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music and opinion from Wales' wandering poet.
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If We Are One (How Can We Die!)
Rich's and Poet's new collaboration is a gently upbeat version of ''no man is an island'' (except Barry)
WHO --- denouncedattacks on animals
because of the so-called monkeypox.
August 10th, 00:36am (teleSUR)
The organization is also considering
changing the name of monkeypox.
World Health Organization (WHO) spokeswoman,
epidemiologist Margaret Harris, said Tuesday
that the current outbreak of monkeypox,
which is occurring in several countries
around the world --- poses a risk of
transmission from humans -- and
condemned attacks on animals,
highlighting that the disease
received its name, only
because it was first
identified... in
monkeys.
"The transmission we are seeing now with the large
outbreak of monkeypox, is the person-to-person
transmission. The virus, is in some animals,
and we see a jump in humans, but that's
not what we're seeing now. The risk of
transmission, comes from another
human being," the expert said.
As shown on Monday's Jornal Nacional, seven monkeys
were rescued in Rio Preto, in less than a week, in the
forest... with signs of possible poisoning. Another
animal was also found dead at the site.
These animals are suspected of having been poisoned
after the confirmation of three positive cases of
smallpox, in monkeys in the city. However,
the current outbreak has nothing to do
with (monkey) primates.
Harris said that the current concern about the disease
should focus on the fact: that monkeypox is being
transmitted in the human population, and that
humans should be ''aware of'' sanitary
measures to protect themselves
from the virus.
The expert further explained, that the way transmission
could be stopped, is helpful, if people take precautions
to avoid transmission - and by seeking medical help to
recognize the characteristic symptoms of the disease.
"So don't stigmatize any animal or human being
because if you do, we will have a much bigger
outbreak," she added.
WHO is evaluating with experts the adoption of a new
name for monkeypox after scientists wrote a letter to
the organization --- requesting a new vocabulary "that is not discriminatory or stigmatizing."
Regarding this fact, the WHO epidemiologist added that
the organization's current work is ongoing, but did not
set an exact date for the definition of the new name.
"There is a lot of work, and we will have some
announcements soon," she said. Currently,
according to the latest balance sheet of
the Ministry of Health, Brazil already
has 2,004 confirmed cases
of ''monkeypox''.
Chinese scientists have found a
new way to reduce the risk of
heart and vascular diseases
August 8th, 7:59pm
(trud.ru)
For the prevention and treatment of such diseases,
it is necessary to reduce the level of lipids in the
blood serum and liver.
Chinese scientists have found that inhibiting the ASGR1
receptor in the liver can reduce serum and liver lipids,
thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
This was reported on Monday, August 8th, by the
Xinhua news agency, with a link to an article
published in the journal Nature.
As the authors explain, the ASGR1 receptor is
expressed - exclusively - in the liver. Little is
known about how it affects the metabolism
of cholesterol, the accumulation of which
can lead to an increased risk of
heart disease.
At the same time, reducing the level of lipids is
necessary for the prevention and treatment
of these diseases.
A research team from Wuhan University in China found
that inhibition of ASGR1 promotes the elimination of
cholesterol – with bile and faeces, which reduces
the level of lipids in the serum and liver.
Based on the results of the study, biologists have
developed a neutralizing anti-ASGR1 antibody
that can effectively reduce lipid levels, by
increasing cholesterol excretion.
___________________________________
Russian Defense Ministry
considers the possibility
of US involvement in
the spread of COVID
August 4th, 2:50pm
https://en.news-front.info/
The Ministry of Defense of Russia suggests that the United States was involved in the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its spread in the world.
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the world,
suggests the deliberate role of US organizations in
its emergence. This -- was announced at a briefing
on August 4th, by Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov,
Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological
Defense Forces of the RF Armed Forces.
“We are considering the possibility that the United
States Agency for International Development
(USAID) is involved in the emergence of the
new coronavirus,” Kirillov said.
The general recalled the words of the leading expert of
the authoritative medical journal, The Lancet, Jeffrey
Sachs, who said in May 2022, that the COVID-19 virus --- was artificially created.
Sachs specified that there is a high probability: that US achievements in the field of biotechnology, were used in its creation.
"There is enough evidence, that this should be
investigated, but it is not being investigated,
neither in the United States - nor anywhere
else. I think they(US officials - Gazeta.En)
don't really want to look too much, under
the carpet," Sachs emphasized.
The "Achilles heel" of almost
all types of cancer, including
drug-resistant ones,
has been found
by Olga Muraya
July 31st, 2:05pm
(Vesta.ru)
New genetic data is helping to better understand the
causes of different types of cancer in humans.
This, in turn, will help to develop new methods
of cancer treatment.
Medical researchers from several leading institutes
in the United States have found that at least 70%
of cancer types and 8% of all individual tumors
activate a single gene that is normally
"turned off" in most body tissues.
It turns out that scientists have
discovered a universal cancer switch?
So far, the study is improving our understanding of how
different types of cancer develop. But the team that
made this discovery has already begun working
with chemists and biologists to figure out how
to target this gene with possible
new treatments.
What did the scientists find? It turned out that many
cancers show abnormal expression of the FOXR2
gene. This gene is normally expressed
("switched on") only in the testes —
the male sex glands.
In a further study involving mice that artificially
activated the FOXR2 gene, it turned out that
the expression of the gene increases the
growth rate of brain tumors.
The team suspects that FOXR2 may be part of
a broader scheme in which normally inactive
testicular genes --- are switched on in
cancer patients.
The authors are already working with other
laboratories to develop cancer treatments
that target FOXR2.
The study was published in the July
8th, 2022 issue of Cancer Research.
At the same time, scientists from Spain have
revealed the mechanism by which some
cancer patients do not respond well
to treatment.
A condition known as multi-drug resistance (MDR)
can seriously reduce the number of available
cancer treatment options. However, exactly
what factors contribute to the development
of MDR and how it can be controlled...
remains unclear.
The team started by looking at genes that may play
arole in causing cancer resistance to drugs. To do
this, the researchers used CRISPR gene editing
technology in mouse stem cells. A gene
known as FBXW7 quickly caught
their attention.
The researchers found that mutations in the FBXW7
gene endow cells with resistance to most existing
drugs, with lower levels of FBXW7 expression
associated with a poorer response
to chemotherapy.
But importantly, the team also found
a way to use this feature for good.
The researchers found that a drug called tigecycline
activates a process known as the integrated stress
response (ISR). This process helps to" clean" cells
of toxic proteins that are produced due to a
mutation in the FBXW7 gene.
Subsequent tests with other drugs that activate
the ISR... also showed some effectiveness.
The work of the Spanish scientists, was
published in EMBO Molecular Medicine.
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_________________________________
NHS England... Short of
Tens of Thousands of Staff in 'Greatest Workforce Crisis
in Its History'
July 25th, 9:30am (FNA)
NHS England is short of tens of thousands of doctors,
nurses & midwives with the persistent understaffing
creating a "serious risk to staff and patient safety",
MPs said in a damning report.
Health and social care services in England face “the
greatest workforce crisis in their history” and the
government has no credible strategy to make the
situation better, according to the cross-party
Health and Social Care Committee,
ITV reported.
Fresh research by the Nuffield Trust shows the NHS in
England is short of 12,000 hospital doctors and more
than 50,000 nurses and midwives, revealed in a new
report from the committee.
It said maternity services are “under unsustainable
pressure”, while the number of full-time equivalent
GPs also fell by more than 700 over three years,
to March 2022.
