฅ Testing / isolation if symptomatic
๐ ๐Supporting equitable access to vaccines around the world
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...and for anyone who thinks that young children can't or shouldn't be tested, there are saliva 'lollypop' tests that are accurate and trouble-free.
Parents in our Facebook group have been very happy with them.
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- Can you help us to help you?
If you value our work at the Cโvid Inquiry and beyond, your continued support is vital.
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It is hard to explain how much effort has gone in over the past few years to raise understanding and awareness of issues amplified the emerge of Cโvid.
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We have participated in NICE as stakeholders and the inquiry as Core Participants (as the only group representing Clinically Vulnerable people).
๐๐ We have collected evidence as data and thousands of ๐ฌ impact statements from people.
Their response dodges the point.
Because the problem really wasnโt that โI didnโt get the jokeโ.
The problem is who the joke is aimed at and what it encourages most people to laugh at.
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If the punchline is โPPE / precautions = anxious / ridiculousโ then people who still need precautions (Clinically Vulnerable people) are the collateral damage.
So it is not about โoffenceโ but creating stigma.
We need to talk about the new @Dawn_French โcomedyโ series that implies that infection control is a joke.
This is a serious issue, particularly for Clinically Vulnerable people who remain at increased risk, and we are not laughing. 1/
In the first episode, a GP appears in a dramatic โprotective outfitโ and face shield, and weโre told itโs because โsince Covidโ theyโve developed โvery, very, very bad health anxiety.โ
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Then the doctor refuses to get close to the patient, barely touches a wrist, and incorrectly declares them dead.
It invites audiences to mock precautions (during the current flu wave) and suggests that doctors who take measures are less competent.
As a consequence of our advocacy, national voting guidance has been updated to:
โ Improve ventilation
โ Add air filters
โ โSee a mask, wear a maskโ
* VERY IMPORTANT THREAD *
PLEASE SHARE! 1/
6 years since Covid emerged, we are finally making important changes... thanks to your help!
The new guidance not only recognises our needs - due to heightened health risks - but also the risks posed by mask removal.
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Why is this so important?
- It is the first national guidance to address our issues directly.... and it sets an important precedent that we plan to build on!
๐งต This autumn the UKHSA is rightly worried, as 'flu is a real risk...
TLDR:
Clinically Vulnerable people ALL need 'flu vaccines + antivirals this year (if symptomatic or exposed) + confused infection control guidance.
If you are Clinically Vulnerable, please read on...
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This year's strains aren't looking good:
The infections have started earlier.
A(H3N2) strains are dominant - and linked to worse outcomes.
A shifted strain (slightly different to vaccines) is also doing the rounds.
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If you have been invited for a vaccine, or live with a Clinically Vulnerable person (but don't qualify) please consider getting a vaccine - they can be as cheap as ยฃ9.95.
Everyone benefits from 'flu vaccines and children (up to 16) are offered them for free in school.