COVID-19 Act Now

@robertjwest Nothing like a picture painting a thousand words. In UK's to Japan's case more like millions.

No one knows how many people will die of Covid over the next month. But we can be fairly sure that having a very significant proportion of the workforce sick (even mildly) simultaneously will lead to bad outcomes. We need urgent action in the form of greater restrictions.

Much detail on data sharing in the report committees.parliament.uk/publications/7…. Still can't see why no-one in gov Jan-Mar 2020 scribbled: UK people hospitalised on way to herd immunity = (1 - 1/2.2) * 4% * 65m = 1.4m and asked how many beds were available. All numbers as known then.

Here we go again... blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/05/28…

We just hit a thousand names on our letter to Matt Hancock demanding new Pandemic Preparedness Plan ✊💙Add yours now and ask #WhatsThePlanMatt? actionnetwork.org/petitions/what…

The UK decision to delay 2nd #COVID19 vaccine dose to 12 weeks was made by experts with decades of vaccine experience. This preprint shows high & sustained antibodies up to 10 weeks after 1 Pfizer or AZ vaccine dose in ALL adults, including elderly 💪👉medrxiv.org/content/10.110…

Tomorrows front page from the @guardian It's time for answers for the bereaved, for our loved ones, for all the country. It's time for @BorisJohnson to name the date for the start of an independent, judge-led statutory public inquiry.

It was abhorrent then and it is abhorrent now. One year ago today. The plan to simply let the virus rip, with no meaningful plans to shield the vulnerable at all. Just let them - all those second tier citizens - be damned. itv.com/news/2020-03-1…

11 Mar 2020 Mayoral candidate Rory Stewart is accused of 'sensationalising' coronavirus, following calls to immediately shut all schools and limit public gatherings. The UK’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty has said these measures are not necessary. cityam.com/mayoral-candid…

This flowchart for #COVID19 antigen testing published recently by @CDCgov is good. Note that a negative antigen test does not release a close contact from quarantine. In symptomatic people, a negative antigen test has to be confirmed by NAAT (PCR test). cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

The EU didn’t think Christmas mattered quite as much as Johnson did, hence the divergence.

Here is a summary of the latest @ICNARC report on intensive care activity on behalf of @COVID19actuary. 22,695 patients have been admitted to critical care since 1 Sep 2020 compared with 10,928 patients earlier. New admissions have fallen back to early December levels. 1/15

@michaelmina_lab @CDCgov This image should be burned into everyone's retina. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. This one is worth more! It is the whole argument at-a-glance. I must have referenced it 5 items today alone. buff.ly/2KSFwLe via @NEJM #openschools #workplacesafety

Support for self-isolation is critical in covid-19 response | The BMJ - bmj.com/content/372/bm…

I've been asked how this year compares to previous years in terms of CC beds; ITU + HDU. The total number of patients in critical care now exceeds 100% capacity of previous years. COVID-19 patients alone are now close to the "normal" number of patients receiving critical care.

The statistics that make school closures inevitable... "There is no amount of cash or resource that could be deployed on speeding up vaccination that most reasonable people would deem as anything but amazing value for money" itv.com/news/2021-01-0…

This means that unless we really commit to a strict & robust strategy to contain this, we're in for mass death - not just from COVID-19 but also from other diseases as NHS services are overwhelmed. We need a clear plan from govt *now*. A policy of half-way measures won't work.

London critical care patients could be sent to Yorkshire as capital's ICUs top 100% occupancy hsj.co.uk/coronavirus/lo…

Beneath a veneer of seasonal joy, the #COVID19 tragedy is accelerating and our brave NHS staff are exhausted and in peril. The government MUST ACT NOW! theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

The magnificent @DrJessPotter spoke to @GMB for us this morning because as a respiratory consultant she's perfectly positioned to tell us what we need to hear, the NHS, particularly in London, the SE and parts of Wales are are crisis point. Parts of the midlands are escalating.