As BBC Health reporter, @jim_reed, said on @bbc5live a few weeks ago:
“Almost every expert out there thinks <Long Covid> is now a very important factor in explaining why we’ve seen this rise over the past 4-5 years in people who are off work long-term sick”.
💚 The Green Party have published a new policy calling for urgent action to tackle the ongoing waves of Covid which are causing so much harm to the nation’s health & economy.
Huge thanks to everyone involved in making this happen.
As module 3 of the @covidinquiryuk draws to a close, I’ve been looking back at what we’ve learned about how it all went so wrong with infection control guidance for hospitals.
This is a long thread, so please grab a cuppa & make yourself comfy…
One thing that really stands out from the Inquiry testimonies is just how many professional bodies repeatedly raised the alarm about the inadequate infection control guidance in hospitals…
…and how their concerns were disregarded at every stage, with profound consequences.
The lady taking the stand in the clip above is Rosemary Gallagher, IPC Lead at the Royal College of Nursing.
She explains how, in November 2020, the government had just released a video to the public highlighting how coronavirus lingers in the air…
Matt Hancock testified that the Covid infection control guidance *had* factored in the available supply of PPE, rather than being based purely on what was required to adequately protect NHS staff…
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A similar account had previously been given by Laura Imrie, a member of the IPC Cell (the group responsible for writing the guidance).
She explained how lack of supply & the need for fit testing meant they weren’t in a position to be able to recommend wider use of FFP3 masks.
However, we heard a very different story from Dr Lisa Ritchie, who chaired the IPC Cell.
She wrote in her witness statement:
“The supply of PPE did *not* influence the IPC advice provided by the UK IPC Cell.”
A Canadian teen is currently critically ill with H5N1 bird flu.
The really concerning thing about this case is that sequencing has revealed several NEW mutations which improve the virus's ability to bind to human receptors & increases its potential to spread between humans…
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You can read a more technical summary of the specific mutations in the H5N1 sequence in the thread below from @HNimanFC.
Lots of interesting (and concerning) comments on the thread also.
MHRA have finally approved the updated Novavax (JN.1) formulation for use in the UK…
…HOWEVER…
…Novavax have confirmed that this vaccine will *NOT* be available in the private market for purchase or distribution for the autumn 2024 OR spring 2025 season in Great Britain.