|
Post by northwestman on May 6, 2020 16:44:21 GMT 1
As the number of fatalities has grown, other countries have looked on in stunned disbelief at what they judge to be delays, missteps and complacency in the UK's response to the growing threat posed by coronavirus.
And with the British death toll reaching almost 30,000 – the highest in Europe – that criticism is now being voiced by newspapers and commentators around the world.
Sydney Morning Herald - Four main failings by the UK are: the lack of PPE for healthcare workers, the repeated delays in implementing a lockdown, a bungled test and tracing regime, and the failure to protect vulnerable care home residents from the ravages of the virus.
"The handling of the Covid-19 crisis in the UK is the most serious science policy failure in a generation." Dr Richard Horton, Editor of the Lancet.
Border closures in Australia and New Zealand were contrasted with Britain's open-door policy, with restrictions on people flying in from Wuhan imposed only briefly and those passengers still arriving under no obligation to self-isolate.
The decision taken on March 12 to abandon mass testing has also been questioned, with it being suggested that this meant the Government could only guess who was infected with the virus and how it was behaving, meaning the extent of its spread would not become obvious until hospitals began to fill with seriously ill patients.
New Yorker Magazine - A directionless 10-day period was allowed in which the virus was able to circulate more or less freely. Soccer matches and horse-racing festivals went ahead. Boris Johnson joked about shaking people's hands. Thousands of people became infected and later died.
Reuters - The elderly were put at "potentially greater risk by measures to admit only the sickest for hospital treatment and to clear out as many non-acute patients as possible from wards" in order to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed.
Worse was to come, with the measures needed to protect the elderly in care homes, such as testing and supplies of PPE, simply not available.
El Pais, Spain - The initial plan of promoting "herd immunity" was condemned as an "uncompassionate" approach and a " darwinian calculation", and it was noted how the UK continued to allow planes from countries with large epidemics to land long after the risks of doing so were obvious.
The editorial said Mr Johnson's Government was "reckless" in opting out of the joint procurement scheme for medical equipment alongside the 27 EU member states, and suggested Brexit chickens are coming home to roost as the NHS suffers personnel problems due to the Government's lack of interest in retaining European health workers.
El Repubblica, Italy - The confusion and contradictions displayed by the British Government in the past few months have few equals, with consequences that have yet to be fully understood."
Daily Telegraph.
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on May 6, 2020 22:48:42 GMT 1
It was dubbed ‘Air Jenrick’ - a Royal Air Force plane left waiting in a Turkish airport for a vital shipment of medical gowns.
The UK’s severe shortage of PPE had descended into farce, with officials scrambling to secure equipment needed to keep frontline NHS workers safe.
Today the Telegraph can reveal that the mission ended in disaster.
Every one of the 400,000 gowns brought back from Turkey last month has been impounded in a warehouse outside Heathrow Airport after inspectors found the gear was “useless” and fell short of UK standards, senior sources said.
Ministers were last night facing questions over whether the money paid for the gear will be recovered, and why the public were not told earlier.
Millions of masks bought from factories in China have also been seized and impounded after being found to fall below UK standards, it can be revealed. Some of the faulty masks are feared to have already been used by NHS staff while treating patients. The developments come after the UK Government spent around £17 million on antibody test kits from China that were later found not to work.
The disclosure will be a major embarrassment to the Government after the high-profile Turkey delivery was beset by delays and led to an international row.
The RAF flight to pick up the gowns was nicknamed "Air Jenrick" after the Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, promised on April 18 that 84 tonnes of personal protective equipment (PPE) would arrive the next day.
Instead, the flight was delayed when it emerged that the Government had not checked whether the Turkish supplier had applied for an export licence. It eventually arrived on April 22, three days late and carrying only enough gowns to last the NHS for a few hours.
In the following days, further RAF flights brought back around 400,000 gowns.
The gear was taken off the transport planes and transported to a giant warehouse. When inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive examined the gowns, it was discovered that they were faulty and did not conform to UK standards.
NHS trusts who had been promised the vital PPE were then informed that deliveries had been cancelled.