Projections suggest an extra 475,000 jobs will be
needed in health and an extra 490,000 jobs in
social care... by the early part of the
next decade.
The report said staff are under pressure and the NHS
loses millions of full-time equivalent days to staff
sickness caused by anxiety, stress
and depression.
“The result is that many in an exhausted workforce,
are considering leaving - and if they do pressure will
increase still further on their colleagues,” the study
said, adding that some simple things are not in
lace, such as access to hot food and drink on
shifts and flexible working.
MPs said the government has shown a "marked
reluctance to act decisively", adding, “The
workforce plan promised in the spring has
not yet been published and will be a
‘framework’ with no numbers, which
we are told could potentially follow
in yet another report --- later
this year.”
MPs said that while some progress has been made
towards a target of recruiting 50,000 nurses, the
government is set to miss its target to recruit
6,000 more GPs, as promised in the
Conservative Party manifesto.
“The persistent understaffing of the NHS now poses a
serious risk to staff and patient safety both for routine
and emergency care. It also costs more as patients
present later with more serious illness," it added.
“But most depressing for many on the frontline is the
absence of any credible strategy to address it,”
it said.
MPs said the government’s “refusal” to make
workforce planning data public “means that
the basic question which every health and
care worker is asking: 'are we training
enough staff to meet patient need?'
will remain unanswered”.
The report also criticises NHS pension arrangements
which are leading to senior doctors reducing their
working hours, owing to facing hefty tax bills.
More needs to be done on social care worker
pay to stop people leaving, it added.
A separate report by the committee’s panel of
independent experts rates the government’s
progress overall to meet key commitments
it has made on workforce as “inadequate”.
Health and Social Care Committee Chairman and Tory
MP Jeremy Hunt said, “We now face the greatest
workforce crisis in history in the NHS and in
social care with still no idea of the number
of additional doctors, nurses and other
professionals we actually need."
“NHS professionals know there is no silver bullet to
solve this problem but we should at least be giving
them comfort that a plan is in place. This must be
a top priority for the new prime minister,” he added.
He told Times Radio that before Brexit, both parties
believed that if there was a staffing problem, they
will “fill it with immigration”.
The report said almost every part of the NHS was
suffering staff shortages. On maternity, it said
552 midwives left in the last year showing a
“clear problem with midwifery retention”.
MPs criticised the government and NHS England for
failing to set out when safe staffing in maternity
would be reached, a failure that “demonstrates
a lack of responsibility” and “is absolutely
unacceptable”.
Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers,
which is part of the NHS Confederation, said the
report “once again highlights the extent of the
workforce crisis now facing both the NHS and
social care”. He said “it is time for a reality
reset on the NHS”.
He added health leaders are “beyond worried that the
government has shown a sustained reluctance to act
decisively on NHS and social care staffing and echo
the Committee’s concerns that the lack of long-term
planning and investment risks the government’s
plans to tackle the waiting list backlog and
poses a serious risk to both staff and
patient safety”.
Patricia Marquis, the Royal College of Nursing’s
director for England, added, “On pay, the
committee was very clear saying it is
unacceptable that some NHS nurses
are struggling to feed their families,
pay their rent, and travel to work."
“Their recommendation that nursing staff should be
given a pay rise that takes account of the cost of
living crisis should make government rethink the
latest pay deal that follows a decade of, in real
terms, pay cuts --- that will force even more to
leave the profession,” she said.
Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea said,
“The government’s had years to improve the
workforce situation, but has done little."
“Only last week ministers could have acted to stop
the exodus of porters, healthcare assistants and
other NHS staff with an above-inflation wage
rise. But chose not to,” she added.
Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting
accused the government of having “utterly
failed” to address the crisis.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson
said, “We are growing the health and social care
workforce, with over 4,000 more doctors, and
9,600 more nurses compared to last year,
and over 1,400 more doctors in general
practice, compared to March 2019."
“As we continue to deliver on our commitment to
recruit 50,000 more nurses by 2024, we are also
running a £95 million recruitment drive for
maternity services and providing £500
million to develop our valued social
care workforce, including through
training opportunities and new
career pathways," the spokes
person added.
“We have commissioned NHS England to develop a
long term workforce plan to recruit and support
NHS staff while they deliver high quality, safe
care to patients and help to bust the COVID
backlogs,” the spokesperson said.
Rhondda Records adds:
and in Wales? Would you bet your life
everything's just fine and dandy???
_______________________
Up to 70% of recovered patients
--- experience post-COVID conditions, expert says
July 22nd, 4:56am (TASS)
Up to 70% of recovered coronavirus patients
experience post-COVID conditions, the
Russian Health Ministry’s Chief
Freelance Neurologist Nikolay
Shamalov, told reporters.
"The professional medical community, has been
discussing the so-called post-COVID syndrome
recently. In fact, 30 to 70% of recovered
coronavirus patients experience these
conditions. The figure ranges because
experts use various research methods
but in any case, it is about a large
number of patients.''
''When it comes to the post-COVID syndrome, cognitive
functions are affected in the first place, which concern
qualities such as memory, attention and speech, as
well as motor and cognitive skills. Besides, people
often suffer from headaches, sleep disorders and
asthenia," Shamalov pointed out.
According to the expert, the older the patient, the
higher the risk of the post-COVID syndrome
because the coronavirus... often
exacerbates already existing
health issues.
"When patients notice symptoms of the post-COVID
syndrome, they should consult a neurologist,"
Shamalov added.
WHO Demands
Return of..
Covid Masks
July 14th, 12:09pm
(al Manar)
With cases of Covid-19 trending upward globally,
World Health Organization Director General Dr
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called on
Tuesday for authorities to bring back
masking, ventilation, and
social distancing.
Speaking during a weekly briefing, Tedros stated
that “the virus is running freely, and countries
are not effectively managing the disease.”
With the WHO concluding last week that the
virus remains a ‘Public Health Emergency
of International Concern’, Tedros
asserted that the pandemic is “nowhere near over.”
During the week of July 4th-10th, 2022, over 5.7 million
new cases of Covid-19 were reported, a 6% increase
compared to the previous week. Deaths, however,
have remained relatively flat... throughout this
summer, with just over 9,800 reported in the
week leading up to July 4th, five times
fewer than the same week last year.
Tedros called on national authorities to step up their
efforts in “communicating risk” to the public, and
called for a return of “public health social
measures like masking, distancing
and ventilation.”
Mask mandates and social distancing requirements
were largely abandoned earlier this year, although
some countries – among them China and South
Korea – still require face masks in most
public settings.
Source: Agencies (edited by
Al-Manar English Website)
______________________________
WHO Chief Gebreyesus reported
a 30% increase in the number
of coronavirus infections in
the world in two weeks
by Sofia Goncarova
July 6th, 8:18pm
(Komsomolskaya Pravda)
TO SHARE
Director-General of the World Health Organization
(WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced
an increase in the number of cases of
coronavirus infection in the world.
According to him, over the past two weeks,
this figure has increased by 30%.
"Over the past two weeks, the number of reported
cases of COVID-19 in the world has increased by
almost 30%," he announced during a speech at
a briefing.
The head of the organization also said that in
European countries and the US, coronavirus
variants BA.4 and BA are spreading in waves.
In addition, experts have identified
a new subspecies, BA.2. 75, in India.
Recall that experts believe that vaccination will help
protect the body from infection with covid. The day
before, the Russian Ministry of Health registered
the Salnavak nasal coronavirus vaccine
developed by Generium. The drug will be available as a nasal spray.
