“This virus is here to stay. It is still killing and it is still changing” (Mr Ghebreyesus)
As recommended by JCVI, NHS England launched the spring covid booster campaign at the start of April for those aged 75 plus, older care home residents, the immunocompromised and at-risk Under 5’s. Jabs available from mid-June in England, other nations were yet to announce rollout dates. 19th April, an inquest found 32-year old psychologist Stephen Wright died from ‘unintended complications’ of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine in Jan 2021 (before they stopped giving it to under 40’s). Wife Charlotte planned legal action.
Warwick Business School reported care homes being propped up by staff doing extra hours during the pandemic. Extra support failing to reach the frontline or impacting pay and withdrawn too quickly, the system was starting to collapse. While The Independent Care Group worried about the closure of a quarter of North Yorks homes within 18 months, government harped on about how much money they’d put in.
A BBC investigation discovered £200 million was returned to The Treasury because 1/3 of schools hadn’t used national tutoring programme monies to help schoolkids affected by closures during restrictions. Educators complained of having to find top-up funds. DOE countered that 87% accessed the fund in 2022.
20% more infectious than Omicron and on the watchlist since March, coronavirus sub-variant XBB.1.16 aka Arcturus, spread globally, causing conjunctivitis and high fever. 65,000 confirmed cases in India, according to UKHSA, it accounted for 20% of infections and 5 deaths in England as of 17th April. Media referred to monthly covid briefings. Wondering if they were still issued, I gave up extensive googling but did discover all PCR testing outside the NHS and routine LFT’s for many health & social care settings ended 1st April and the NHS Covid-19 app closed 27th April. Who knew they were still a thing?
Early May, The Sun reported that the WHO declared the Covid 19 emergency over. They hadn’t, but due to vaccines and natural immunity (most people had it once or twice), downgraded it from the highest alert level. Mr Ghebreyesus told a press conference: “I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency. However, that does not mean that Covid-19 is over as a global health threat.” The virus still here, still killing and still changing, and this was no time for complacency.
In other health news, 5 million Brits had diabetes. The figure 1 in 10 in Bradford, Diabetes UK said tackling it should be a government priority. 49 cases since January marked a sharp rise in measles.
Ahead of allowing hens to roam free again, China reported the first death from avian flu subtype H3N8. Wild birds still affected, The Farne Islands would stay off limits to tourists until at least the end of August so rangers could test and monitor flocks. Two poultry workers testing H5N1 positive but asymptomatic, there was no evidence of human-human transmission. What were they doing to those poor chickens?
The Corvus Diaries 