Despite the fall in coronavirus hospital admissions, NHS workers in many areas are still struggling to access PPE including gowns and masks.
Mark Roscrow, the chairman of the Health Care Supplies Association, which represents NHS procurement teams, said the Turkey shipment had "clearly fallen short" and questioned why Government officials had failed to carry out proper checks before spending taxpayers' money.
"Something very wrong has happened here," he told The Telegraph. "It's not clear to me why we weren't able to obtain samples in the usual way, and to see that these gowns weren't fit for purpose.
"We are being told that the people in charge know how to secure this vital equipment on our behalf, but the checks and balances clearly haven't been applied correctly. This equipment is still desperately needed at the front line, especially as hospitals begin to reopen other services which also require high quality PPE."
Senior sources have revealed how the "Air Jenrick" delivery was scrambled together at the last minute as pressure grew on ministers to solve the growing PPE crisis.
UK officials had first contacted Selegna, a firm based in Istanbul, around two weeks earlier in response to an emailed offer of help. The final order was signed on Friday April 17, and Mr Jenrick made his promise at the Downing Street press conference a day later.
"Today I can report that a very large consignment of PPE is due to arrive in the UK tomorrow from Turkey, which amounts to 84 tonnes of PPE and will include for example, 400,000 gowns – so a very significant additional shipment," he said.
But the following day, Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, admitted at the briefing that the consignment was not yet ready, adding that he hoped it would arrive the next day.
The RAF had originally planned to send three planes to collect the gowns, but only one Airbus A400-M finally made the journey on the afternoon of Monday April 20.
The plane then waited on the tarmac for more than 24 hours after it was discovered that an export licence to allow the gowns to leave Turkey had not been signed.
Amid frantic calls between UK officials and Selegna, the Turkish government stepped in at the last moment and ordered Ushas, a state-owned health company, to dispatch PPE so the military plane could finally take off for RAF Brize Norton.
Around 32,000 gowns were taken back on that first flight – enough to sustain NHS hospitals for only a few hours. Two larger RAF planes flew from Istanbul later that week, loaded with around 300,000 gowns supplied by Selegna.
Last month, a spokesman for Selegna revealed that the company had been founded by the owner's sister only four months earlier and originally produced shirts and tracksuits. The decision to switch factory production to medical gowns and protective gear came as coronavirus began to spread across the world only weeks later.
But when UK officials inspected the Selegna-made gowns, they discovered faults that rendered them too dangerous for use by NHS staff.
A spokesman for the Department of Health would not reveal exactly what was wrong with the equipment, but senior NHS sources suggested problems had been found with the type of material used and the length of the sleeves.
Selegna did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
Last week, the NHS banned trusts from sourcing their own PPE because they were seen to be competing for the same vital gear. But procurement chiefs have complained that they have since been sent Chinese-made masks from the national stockpile that do not effectively repel fluid.
"We have FFP2 and FFP3 [masks] quarantined as not fit for use," Jacqueline Scroggs, the head of clinical products at University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said. "I really worry that not all trusts will pick these up and they will end up in use. Who is checking and ordering these? It's not rocket science."
Clare Nash, a clinical procurement chief at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, added: "Who is checking the specs before these products get shipped? It's so obvious they don't meet the specs just by looking at them."
Paul Ralston, the head of procurement at Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said he had received three calls about sub-standard deliveries from the national stockpile. He added: "This has to be sorted – we could be putting staff at risk if this continues."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "This is a global pandemic with many countries procuring PPE, leading to shortages around the world, not just the UK.
"We are working night and day to source PPE internationally and domestically, and brought together the NHS, industry and the armed forces to create a comprehensive PPE distribution network to deliver critical supplies to the frontline.
"All deliveries of PPE are checked to ensure the equipment meets the safety and quality standards our frontline staff need. If equipment does not meet our specifications or pass our quality assurance processes, it is not distributed to the front line."
Daily Telegraph.
|
|
|
Post by stfcfan87 on May 6, 2020 23:09:40 GMT 1
Odd, another critical article from the telegraph. But it's not criticising boris obviously. At the same time we were making these payments for poor quality ppe, several British suppliers have reported that they contacted the government to supply ppe, but didnt get a response.