This is a combined vector vaccine
consisting of two components
based on adenovirus vectors.
KP.RU: https://www.kp.ru/
_________________________
COVID-19 Leaked From US Bio-lab,
Claims Lancet's Commission Head;
'Not A Natural Spillover'
by Zaini Majeed
July 2nd (The Republic)
The novel SARS-CoV-2 that caused the COVID-19
worldwide was an accidental release “out of
US laboratory biotechnology”, the chief of
the COVID-19 commission at prestigious
medical journal, The Lancet, Jeffrey
Sachs, said at a conference hosted
by the think tank GATE, in Spain.
The chair of The Lancet stressed that while “we don’t
know for sure” ...that the leak of the virus certainly
happened, or it may have been any other scenario
at the US bioweapons research lab, but "there is
enough evidence" and it “should be looked into.”
Sachs had also... earlier... published a paper in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences with Columbia University professor of molecular pharmacology and therapeutics, Neil Harrison,
ascertaining that SARS-CoV-2 that caused
the - mounting - death toll of the global
population, had in fact, leaked from
a bio laboratory.
He demanded "transparency" from US
federal agencies and universities.
__________________________
Monkeypox --- cannot be
considered a pandemic,
expert says
June 25th, 3:48am (TASS)
Monkeypox cannot be considered a pandemic
due to the small number of cases, this virus
is not highly contagious, infectious disease
doctor Yevgeny Timakov told TASS. Earlier,
the World Health Network called for
monkeypox to be declared
a pandemic.
"This disease, in no way, can be considered
a pandemic. Only a few get sick, it is not
highly contagious. The virus may have
changed in some way, but it does not
pose a danger on a global scale,"
the expert explained.
Timakov recalled that the virus is transmitted only
through close contact with the infected. "If from
an animal, when it (monkeypox - TASS) is
transmitted to a person, it (the virus -
TASS) is more dangerous. From a
person to a person, it is less
dangerous, as it loses its
pathogens," he added.
The expert also noted, that increased monitoring
of persons entering the Russian Federation from
countries where cases of infection have
already been recorded, is justified
and correct.
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease, usually transmitted
to humans by wild animals such as rodents and
primates. The symptoms include fever,
headache, muscle and back pains,
swollen lymph nodes, chills and
fatigue. It may also involve a
skin rash.
According to the WHO, usually the lethality coefficient
during monkeypox outbreaks ranges from 1% to 10%
...with the majority of fatalities in the younger
age groups.
Drug overdose epidemic
wreaks havoc in the US
by Pavel López Lazo
June 24th, 3:29pm
(Prensa Latina)
A drug overdose epidemic kills two people an hour
in the US, The New York Times reported on Friday.
The report stated that many more people are
currently dying in the US of drug overdoses
than at any other time, Jeneen Interlandi,
member of the US newspaper’s editorial
board, stressed.
The North American country´s drug overdose death
rose afresh to record-breaking levels, by exceeding
100,000 cases per year for the first time in 2021,
and as of mid-2022, it appears to be increasing
even much higher (latest figures come out to
about 300 people per week or over 2 people
per hour).
Interlandi pointed out that it is tempting to see
such a crisis as the inevitable byproduct of an
unprecedented moment. The astonishing
malpractice of the drug industry, the rise
of economic inequality and the Covid-19
pandemic conspire to ramp up the drug
overdose death rate.
The analyst said that drug addiction itself is
as enduring a part of human experience as
cancer, diabetes or Alzheimer’s.
In fact, it is at least as common as any of them.
And the fact we do not treat it early and
carefully is not an accident. It’s a
choice, she pointed out.
___________________________________
What goes around?
‘Playing with fire’:COVID-19 cases in
US 30 times higher than reported
June 3rd, 7:56am (PressTV)
The United States finds itself in the throes of the
fourth wave of coronavirus, according to the
official case count, albeit experts say the
actual current rate could be 30 times
higher than reported.
About 94,000 people in the world’s worst-hit
country are contracting the virus every day,
and hospitalizations have also surged this
month, but officials insist --- the rate is lower than in previous waves.
A new survey of the surge in New York, cited in a
Guardian report, on Thursday, suggests that the
virus cases could be undercounted by a factor
of 30.
“It would appear that official case counts are under-
estimating the true burden of infection, by about
30-fold, which is a huge surprise,” Denis Nash,
an author of the study and a professor of
epidemiology at the City University of
New York School of Public Health, is
quoted as saying in the report.
According to the study, which has not been peer-
reviewed or published, at least 1 in 5 people in
New York.. had COVID-19 between April 23rd
and May 8th, constituting about 22 percent
of the city's population.
This means that more than 1.5 million people in the
city have been infected with coronavirus, in just
two weeks, which is more than the official
figure, the study finds.
While it is focused on New York, the findings may be
true throughout the rest of the country, Nash said,
adding that undercounting could be even
worse elsewhere.
“It’s very worrisome. To me, it means that our ability
to really understand and get ahead of the virus is
undermined,” Nash said.
This week marks the eighth consecutive week of
a surge in COVID-19 cases in the United States.
In recent weeks, confirmed daily US cases have
been rising again, powered by a rising tide of
Omicron sub-variants currently circulating
in the country.
US hits another grim milestone
with 900,000 COVID-19 deaths
The milestone comes more than 13 months into
a vaccination drive that has been confounded
by misinformation, political and legal strife,
and vaccine hesitancy in segments of the population.
It also marks the seventh consecutive week that child
COVID-19 cases have been increasing in the country,
according to the American Academy of Pediatrics
(AAP) and the Children's Hospital Association.
More than 112,000 child COVID-19 cases were
reported in the United States during the past
week, a doubling of case counts from the
four weeks before that.
The daily COVID-19 death count is also increasing.
More than 500 COVID-19 deaths were reported
nationwide on Wednesday, sending shock-
waves across the country.
Amid a rise in infections, a growing list of school
districts and universities... are now moving to
bring back mask requirements.
“This idea that we need to return to normal and that’s
the most important thing, rather than just actually
using mitigation measures to save lives – it’s not
that hard, and if it were normalized, we could do
it,” Lara Jirmanus, a family physician and
clinical instructor at Harvard Medical
School, is cited in the report.
“To just decide that it’s perfectly fine for everyone to
be infected three to four times a year in the future
with a new virus, whose effects we don’t fully
understand, is a huge, huge gamble,” she
continued. “We just don’t know what
Covid could lead to in the future…
We’re playing with fire.”
Reports citing medical experts say the most
dominant form of COVID-19... currently
spreading in the US, appears to spread
faster than earlier variants and
is believed to be a mutation
genetically linked.. to both
Omicron & Delta versions
of COVID-19.
____________________________
Four US biolabs operate in Nigeria,
where monkeypox came from
— Defense Ministry
May 27th, 5:47pm (TASS)
At least four US-controlled biological laboratories
operate in Nigeria, where monkeypox came from,
the Russian Nuclear, Chemical and Biological
Protection troops head, Igor Kirillov,
stated on Friday.
He pointed out that, according to the World Health
Organization, the monkeypox pathogen strain was
imported from Nigeria, where the US deployed its
biological infrastructure.
"According to the available information, at least four
US-controlled biolaboratories operate in Nigeria,"
Kirillov said.
According to Kirillov, in this regard, it is necessary
to point out a "strange coincidence that requires
additional inspection by specialists."
