I noted this in the Guardian overnight:
Covid is on the rise in England, and experts have warned that more must be done to prevent and control infections after a “capitulation to the virus”.
Prof Danny Altmann, an immunologist at Imperial College London, said those working in the field were perplexed by the current attitude to the battle against Covid, as the latest figures showed an increase in hospital admissions.
The latest data for England from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) showed that hospital admissions increased to 3.71 per 100,000 population for the week between 16 and 22 September 2024, compared with 2.56 per 100,000 the previous week.
Danny Altmann was one of those who shone through the Covid crisis, talking sense throughout it. He still is. And he is right to point out that we have capitulated to this crisis.
Johnson did that, claiming for political reasons that it had been defeated and then encouraging the belief that it was all over. It has never been, and it will not be until this attitude towards a major public health risk continues, but it has become a token of the right-wing political belief to think that COVID has gone. And, precisely because Labour is now firmly positioned in right-wing political territory, it would appear that it shares this belief.
Labour wants to increase UK productivity. It can't without tackling Covid.
Wes Streeting wants to tackle issues in the NHS. He can't without tackling Covid.
And no one will improve education in the UK without tackling the Covid-related illnesses that hit schools in waves.
But politicians pretend that none of these issues exist because Boris Johnson said Covid had been beaten.
Johnson talked a lot of nonsense; some of it was just stupid, and some of it was dangerous. The current approach to Covid falls firmly into the latter category, but no one is willing to do anything about it.
I wish I knew why.
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Of course a lot of things that would tackle Covid would be worth doing anyway but we dont do that do we?
When was the last time you heard the government explain how we can boost our immune systems?
“Johnson talked a lot of nonsense; some of it was just stupid, and some of it was dangerous. The current approach to Covid falls firmly into the latter category, but no one is willing to do anything about it. I wish I knew why.”
Spiv governments like Johnson’s and Starmer’s don’t want equitable taxing so they propagandise the lies that the government needs taxing and borrowing from the private sector in order to spend but governments consistently fail to act responsibly and create financial blackholes. These lies are then brought to the conclusion the country can’t afford to deal with many issues that affect the well-being of the country.
Possibly because dealing with COVID effectively would mean rolling out socialist policies.
Possibly because no one wants to spend political capital on it.
Possibly because trying to deal with it would again expose the weaknesses in our underfunded and undermined public services?
Possibly because acknowledging it would mean also acknowledging employees, small businesses, employers need more support? (Increasing SSP for instance)
Possibly because dealing with it would destroy the narrative around the UKs credit card being maxed out?
In all honesty, I am not sure why COVID is ignored. I can only speculate.
What is clear, is that Labour must know it is not going to deliver growth. It can’t possibly be this naive.
Christina Pagel reports on the second stage of the Covid enquiry, now underway; and on the current state of affairs that you have highlighted above. It makes difficult reading, but we should not forget how NHS staff suffered during those awful times.
https://christinapagel.substack.com/p/another-wave-hits-and-the-ongoing?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1988137&post_id=149464724&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=bf3i7&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
My wife is following the sessions and keeping me posted
Much of it is very grim
Is it true that annual COVID vaccines & boosters are no free of charge in the UK?
Only for the elderly (that’s me) and discouraged for children.
It is almost the exact opposite in the USA as everyone is encouraged to get the shots and/or the booster for COVID.
Also for the immunosuppressed and other at risk groups 6-65. Plus there is a winter flu vaccination. https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/08/02/whos-eligible-for-the-2024-covid-19-vaccine-or-autumn-booster/
Anything that costs money is anathma to both Tories and Labour in their tunnel vision thinking.
Yes but ignoring it like many things ends of costing more, much like climate change.
They keep on about all the over 50s not in the labour market, but how many have long Covid or PTSD from working on the frontline? And why are only over 65s eligible for Covid vaccines. Whilst Covid is more serious in the over 65s it’s not insignificant in the working population, especially those in their 50s and early 60s.
We seem to have become so insular that we don’t even realise that countries like the US are offering a much more comprehensive vaccination programme and we are outliers with our policies and expecting our underfunded and under resourced NHS just to carry on coping.
What I can’t understand is why since we are now in our 5th Wave this year, we insist on treating it like ‘flu which is a seasonal infection with a winter immunisation.
I recall when meningitis immunisation came in the economists said only treat the newborn, and Frank Dobson said no treat all children up to 18, including university Freshers. Paid for itself very quickly (2 years?)
Immunising everyone twice yearly would be expensive but the benefits would appear this year and would continue.
So would improving ait quality in public & private buildings especially rented accommodation. Those ITV films on damp mouldy flats, exactly what killed that young man in Rochdale.
I had ME/CFS before OH brought Covid back to me from a hospital appointment (rolls eyes). Now I can barely walk at all – last year I could walk in our caravan in Wales, this year my walking has got far worse – basically I sit in my bed most of the time, but I have lots of friends visiting the bird feeders that I can see from my bed. But today when I managed to get to our front door I saw a wonderful rainbow. There’s always hope.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/liverpool-leftovers/54026058729/in/datetaken/
Thank you
And so sorry about that
I only had eight months of long-Covid
As well as the cost (direct, short-term, so immediately visible in budgets; unlike the longer-term impact on the NHS, sick pay, productivity etc) isn’t the aversion to addressing the reality of ongoing COVID infections, and hence the aversion to a general vaccination programme on a repeat basis, an essential neoliberal mindset?
Government shouldn’t interfere. Individuals should be free. Let them choose if they want a vaccination (and let them pay). If government interfered again, we’d get the anti-vaxxers on the streets again, the rise of Great Barrington declarations (if I remember correctly?) and talk of conspiracy, 15 minute cities and a whole truckload of similar on social media etc
All wonderful grist to Farage’s Reform mill…
Agreed
Is the position in the UK that different from other countries? I live in Japan where there were lots of restrictions in 2020/1 such as closing the border for a few months then restricting entry for a couple of years although there was no lockdown. At the moment, it seems that infections and admissions to hospitals are increasing but there is very little comment about it and nothing from the government.
We are officailly indifferent to Covid
That is not normal
Totally agree. I appreciate there would be backlash against some of the possible remedies, but there are several avenues which I think would be widely accepted by the general public, and have other benefits: for example, additional air filters for schools and hospitals, mandatory FFP3 masks in medical settings, government-subsidised sick time covering the infectious phase.
But no – denial is what we get.