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on May 7, 2020 7:21:17 GMT 1
Rest assure we're in good hands. The reason our figures are now the highest in Europe is the possibility that we "count differently". Let's wait until the end of the year and then we really will get to the truth about this joke government that (some of you lot must have) voted for.. and this is the problem how can you get an acurate figure when countries seem to us different ways of counting covid-19 related deaths.
|
|
|
Post by shrewder on May 7, 2020 7:59:15 GMT 1
Rest assure we're in good hands. The reason our figures are now the highest in Europe is the possibility that we "count differently". Let's wait until the end of the year and then we really will get to the truth about this joke government that (some of you lot must have) voted for.. and this is the problem how can you get an acurate figure when countries seem to us different ways of counting covid-19 related deaths. Simple solution just count excess deaths. Gives a good easy comparison between countries. Don't even need to know what they died from.
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on May 7, 2020 9:39:40 GMT 1
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2020 9:49:48 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by LetchworthShrew on May 7, 2020 9:50:28 GMT 1
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52569364Some 400,000 surgical gowns ordered from Turkey do not meet British safety standards, the UK government has said.
Up to half of the personal protective equipment (PPE) order was flown to the UK by the RAF last month, but has not been given to NHS workers and is now stuck in a warehouse.
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on May 7, 2020 9:51:58 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/06/we-have-had-zero-information-gps-in-the-dark-over-covid-19-testsThe results of hundreds of thousands of coronavirus tests carried out at privately run drive-through centres in England have not yet been shared with GPs or local authorities, who complain they have “no idea” where local disease clusters are. GPs told the Guardian they had been “totally left out of the conversation” after the government said it was still “working on a technical solution” to get Covid-19 test results into individual GP records in England, having promised to do so weeks ago. Meanwhile, the chief medical officer for England, Prof Chris Whitty, apologised to local health leaders who have not yet received any detailed data from “pillar two” tests conducted by the private firm Deloitte over the past month. These now form the majority of tests being carried out each day, either at drive-through testing centres or via the post.
|
|
|
Post by staffordshrew on May 7, 2020 10:37:18 GMT 1
Rest assure we're in good hands. The reason our figures are now the highest in Europe is the possibility that we "count differently". Let's wait until the end of the year and then we really will get to the truth about this joke government that (some of you lot must have) voted for.. Of course we count differently, we left the EU. We also don't join ppe buying schemes. By the end of the year we will have completely different trading agreements with all other countries, or none at all. We will, however, abide by all EU standards without any say in them, as we will want to sell them stuff.
|
|
|
Post by davycrockett on May 7, 2020 10:42:22 GMT 1
Rest assure we're in good hands. The reason our figures are now the highest in Europe is the possibility that we "count differently". Let's wait until the end of the year and then we really will get to the truth about this joke government that (some of you lot must have) voted for.. Of course we count differently, we left the EU. We also don't join ppe buying schemes. By the end of the year we will have completely different trading agreements with all other countries, or none at all. We will, however, abide by all EU standards without any say in them, as we will want to sell them stuff. And we’ll see if leaving the EU was a good idea
|
|
|
Post by staffordshrew on May 7, 2020 10:52:25 GMT 1
Odd, another critical article from the telegraph. But it's not criticising boris obviously. At the same time we were making these payments for poor quality ppe, several British suppliers have reported that they contacted the government to supply ppe, but didnt get a response. Clear evidence that northwestman has splashed out on a subscribtion to the Telegraph.
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on May 7, 2020 11:00:14 GMT 1
Odd, another critical article from the telegraph. But it's not criticising boris obviously. At the same time we were making these payments for poor quality ppe, several British suppliers have reported that they contacted the government to supply ppe, but didnt get a response. Clear evidence that northwestman has splashed out on a subscribtion to the Telegraph. Only £1 day passes as and when articles look sufficiently interesting to access! The Times and The Spectator don't unfortunately run such a scheme.