"According to European and US media, materials
of the 2021 Munich Security Conference (that is
amid the COVID-19 pandemic), mentioned the
practice of a monkeypox countering
scenario," the NCB troops
commander said.
___________________________
Confirmed Monkeypox Cases
Hit US, Europe, Australia,
Canada
May 20th, 11:01am (FNA)
Cases of Monkeypox are being investigated in
European countries, as well as the US,
Canada and Australia, according to
health authorities and local
media reports.
A case of monkeypox has been confirmed in
Melbourne, while a probable case in Sydney
remains under investigation, the Australian
ABC News reported on Friday.
Canada has confirmed its first two cases of
monkeypox, both in the province of Quebec,
the country's Public Health Agency said in
a statement issued on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the US Massachusetts Department
of Public Health said it had confirmed a single
case of monkeypox virus infection in a man
who had recently traveled to Canada.
Several European countries have also reported their
first confirmed monkeypox cases, including the UK,
Sweden, Italy, Spain and Portugal.
The outbreak spread in Europe after cases
were initially reported in the UK.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
confirmed that an individual.. has been
diagnosed with monkeypox in England
who has traveled from Nigeria, where
they are believed to have contracted
the infection, before travelling to
the UK.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs
primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central
and West Africa and is occasionally exported
to other regions, according to the World
Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO said monkeypox is usually a self-limited
disease with the symptoms lasting from 2 to 4
weeks, but severe cases can occur.
PressTV adds:
Monkeypox causes fever, body aches,
enlarged lymph nodes and eventually
"pox," or painful, fluid-filled blisters
on the face, the hands, and feet,
according to medical experts.
Most people recover from the illness (which is
endemic in parts of central and western
Africa and usually the result of close
contact with infected animals)
within a few weeks, but it can be fatal.
One of its versions is deemed deadly and kills
up to 10% of those people infected,but the
version spreading presently in the UK, is
said to be milder with a 1% fatality rate.
_____________________________________
John Ioannidis: 'Public Health
Officials Need To Declare
The End Of The Pandemic'
by Tyler Durden
Authored by Ross Pomeroy
via RealClear Science,
April 2nd, 12pm (ZeroHedge)
John Ioannidis, a Professor of Medicine, of
Epidemiology and Population Health and
by courtesy, of Statistics & Biomedical
Data Science at Stanford University,
lauded for championing evidence-
based medicine, has been harshly
criticized over the past two years.
Like many highly-credentialed health experts,
Ioannidis made some predictions during the
pandemic that eventually proved incorrect.
During a once-in-a-century pandemic replete
with unknowns, that is to be expected. But
perhaps.. the greatest reason he has come
under fire is for questioning the orthodoxy
of strict lockdowns, divisive vaccine
mandates, and other restrictive
measures to manage the
pandemic.
Ioannidis is sure to court more controversy with
a new commentary published to the European
Journal of Clinicial Investigation, in which he
argues that it's time to declare the end of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This does not mean... that the problem is
inappropriately minimized or forgotten,
but that our communities move on
with life," he writes.
"Pandemic preparedness should be carefully
thought and pre-organized, but should not
disrupt life."
While Ioannidis recognizes that there are
no quantitative definitions for the end of
a pandemic like COVID-19, he contends
that the amount of immunity now
present worldwide exceeds the
threshold needed to declare
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that
causes COVID-19, endemic
– constantly present but
not a public health
emergency.
"By the end of 2021, probably 73-81% of the
global population had been vaccinated, infected or both," he says. Pockets of
low immunity, such as in places that
pursued zero-COVID policies and/or
with limited access to effective
vaccines, may persist, causing
regional outbreaks but we will
likely never see COVID-19
again trigger a global
emergency.
Declaring the pandemic phase of COVID-19
to be concluded means understanding and
accepting a new "normal".
"A decrease of COVID-19 deaths back to typical
seasonal influenza levels may not necessarily
happen in 2022 or even beyond," Ioannidis
cautions. "With an increasingly aging
global population, "normal" may still
correspond to higher death counts..
This should not be mistaken as a
continued pandemic phase."
Easing out of the pandemicm, requires a
widespread mental shift, as well. This
means focusing more on indicators
such as hospital intensive care
admissions to guide policy,
rather than just infections.
"If the perception of risk focuses on the number
of documented cases, the spurious perception
of emergency situations may be difficult to
quell," Ioannidis writes.
Exiting the pandemic, also means reducing
fearmongering coverage of COVID-19 in the
popular media, the propagation of which,
undoubtedly contributed to the public's
warped perception of COVID's risks
throughout the pandemic.
On average, Americans believed in early 2021
that 8% of deaths had occurred, in people
under the age of 24. The real percentage
as of today, is 0.3%. Moreover, a third of
the population has consistently
believed that COVID leads to
hospitalization in over half
of infections. During the
most recent Omicron
wave, the proportion
was 3% or lower.
Declaring an end to the pandemic phase of
COVID-19 has benefits, Ioannidis says. For
example.. it could allow public health
organizations... to refocus their time
and money, on more pressing global
health issues like poor nutrition and
hunger, which collectively claim the
lives of 9 million people each year,
including 3.1 million children.
For comparison, at least 6.2 million people have
died from COVID-19 over the past two years,
the vast majority over age 65. Accepting
endemicity and reducing societal
restrictions & disruptions would
also permit economies to
stabilize more rapidly
..alleviating hardship,
easing inflation and
reducing global
inequality.
Lastly, moving on from the pandemic could
ease some of the political divisions that
have fractured societies across
the globe.
Good hydrationmay reduce
long-term risks for heart
failure – Study
by Pavel López Lazo
March 30th, 4:28pm (Prensa Latina)
UK scientists strongly recommended
staying well-hydrated to reduce the risk of developing heart failure, a
specialized source reported
on Wednesday.
''Similar to reducing salt intakes, drinking enough
water and staying hydrated, are ways to support
our hearts, and can help reduce long-term risks
of heart disease,'' the European heart Journal
magazine said.
The team assessed how hydrated the
participants were by analyzing serum
sodium levels which increases when
fluid levels decrease. This can be a
useful marker for identifying
individuals at risk of
heart failure.
The research also helped pinpoint older adults
at higher risk of developing both heart failure
and left ventricular hypertrophy.
“Serum sodium and fluid intake can easily be
assessed in clinical exams and help doctors
identify patients... who may benefit from
learning about ways to stay hydrated,”
the experts said.
_______________________________
Distribution of pathogenic materials from Ukraine will lead to pandemic-like situation
March 24th, 10:11am (TASS)
Sending pathogenic biomaterials from Ukraine to Europe ...could lead to a situation comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic the chief of Russia's radiation, chemical and biological protection force, Igor Kirillov, said on Thursday.
"The current situation... with the distribution
of pathogenic biomaterials from Ukraine to
European countries, could result in death
and create a hotbed of epidemiological
instability, the scale of which would be comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic," Kirillov said.
Obesity may impact on mental and emotional
health
by Pavel López Lazo
March 17th, 4:43pm (Prensa Latina)
A study revealed that excess weight is closely
related to people´s mental and emotional
health, who can suffer from depression,
insecurity and low self-esteem, a
specialized media reported
on Thursday.
Other psycho-social damage linked to obesity
include problems getting a job, falling asleep,
poor sex life, social isolation,
and discrimination.
Infosalus.com website pointed out that personal
looks, shape and weight are all-important
elements in the 21st century.
Excessive weight and feeling bad creates more
anxiety, we generate cortisol levels, so this
sustained situation causes low moods,
causing an overweight person to be
worse off, with greater emotional
lability which can appear with
an uncontrollable burst
of crying.
Sometimes depressed people tend to have a
huge binge, take refuge in food; so this will
cost much more when dating or socializing.
Obesity not only affects psychologically, but
also socially, emotionally, and personally,
experts said.
___________________________________
NHS healthcare staff in UK
quit at record 400 a week
February 26th, 7:25pm (PressTV)
New research has revealed that a record
number of ''more than'' 400 healthcare
staff in the United Kingdom, have left
the National Health Service (NHS)
to revive their work-life stability
over the past year.
The findings emerged, in an assessment of the
health service compiled by John Hall, a former
strategy director at the Department of Health
and Social Care, for the Engage Britain
charity on Saturday.
Concerns over the state of the workforce came
top of its list as it investigated the public’s
attitude towards health and social care
services, which remain under pressure
in the wake of the pandemic.
“The workforce crisis in the NHS has
clearly penetrated the public
consciousness,” Hall said.
“The UK has long had significantly lower
numbers of doctors and nurses, per
capita than comparable systems''
''More recently, the impact of working conditions
is showing an increasing impact on the ability
of the NHS to retain staff. Around 50 in every
10,000 staff working in hospitals and
community health services in June
2021 left the service within the
next three months, citing work
-life balance as the reason.
This was a new record.”
The mass departures come as the workforce
is complaining of burnout and cases of post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following
two years of battling the COVID-19 pan-
demic, raising fears that the exodus is
impacting the quality of care, as the
Omicron variant keeps spreading
across the country.
More than a quarter of adults have said they
or an immediate family member, received
inadequate care due to the healthcare
staff problems.
Analysis of NHS Digital figures found that at
least 400 staff... are leaving every week in
the UK to improve their work-life balance.
It comes alongside evidence of high turn
-over among social care workers. Recent
estimates show more than a third (34%)
of care workers left their roles... in 2020-21.
Earlier this month, former Health Secretary
Jeremy Hunt, said the government had
“missed an opportunity” to alleviate
the workforce crisis in the NHS and
social care -------- after rejecting the
Commons health select committee recommendation, to overhaul
workforce planning.... Staff
shortages -- were the main
driver of worker burnout''
he said.
Julian McCrae, Engage Britain’s director,
said frontline health and care workers
were now “running on empty” and a
plan for boosting the workforce
was overdue.
Data from the NHS has already shown..
that the British government has faced
the highest level of hospital staff
absence - in early January - since the vaccine rollout.
Vitamin D3 helps strengthen
defenses against Covid-19
– Study
by Pavel López Lazo
February 24th, 7:41pm (Prensa Latina)
Vitamin D3 could balance people's immune
system and help strengthen defenses
against viral infections including
Covid-19, the Swiss publication
Frontiers in Immunology
reported Thursday.
In a collaborative study by the Universities of
Surrey & Brighton, researchers investigated
the impact of vitamin D supplements – D2
and D3 – taken daily over a 12-week
period on the activity of genes in
people’s blood.
Those involved in the research, contrary to
widespread opinion, found significant
differences between the two vitamin
D supplements, as they discovered
that vitamin D2... leaves a
questionable mark on
human health.
“Vitamin D3 appears to stimulate the type I
interferon signaling system in the body – a key part of the immune system that
provides a first line of defense...
against bacteria and viruses.''
Thus, a healthy vitamin D3 status may help
prevent viruses and bacteria from gaining
a foothold in the body,” said Professor
Colin Smith, lead-author of the study
from the University of Surrey.
“Our study suggests that it is important that
people take a vitamin D3 supplement, or
suitably fortified foods, especially in
the winter months.”
Although some foods are fortified with vitamin
D, like some breakfast cereals, yogurts, and
bread, few naturally contain the vitamin.
Vitamin D3 is produced naturally in the
skin from exposure to sunlight or
artificial ultraviolet UVB light,
while some plants and fungi
produce vitamin D2.
Many people have insufficient levels of vitamin
D3... because they live in locations where
sunlight is limited in the winter, like the
UK. The Covid-19 pandemic has also
limited people’s natural exposure to
the sun, due to people spending
more time in their homes.
__________________________________
Withholding vaccine safety
data‘morally indefensible,’
medical journal says
January 22nd,, 4:17pm (RT)
The British Medical Journal (BMJ), has urged public
health regulators & pharma majors to immediately
release all raw data from Covid-19 vaccine trials
for independent scrutiny --- arguing that
“complete data transparency” is a
matter of “public interest.”
Branding Big Pharma as “the least trusted industry,”
a recent op-ed by BMJ editors stated that it was
“morally indefensible” that this information
remains inaccessible to doctors, public,
and researchers -- despite the global rollout of vaccines and treatments.
In the scathing editorial, the writers – senior BMJ
editor Peter Doshi, former editor-in-chief Fiona
Godlee and her successor Kamran Abbasi –
accuse pharmaceutical companies... of
“reaping vast profits without adequate
independent scrutiny of their
scientific claims.”
At least 3 of the many companies making Covid-19
vaccines have past criminal and civil settlements
costing them billions of dollars. One pleaded
guilty to fraud. Other companies have no pre-Covid track record.
In particular, the editorial collective calls out Pfizer,
Moderna and AstraZeneca for not providing “timely
access” to “anonymized individual participant data” from their clinical trials.
This granular data is available to regulators like the
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which told
a judge last month to give it 75 years to publish all
data relating to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
But the BMJ said Pfizer – whose trial was “funded
by the company and designed, run, analyzed, and
authored by Pfizer employees” ------ has indicated
that it will not entertain data requests until May
2025, a full two years after the primary study
is completed.
This lack of access to data is “consistent across
vaccine manufacturers,” the editors write,
noting that the industry is not “legally
required” to honour requests from
independent researchers.
Further, they point out that regulatory bodies like
Health Canada and the European Medicines
Agency, do not even “receive or analyze”
trial data, whereas the UK’s Medicines
and Healthcare Products Regulatory
Agency does not “proactively
release” such info.
“The purpose of regulators is not to dance to
the tune of rich global corporations... and
enrich them further; it is to protect the
health of their populations,”
they concluded.
__________________________
Ireland:To Fully Lift
COVID-19 Restrictions
January 21st, 11:50pm (teleSUR)
Irish Prime Minister, Micheal Martin, announced
that COVID-19 restrictions that have been in
place for almost two years, are now lifted.
Micheal Martin, Irish Prime Minister disclosed that
the governments decided that almost all COVID-19
restrictions placed for about two years, are lifted.
Ireland is placed among the countries with the highest
rate of COVID-19 infections in Europe, and now also,
the continent's highest uptake of booster vaccines,
which made possible the number of seriously ill
people remained below the previous peak.
"We have weathered the Omicron storm," the minister
stated, on Friday's televised address --- in which he
noted, booster vaccines had "utterly transformed"
the country's situation. "I have stood here and
spoken to you on some very dark days. But
today is a good day," he added.
Ireland was one of the most cautious countries
in Europe about the risks of COVID-19, having
some of the longest-running restrictions on
travel and hospitality. According to public
health officials' advice, the government
decided: that bars and restaurants will
no longer need to close at 8pm, a rule
held late last year when the Omicron
wave struck, or to ask customers
for proof of vaccination.
The full capacity has been restored for the indoor
and outdoor events --- paving the way for full
crowds, for next month’s Six Nations rugby
championship. Martin highlighted that the
measure which decreed.... the need of
wearing masks in public places will
remain at least until the end
of February.