|
|
|
Post by stfcfan87 on May 7, 2020 11:40:56 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/06/we-have-had-zero-information-gps-in-the-dark-over-covid-19-testsThe results of hundreds of thousands of coronavirus tests carried out at privately run drive-through centres in England have not yet been shared with GPs or local authorities, who complain they have “no idea” where local disease clusters are. GPs told the Guardian they had been “totally left out of the conversation” after the government said it was still “working on a technical solution” to get Covid-19 test results into individual GP records in England, having promised to do so weeks ago. Meanwhile, the chief medical officer for England, Prof Chris Whitty, apologised to local health leaders who have not yet received any detailed data from “pillar two” tests conducted by the private firm Deloitte over the past month. These now form the majority of tests being carried out each day, either at drive-through testing centres or via the post. That's bloody scandalous. The whole point of testing is that gps and public health will be able to work out where the problems areas are so measures can be put in place to stop the spread of the disease and ensure health services can cope. If they don't have a clue how many people have the virus who have been tested they can't do any planning
|
|
|
Post by The Shropshire Tenor on May 7, 2020 11:42:36 GMT 1
Clear evidence that northwestman has splashed out on a subscribtion to the Telegraph. Only £1 day passes as and when articles look sufficiently interesting to access! The Times and The Spectator don't unfortunately run such a scheme. Subscribe to PressReader through your library and you can read all papers for free.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2020 12:14:57 GMT 1
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/06/we-have-had-zero-information-gps-in-the-dark-over-covid-19-testsThe results of hundreds of thousands of coronavirus tests carried out at privately run drive-through centres in England have not yet been shared with GPs or local authorities, who complain they have “no idea” where local disease clusters are. GPs told the Guardian they had been “totally left out of the conversation” after the government said it was still “working on a technical solution” to get Covid-19 test results into individual GP records in England, having promised to do so weeks ago. Meanwhile, the chief medical officer for England, Prof Chris Whitty, apologised to local health leaders who have not yet received any detailed data from “pillar two” tests conducted by the private firm Deloitte over the past month. These now form the majority of tests being carried out each day, either at drive-through testing centres or via the post. That's bloody scandalous. The whole point of testing is that gps and public health will be able to work out where the problems areas are so measures can be put in place to stop the spread of the disease and ensure health services can cope. If they don't have a clue how many people have the virus who have been tested they can't do any planning I started with the symptoms last Saturday. I've been stuck in bed since self managing the virus. However on Tuesday I felt worried as I had a high temperature so I rang 111. I spoke to 3 different people and in the end one of their doctors told me that it would be best that I ring my own GP surgery ASAP. By the time I finished with the 111 service it was late afternoon by the time I got the chance to ring my own practice. Fair play, one of the GPs rang me back within 10 minutes. She was really good and by the time I explained my symptoms (I've not had the cough) she too was clear that I had got COVID19. The same GP has called back each morning to check on my condition. Sorry to digress but at no point has anyone suggested that I have the test. I'm now 6 days in so perhaps there is little point in having a test for something I know I've got. The question is, do I get recorded as having it? Will the 111 service/my GP inform Public health England?
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on May 7, 2020 12:37:38 GMT 1
That's bloody scandalous. The whole point of testing is that gps and public health will be able to work out where the problems areas are so measures can be put in place to stop the spread of the disease and ensure health services can cope. If they don't have a clue how many people have the virus who have been tested they can't do any planning I started with the symptoms last Saturday. I've been stuck in bed since self managing the virus. However on Tuesday I felt worried as I had a high temperature so I rang 111. I spoke to 3 different people and in the end one of their doctors told me that it would be best that I ring my own GP surgery ASAP. By the time I finished with the 111 service it was late afternoon by the time I got the chance to ring my own practice. Fair play, one of the GPs rang me back within 10 minutes. She was really good and by the time I explained my symptoms (I've not had the cough) she too was clear that I had got COVID19. The same GP has called back each morning to check on my condition. Sorry to digress but at no point has anyone suggested that I have the test. I'm now 6 days in so perhaps there is little point in having a test for something I know I've got. The question is, do I get recorded as having it? Will the 111 service/my GP inform Public health England? i hope you feel better soon and also glad to hear your GP is on the ball with regards to your questions i am only speculating but if you not had the test i would doubt you will be counted as having it which possibly ansers the next question.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2020 13:00:59 GMT 1
I started with the symptoms last Saturday. I've been stuck in bed since self managing the virus. However on Tuesday I felt worried as I had a high temperature so I rang 111. I spoke to 3 different people and in the end one of their doctors told me that it would be best that I ring my own GP surgery ASAP. By the time I finished with the 111 service it was late afternoon by the time I got the chance to ring my own practice. Fair play, one of the GPs rang me back within 10 minutes. She was really good and by the time I explained my symptoms (I've not had the cough) she too was clear that I had got COVID19. The same GP has called back each morning to check on my condition. Sorry to digress but at no point has anyone suggested that I have the test. I'm now 6 days in so perhaps there is little point in having a test for something I know I've got. The question is, do I get recorded as having it? Will the 111 service/my GP inform Public health England? i hope you feel better soon and also glad to hear your GP is on the ball with regards to your questions i am only speculating but if you not had the test i would doubt you will be counted as having it which possibly ansers the next question. Thanks. As I said to my GP, I've not felt this rough since I had glandular fever 40 odd years ago. As you say I will most likely be missed (like countless others) off the list of confirmed cases just because no test has been done. How we will ever get to the bottom of this, heaven knows. We are at a loss to understand how I got it given that we live out in the country, self isolate and I've only been into one shop since lockdown. I do go cross country walking each morning along the Eddisbury way, I can only think I've touched a gate, or a stye and picked it up that way from another walker? That's by the by at the end of the day but it shows how none of us are immune. Please everyone stay safe.
|
|
|
Post by davycrockett on May 7, 2020 14:30:30 GMT 1
i hope you feel better soon and also glad to hear your GP is on the ball with regards to your questions i am only speculating but if you not had the test i would doubt you will be counted as having it which possibly ansers the next question. Thanks. As I said to my GP, I've not felt this rough since I had glandular fever 40 odd years ago. As you say I will most likely be missed (like countless others) off the list of confirmed cases just because no test has been done. How we will ever get to the bottom of this, heaven knows. We are at a loss to understand how I got it given that we live out in the country, self isolate and I've only been into one shop since lockdown. I do go cross country walking each morning along the Eddisbury way, I can only think I've touched a gate, or a stye and picked it up that way from another walker? That's by the by at the end of the day but it shows how none of us are immune. Please everyone stay safe. If your over 65? you can go on line and get a test. Think it’s important you know for sure .....immunity and all that may become clearer in time, I’d want to know..... Hope your better soon 💙🧡
|
|
|
Post by venceremos on May 7, 2020 14:33:56 GMT 1
i hope you feel better soon and also glad to hear your GP is on the ball with regards to your questions i am only speculating but if you not had the test i would doubt you will be counted as having it which possibly ansers the next question. Thanks. As I said to my GP, I've not felt this rough since I had glandular fever 40 odd years ago. As you say I will most likely be missed (like countless others) off the list of confirmed cases just because no test has been done. How we will ever get to the bottom of this, heaven knows. We are at a loss to understand how I got it given that we live out in the country, self isolate and I've only been into one shop since lockdown. I do go cross country walking each morning along the Eddisbury way, I can only think I've touched a gate, or a stye and picked it up that way from another walker? That's by the by at the end of the day but it shows how none of us are immune. Please everyone stay safe. All the best, hope you recover quickly.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2020 14:34:19 GMT 1
Thanks. As I said to my GP, I've not felt this rough since I had glandular fever 40 odd years ago. As you say I will most likely be missed (like countless others) off the list of confirmed cases just because no test has been done. How we will ever get to the bottom of this, heaven knows. We are at a loss to understand how I got it given that we live out in the country, self isolate and I've only been into one shop since lockdown. I do go cross country walking each morning along the Eddisbury way, I can only think I've touched a gate, or a stye and picked it up that way from another walker? That's by the by at the end of the day but it shows how none of us are immune. Please everyone stay safe. If your over 65? you can go on line and get a test. Think it’s important you know for sure .....immunity and all that may become clearer in time, I’d want to know..... Hope your better soon 💙🧡 I've just turned 60 so don't fall into the listed category.