The Irish hospitality sector, which has been hit by one of Europe’s toughest lockdown
regimes, has welcomed the decision.
[and in Wales?]
__________________________
Bye Bye, Mask and Covid Pass:
Boris Johnson --- Announces End of Plan B Restrictions
in England
January 19th, 1:43pm (Sputnik)
UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced
on Wednesday the end of the so-called Plan B
implemented in England since December, to
prevent the spreading of the Omicron
variant of the SARS-CoV-2.
Addressing Parliament, Johnson said.. that the
working from home guidance, the requirement
to wear face masks, and the use of COVID
passports, in some settings, will be
dropped, next week.
"This government got the toughest decisions right,"
the prime minister told lawmakers, adding that the
government "will trust the judgment of the British
people" ...when it comes to social distancing
measures and face mask covering... to
prevent the spreading of the virus.
The so-called Plan B was originally rolled out in
December to combat the spread of the highly
transmissible variant.
Reacting to the announcement, the leader of
the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, called it an
attempt to distract the public’s opinion on
the crisis the prime minister is facing...
following revelations, that he and his
staff in Downing Street held parties
during the COVID-19 lockdown.
[Rhondda Records adds - and in Wales?]
_____________________________
Booster programs... will
prolong COVID pandemic,
not end it,WHOchief warns
January 17th, (various media)
Blanket vaccine booster programs are likely to
prolong the COVID-19 pandemic, as inequity
in access to jabs, could lead to more
mutated variants that drag out the
crisis, the head of the World
Health Organization
(WHO) warns.
[The UK and others in the West... simply don't care, Rhondda Records adds]
__________________________________
Cannabis could prevent
Covid --- study claims
January 12th, 2:57pm (RT)
The next breakthrough in stopping Covid-19, may
come not from Big Pharma, but from the humble
pot plant. Researchers in Oregon in the US,
discovered that two compounds found in the devil’s lettuce can stop the virus in its tracks.
Rather than attempting to smoke their way
to immunity, a team of scientists at Oregon
University isolated two compounds from
hemp -- cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) and
cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) -- and found
they bind to the coronavirus’ spike
protein and stop it from binding to the outer membrane of human cells.
This latter binding process, is normally how the
virus enters the human lungs and other organs.
The two compounds are precursors to CBG and
CBD, which are widely legal, and available to
consumers. The CBG and CBD cannabis oils
and extracts are commonly used to treat
anxiety, sleep disorders, epilepsy, and a wide range of other ailments.
CBGA and CBDA “are not controlled substances like
THC... the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana and
have a good safety profile in humans,” said Richard
van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s
Global Hemp Innovation Centre. Van Breemen
added that these compounds “can be taken
orally,” and “have the potential to prevent
as well as treat infection” by
the coronavirus.
Van Breemen and his team published their research in
the Journal of Nature Products on Tuesday. However,
they have a long way to go before doctors begin
writing hemp oil prescriptions en masse. While
the study found CBGA and CBDA effective
against both the Alpha & Beta variants
of the coronavirus, it was carried out on human cells in a laboratory rather than actual human test subjects.
Still, the scientist sees these hemp compounds
eventually being used alongside vaccines... to
make “a much more challenging environment”
for Covid-19. One of the main criticisms of the
current crop of vaccines is that they use the
original spike protein of the virus as an
antigen, meaning that when variants
emerge... with new spike protein
mutations, they are more likely
to evade the protection offered by a vaccine.
“These variants are well known for evading antibodies
against early lineage [Covid-19].... which is obviously
concerning given that current vaccination strategies
rely on early lineage spike proteins as an antigen,”
said van Breemen. “Our data show CBDA & CBGA
are effective against the two variants we looked at, and we hope that trend will extend to other
existing and future variants.”
_________________________________
UK government gives NHS
to private companies
to ''help''with Covid
January 10th 10:52am (PressTV)
The National Health Service (NHS), the publicly funded
healthcare system in the UK, is seeking ''help'' from private health companies to deliver critical treat-
ments... such as cancer surgery.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has ordered England's
NHS to strike a ''3-month'' agreement with private
health companies --- to allow patients to get
specific treatments, as the NHS hospitals
are ''overwhelmed'' with COVID-19.
David Sloman, NHS England chief operating officer
and COVID incident director, said on Monday the
deal “places independent health providers on
standby to provide further help should
hospitals face unsustainable levels of
hospitalizations or staff absences.”
The agreement includes Practice Plus Group, Spire
Healthcare, Circle Health Group, and several other
leading private companies, according to the NHS.
Circle CEO Paolo Pieri said the company has been
helping the NHS, since the first COVID wave in
March 2020, performing urgent treatments
for over 400,000 NHS patients.
According to the Spire Healthcare, under the agreed
deal the company “will grant NHSE access to 100%
of its facilities and teams on a local, regional or
national basis, in the event of a surge of
COVID-19 patients in NHS hospitals
in England.”
The Spire said the deal ''expires'' on March 31st, 2022.
The new plan comes in the wake of the highest level of
hospital staff absence in England, since the vaccine
rollout began.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed
sorrow over the “terrible toll” of more than 150,000
deaths inflicted by the coronavirus in the UK.
The UK’s death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic
has reached more than 150,100, making it the
world's seventh worst official pandemic toll.
PM Boris Johnson confirmed the number and
expressed sorrow over the fatalities last
weekend. He said the coronavirus has
“taken a ‘terrible toll’ on the country.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove was at pains to assert that there is mounting pressure on
British hospitals... and the country is ''not
yet'' in a position to live with
the pandemic.
_______________________________________
UK care sector declares ‘red’ alert amid Covid staffing shortage
January 5th, 1:42pm (RT)
Over 11,000 care home workers are currently unable
to work, amid the spread of the Omicron strain, with
staffing shortages leaving the UK sector struggling
to cope and infections delaying hospital discharges.
Government data shows that, across England, 9.4% of
care home staff are temporarily off work, with around
3% self-isolating due to Covid. Although the figures
could be higher, having been undercounted... due
to the festive period and bank holiday weekend.
The situation has forced more than 90 care operators
to declare a “red” alert, meaning that they don’t have
the staff to meet patient demands. This has been
exacerbated by a shortage of PCR tests,
delaying workers from getting test
results and forcing them to
isolate at home longer
than needed.
Barchester, one of the UK’s largest care home
operators, running 250 establishments, has
warned: that it is facing Covid outbreaks in 105 of its homes. Under government
guidelines, care homes with active
outbreaks cannot accept hospital
discharges, creating a backlog
and preventing the struggling
NHS from clearing beds.
Staffing shortages have forced care agencies to offer
up to £80 ($108.31) an hour for temporary staff – four
times the normal cost – as well as resulting in homes
poaching staff from other providers at the last minute.
“The spread of Omicron across the country will bring
more care homes into outbreaks, put huge pressure
on the already compromised staff group, and mean
those who need care, do not get it,” said Vic
Rayner, the chief executive of the National Care Forum.
To address the situation, one care operator in
Yorkshire, Mike Padgham, called on the UK
government to establish a “volunteer
army”... of retired nurses, doctors,
and carers who could potentially
fill shifts at short notice.
Despite the situation in care homes, the chief
executive of Barchester, Pete Calveley, says
that the virus is not causing serious illness
and death among the majority of residents
....with most only showing “minor or
cold-like symptoms.”