|
|
|
Post by indalo on May 7, 2020 14:43:36 GMT 1
Clear evidence that northwestman has splashed out on a subscribtion to the Telegraph. Only £1 day passes as and when articles look sufficiently interesting to access! The Times and The Spectator don't unfortunately run such a scheme. I didn't realise they had a pay by cash option, so how does that work? Maybe put a £1 coin and your name and address in an envelope addressed to The Telegraph and post it I guess 😜
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on May 7, 2020 14:59:16 GMT 1
Only £1 day passes as and when articles look sufficiently interesting to access! The Times and The Spectator don't unfortunately run such a scheme. I didn't realise they had a pay by cash option, so how does that work? Maybe put a £1 coin and your name and address in an envelope addressed to The Telegraph and post it I guess 😜 No. Go to the Daily Telegraph Subscription page. The day pass option is on there.
|
|
|
Post by vixenshrew on May 7, 2020 15:08:42 GMT 1
That's bloody scandalous. The whole point of testing is that gps and public health will be able to work out where the problems areas are so measures can be put in place to stop the spread of the disease and ensure health services can cope. If they don't have a clue how many people have the virus who have been tested they can't do any planning I started with the symptoms last Saturday. I've been stuck in bed since self managing the virus. However on Tuesday I felt worried as I had a high temperature so I rang 111. I spoke to 3 different people and in the end one of their doctors told me that it would be best that I ring my own GP surgery ASAP. By the time I finished with the 111 service it was late afternoon by the time I got the chance to ring my own practice. Fair play, one of the GPs rang me back within 10 minutes. She was really good and by the time I explained my symptoms (I've not had the cough) she too was clear that I had got COVID19. The same GP has called back each morning to check on my condition. Sorry to digress but at no point has anyone suggested that I have the test. I'm now 6 days in so perhaps there is little point in having a test for something I know I've got. The question is, do I get recorded as having it? Will the 111 service/my GP inform Public health England? Hope you recover quickly and your symptoms stay mild. All the best and let us know how you getting on.
|
|
|
Post by indalo on May 7, 2020 15:09:01 GMT 1
That's bloody scandalous. The whole point of testing is that gps and public health will be able to work out where the problems areas are so measures can be put in place to stop the spread of the disease and ensure health services can cope. If they don't have a clue how many people have the virus who have been tested they can't do any planning I started with the symptoms last Saturday. I've been stuck in bed since self managing the virus. However on Tuesday I felt worried as I had a high temperature so I rang 111. I spoke to 3 different people and in the end one of their doctors told me that it would be best that I ring my own GP surgery ASAP. By the time I finished with the 111 service it was late afternoon by the time I got the chance to ring my own practice. Fair play, one of the GPs rang me back within 10 minutes. She was really good and by the time I explained my symptoms (I've not had the cough) she too was clear that I had got COVID19. The same GP has called back each morning to check on my condition. Sorry to digress but at no point has anyone suggested that I have the test. I'm now 6 days in so perhaps there is little point in having a test for something I know I've got. The question is, do I get recorded as having it? Will the 111 service/my GP inform Public health England? Sorry to hear that and I hope you will soon be on the road to full recovery. About a month ago I had a very strange experience where I suddenly developed a high temperature and started to sweat heavily. My shirt was wringing wet within minutes and I was unable to get up from the chair. Was starting to think I had the virus but after just half an hour I felt fine again and have done so since. I guess it's highly unlikely that it was anything to do with Covid but I didn't leave the house for a fortnight just incase. When testing becomes available to the general public it would be interesting to see whether I have any immunity.
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on May 7, 2020 15:11:14 GMT 1
As the number of fatalities has grown, other countries have looked on in stunned disbelief at what they judge to be delays, missteps and complacency in the UK's response to the growing threat posed by coronavirus. And with the British death toll reaching almost 30,000 – the highest in Europe – that criticism is now being voiced by newspapers and commentators around the world. Sydney Morning Herald - Four main failings by the UK are: the lack of PPE for healthcare workers, the repeated delays in implementing a lockdown, a bungled test and tracing regime, and the failure to protect vulnerable care home residents from the ravages of the virus. "The handling of the Covid-19 crisis in the UK is the most serious science policy failure in a generation." Dr Richard Horton, Editor of the Lancet. Border closures in Australia and New Zealand were contrasted with Britain's open-door policy, with restrictions on people flying in from Wuhan imposed only briefly and those passengers still arriving under no obligation to self-isolate. The decision taken on March 12 to abandon mass testing has also been questioned, with it being suggested that this meant the Government could only guess who was infected with the virus and how it was behaving, meaning the extent of its spread would not become obvious until hospitals began to fill with seriously ill patients. New Yorker Magazine - A directionless 10-day period was allowed in which the virus was able to circulate more or less freely. Soccer matches and horse-racing festivals went ahead. Boris Johnson joked about shaking people's hands. Thousands of people became infected and later died. Reuters - The elderly were put at "potentially greater risk by measures to admit only the sickest for hospital treatment and to clear out as many non-acute patients as possible from wards" in order to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed. Worse was to come, with the measures needed to protect the elderly in care homes, such as testing and supplies of PPE, simply not available. El Pais, Spain - The initial plan of promoting "herd immunity" was condemned as an "uncompassionate" approach and a " darwinian calculation", and it was noted how the UK continued to allow planes from countries with large epidemics to land long after the risks of doing so were obvious. The editorial said Mr Johnson's Government was "reckless" in opting out of the joint procurement scheme for medical equipment alongside the 27 EU member states, and suggested Brexit chickens are coming home to roost as the NHS suffers personnel problems due to the Government's lack of interest in retaining European health workers. El Repubblica, Italy - The confusion and contradictions displayed by the British Government in the past few months have few equals, with consequences that have yet to be fully understood." Daily Telegraph. telling us what we knew already and yet; "The Cygnus drill document found the possible impacts of a pandemic were not universally understood across Whitehall. It said: “The UK’s preparedness and response, in terms of its plans, policies and capability, is currently not sufficient to cope with the extreme demands of a severe pandemic that will have a nationwide impact across all sectors.” Ministers have acknowledged the presence of the Cygnus report throughout the coronavirus pandemic, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock telling reporters last month that “everything that was appropriate to do was done”. the utter lack of a coherent strategic approach , complancey and then stoping any attempt to look like they were trying to trace and track, followed by more incompetence at all levels of the goverrment.has resulted in an avoidable leagy of the uk having the highest death rate in europe. evry goverment minister and the PM should be held acountable.
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on May 7, 2020 15:13:45 GMT 1
Get well soon gwyneddblue.
Perhaps if you have the antibodies they'll be letting you in at Rhos on Sea for the cricket in late August!
That's if the game ever gets played.
|
|
|
Post by zenfootball2 on May 7, 2020 15:26:08 GMT 1
from the mail "People who test positive for coronavirus after already having been infected are not getting reinfected, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). Coronavirus patients declared recovered who later test positive are still expelling dead lung cells rather than getting a new infection, the organisation told AFP. "
"South Korean health authorities raised fresh coronavirus concerns after reporting more than 300 cases of recovered patients who later tested positive again. If those who survive COVID-19 could become reinfected with the virus, it could complicate efforts to lift quarantine restrictions and produce a vaccine. But such test results appear to be 'false positives' caused by lingering, but likely not infectious, lung cells and left over material. "
|
|
|
Post by indalo on May 7, 2020 15:40:49 GMT 1
Get well soon gwyneddblue. Perhaps if you have the antibodies they'll be letting you in at Rhos on Sea for the cricket in late August! That's if the game ever gets played. Not forgetting a front of the queue pass for the pub as well!
|
|
|
Post by northwestman on May 7, 2020 15:45:13 GMT 1
Get well soon gwyneddblue. Perhaps if you have the antibodies they'll be letting you in at Rhos on Sea for the cricket in late August! That's if the game ever gets played. Not forgetting a front of the queue pass for the pub as well! He'd have no problem either with the beer tent or the burger van. Welsh produce at the burger van, and they serve you in Welsh if you prefer to speak the language.
|
|