____________________________
Growing evidence that
Vitamin K improves
heart health
by Pavel López Lazo
January 2nd, 5:27pm (Prensa Latina)
New Edith Cowan University (ECU) research
has found that people who eat a vitamin K-
rich food... have up to a 34% lower risk of
atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular
disease, the US magazine
SciTechDaily reported.
Researchers examined data from over 50,000
people taking part in the Danish Diet, Cancer,
and Health study, over a 23-year period.
They investigated whether people who ate
more foods containing vitamin K, had a
lower risk of cardiovascular disease
related to atherosclerosis (plaque
build-up in the arteries).
There are two types of vitamin K found in foods
we eat: vitamin K1 comes mainly from green
leafy veggies and vegetable oils, while
vitamin K2 is found in meat, eggs,
and fermented foods, such
as cheese.
The study found.... that people with the highest
intakes of the vitamin K1.. were 21% less likely
to be hospitalized with cardiovascular disease
closely related to atherosclerosis.
For vitamin K2, the risk of being
hospitalized was 14% lower.
University of Western Australia researcher Dr. Jamie
Bellinge, the first author on the study, said the role
of vitamin K in cardiovascular health, and
particularly in vascular calcification,
is an area of research... offering
promising hope for the future.
“Current dietary guidelines for the consumption of
vitamin K are generally only based on the amount
of vitamin K1 a person should consume, to
ensure that their blood can coagulate,”
explained ECU researcher and
senior author on the study,
Dr. Nicola Bondonno.
However, there is growing evidence that intakes of
vitamin K - above current guidelines - can afford
further protection against the development of
other diseases, such as atherosclerosis.
“Although more research is needed to fully
understand the process, we believe that
vitamin K works by protecting against
the calcium build-up in the major
arteries of the body leading to
vascular calcification.”
“Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause
of death in Australia... and there’s still a limited
understanding of the importance of different
vitamins found in food and their effect on
heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral
artery disease,” Dr. Bellinge said.
_______________________________________
Chinese Think Tank: US Most LikelyOrigin of COVID-19
December 25th, 1:50pm (FNA)
The US is most likely the country where the
coronavirus originated and it is most
responsible for the fast global
spread of the deadly viral
pathogen, according to
a research report.
The report titled... ‘US Responsible for Global Spread
of COVID-19’ was jointly released by the Intelligence
& Alliance Think Tank and the Taihe Institute in
China ,on Friday.
China's official Xinhua news agency, published the report’s findings, saying data from multiple
sources had shown that the US was to blame for the coronavirus out-break as its political manipulation of the disease had made the global anti-pandemic efforts, difficult
and challenging.
“Evidence indicating COVID-19 originated from
the United States has kept cropping up,” the
report said.
“For example, the timeline of the outbreak in the
United States has been continuously backdated,
the role of the US military is implicated in the
origin and spread of COVID-19, and early
cases, in many countries, are linked to
the United States,” it added.
Calling the United States "the main force of global
COVID-19 spread", the report said... the country
missed the best time to contain the pandemic
at an early stage... and its open-door policy as well as its irresponsible repatriation of immigrants... had exacerbated the global spread of the virus.
Xinhua also said that the US troops stationed
overseas have repeatedly violated epidemic
prevention protocols and accelerated
the transmission.
The country's failure to control COVID-19 in
international events, has led to "super-
spreading" of the virus and its
unilateral sanctions have led
to a humanitarian crisis,
according to
the report.
Stressing that the US political manipulation has made
the global fight against the pandemic more difficult,
the report said the country shirked responsibility
for pandemic prevention, which undermined
international anti-pandemic efforts.
“The United States has been obsessed with political
self-interest and evaded due responsibility,” Xinhua
cited the report as saying, adding that political
polarization harmed both America and the
world at large.
Underlining that the US should abandon its obsession
with political self-interest, and reflect on epidemic
prevention and control, the report called on the
country to stop politicizing the coronavirus
and undermining international anti-
pandemic cooperation.... and
actively share its vaccines
with the world.
It also urged the US, to conduct origins tracing
research in a scientific manner and facilitate
global economic recovery, so that the
COVID-19 pandemic will be
eventually defeated.
The theory that the contagion had leaked from a
Chinese lab was originally hyped up by, among
others... the administration of former US
President Donald Trump, as part of his
hawkish anti-China policies.
Since infecting its first victims in the central Chinese
city of Wuhan, in late 2019, the pandemic has
spread to nearly every country across the
globe, causing more than 278 million
infections and nearly 5.4 million
deaths worldwide.
Last week, Trump said the US should make China pay
for the COVID disaster, demanding that the US tariffs
on Chinese goods be increased “very substantially”
as reparation payments for the chaos unleashed by the virus.
China has repeatedly called on the US to give a full
clarification on its bio-military activities at home
and abroad, a matter of concern shared by
Russia and others.
___________________________________
NHS Leader Warns: England
Hospital Units May Close as
Staff Revolt over Jab Mandate
December 20th, 12:33pm (FNA)
Entire hospital units could be forced to shut because
of staff quitting in protest at the government’s order
that they must all be vaccinated against COVID-19,
a senior NHS leader warned.
Chris Hopson, the chief executive of NHS Providers,
said that - at one hospital trust in England - 40 midwives were refusing to get jabbed,
raising fears that the maternity unit
may have to close, The Guardian
reported.
“Trust leaders are acutely aware that -- from April
onwards, when COVID vaccinations will become
mandatory -- decisions by staff to remain
unvaccinated could – in extreme
circumstances – lead to patient
services being put at risk,”
said Hopson.
“If sufficient numbers of unvaccinated staff in
a particular service in a particular location
choose not to get vaccinated, the viability
and/or safety of that service could be at
risk,” Hopson added.
Hopson did not name the trust. But he cautioned that
its maternity unit is “one representative example” of
potential closures on grounds of patient safety that
the government’s decision to compel NHS staff in
England to be vaccinated or risk losing their job
could lead to.
Hopson said, “I was talking to a [trust] chief executive
who said that 40 of the midwives on their midwifery
service … were saying they were not prepared to
be vaccinated. Those staff, given their skills and
their expertise, are not easily redeployed, but
they’re also extremely difficult to replace."
The trust’s chief executive “is seriously concerned
about the safety of the service” because of the
potential exodus of midwives.
Maternity staff quitting over compulsory jabs posed
a particular challenge because of the NHS-wide
shortage of midwives, Hopson said.
NHS England estimates that maternity services need
2,000 more whole-time equivalent midwives, while
the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) puts the
figure at 2,500.
The Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, and NHS England
need to “be clear well in advance how we will
resolve the - hopefully - small number of
instances where service viability and
safety could be at risk”, because of
frontline personnel leaving rather
than getting immunised,
said Hopson.
The new rule applies to any staff who have face-to-
face contact with patients, but also non-clinical
staff, including hospital porters.
Javid told the Commons last Tuesday that “despite
the incredible effort to boost uptake across the
country... there are still approximately 94,000
NHS staff who are unvaccinated. It’s critical
to patient safety that health and care staff
get the jab”.
However, the number of NHS workers who have had
a first dose since the government first announced
in September that it was adopting a policy of
compulsory jabs, has risen since by 55,000,
he added.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)
impact assessment of its policy, found that as
many as 126,000 unvaccinated staff could
lose their job when the rule comes into
force.... on April the 1st.
The House of Lords... has raised concerns about the
policy. Its secondary legislation scrutiny committee
has warned that the DHSC’s definition of “face-to-
face” is too vague, that it had no obvious
contingency plans to “cope with
expected staff losses” and that the potential loss of
unvaccinated staff...
was “likely to be
particularly
acute” in
London.
The RCM said, “We don’t yet have a number for
midwives who have yet to be vaccinated.
However, to meet the statutory require-
ment, they will need to have their first
vaccination by February the 3rd. The
RCM will represent members. But
there are very limited options."
“We are concerned that this will inevitably deepen
maternity staff shortages... and severely impact
those midwives and maternity support workers
left behind in services already struggling with
acute staffing shortages,” it added.
The DHSC did not respond directly
to Hopson’s comments.
A spokesperson said, “We are grateful to all
our NHS staff who work incredibly hard."
“Vaccinations remain our best defence against
COVID-19. This is about patient safety and it’s
our duty to ensure that they are as safe as
can be," the spokesperson added.
“Working with organisations... in the health and care
sector, we will continue to support those who have
not yet received the vaccination... to take up the
offer to protect themselves, their loved ones
and their patients,” the spokes-
person added.
...and in Wales?
__________________________________
Pets don’t spread COVID to humans,
mustn’t be excuse for animal
abandonment, expert says
December 15th, 12:04pm (TASS)
Cases when pets catch COVID-19 are rare and they
don’t infect humans and so there is no reason to
throw them out on the street over the fear of
contamination, Vice President of the
Russian Academy of Sciences,
Irina Donnik, said
on Wednesday.
"It is most important that we may sleep peacefully and
animals should not be thrown out on the street and
certainly, domestic animals must not be handed
over. However, when news broke that domestic
animals get infected, the number of homeless
animals in the streets, and the owners who
throw them out grew 25-fold," Donnik said.
The scientist explained that cats and dogs get infected
with their own coronaviruses and don’t pass these
viruses to humans. Meanwhile, the infected
humans should better limit contacts
with animals.
According to her, people in markets create conditions
that could not be present in a natural environment,
where animals of non-crossing species have
contact with each other. This creates risks
of COVID-19 transmission between wild
animals and humans. The key
transmitters of the virus,
are bats and camels.
"Bats are an ideal incubator of new pathogenic
viruses, including coronaviruses, as they can
be asymptomatic virus carriers because of a
limited immune and inflammatory response,"
Donnik specified.
___________________________
Doctor who flagged Omicron
advises against harsh
restrictions
December 14th, 1:23pm (RT)
There is ''no need'' to impose tougher restrictions over
the Omicron variant as the cases are “predominantly
mild”, the head of South Africa Medical Association
Dr. Angelique Coetzee, has said.
The South African GP was the first medic who raised
concern about the new Covid-19 variant four weeks
ago. Answering questions of the UK Parliament’s
Science & Technologies committee on Tuesday,
Dr Coetzee said... that “we don’t have all the
answers” and that “we need to see how
this virus progresses”.
However, the current picture shows that Omicron is a
“mild disease”, & less dangerous than Delta variant,
thought it might be more transmissible, she added.
Dr Coetzee said that the existing data, though
limited, shows that the symptoms in Omicron
patients, even in those who are hospitalized,
are milder, they get better quicker & there
have been no cases of long COVID in
these patients.
Therefore, she noted that, before imposing travel bans
and other tough restrictions, it would make sense for
governments to take measures internally: to get
more people vaccinated, make sure that they
are wearing masks, avoid crowded places,
and keep social distance.
Saying that South Africa is “still on the same level of
restrictions”, she underlined that “we don't see
the need for stricter restrictions."
“The virus is everywhere. Maybe, in a way, we
need to learn how to live with this,” she said.
Earlier, in an article for Daily Mail, Dr. Coetzee was
even more straightforward.. in her criticism of
what she called “knee-jerk reactions”, to the
news of discovery of the new COVID variant.
The UK was one of the first countries to
impose bans on travel from South
Africa in the aftermath of the
announcement.
“Indeed, I am disappointed by such knee-jerk
reactions. They bear no relation to what we
are seeing in surgeries in South Africa,
where people rarely even discuss
Omicron.
As one Twitter user commented:
'Covid's become a UK neurosis’”,
she wrote.
________________________________
Omicron causes pneumonia
2-3 times faster ...than
previously known
strains: expert says
December 8th, 1:23pm (TASS)
The Omicron coronavirus strain can cause pneumonia
2-3 times faster than previously known coronavirus strains, said Alexander Semyonov... who heads the Yekaterinburg Research Institute of Viral Infections (affiliate of the Vector Centre of the Federal Service for Surveillance ....on Consumer Rights Protection
and Human Wellbeing),
when speaking
with Izvestia.
"What’s not good about the Omicron strain, is that
just like Delta it has more tropism, meaning, it is
capable of interacting with the epithelium of
lungs, the lower respiratory tract. This is
why Omicron descends into the lungs
faster, causing pneumonia.''
''This is very alarming. With the infection with the ‘old’
coronavirus, an individual had up to 10-11 days from
the moment of infection, to pneumonia. This time it
was possible to come from the most remote village
to a hospital where one can obtain qualified help.
Now it’s 3-5 days," the expert explained.
According to him, the spread of the strain will not
strongly impact the effectiveness of vaccines.
"It is possible that it will be somewhat lower but not critically so. There are no exact data yet
....only the preliminary ones. According to
some data the effectiveness decreases,
yet no more than by 40%, not several-
fold. According to other data, it
decreases even less," the
expert stressed.
The scientist noted that overall, the scenario of the
development of the pandemic now exclusively
depends on the immunization rate of
the population.
"If vaccination rates increase with the same speed
they’re increasing with now, then we can expect
another small increase and then the incidence
will go down, flaring up from time to time. If the
rates do not increase, then it is possible to
expect another rise in incidence closer to
spring," he explained.
The expert also said that after the end of the current
pandemic, new coronaviruses will emerge, ready to
break through interspecies barriers and come
to humans.
"Recently, an expedition of Paris’ Pasteur Institute and
the Lao Academy of Sciences worked in a hard-to-
access unpopulated region between Vietnam,
Laos and China.''
''These are mountains covered with jungles, caves,
forest, swamps, waterfalls - impassable places.
The scientists took samples from wild bats
there and isolated coronaviruses ---
surprisingly similar to SARS-CoV-2.''
''And these new viruses also can effectively infect
human cells, this was verified under laboratory
conditions. They are waiting for their moment.
There are also several groups of viruses that
are also standing on the threshold of the
interspecies barrier... and are ready, to
break through it, and come to humans.''
''We have to realize that this may happen in the
near future and be prepared for it," he said.
________________________________
Over half Omicron cases
in England --- are in
the double jabbed
by Pavel López Lazo
December 3rd, 7:16pm (Prensa Latina)
More than half of those infected with the Omicron
coronavirus variant, in England, were double
jabbed, health officials have said, as the
number of cases detected in the UK
continues to rise sharply.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKSA),
12 of the 22 known cases up to November 30th had
been fully vaccinated, and two others received the
first jab, 15 days earlier.
Six of the remaining eight positive cases were not
vaccinated, while no data is available on two of
the cases.
None of the cases is known to have been hospitalized
or died, but the UKHSA said that “most of the cases
have a specimen date that is very recent and that
there is a lag between the onset of infection and
hospitalization and death.”
UK has so far confirmed at least 43 Omicron cases,
most of them in Scotland, where a gig by pop
music group, Steps in Glasgow, could have
been the focus of transmission.
The National Statistics Office (NSO) on Friday
announced that, despite fears unleashed by
the new Omicron variant, the Delta strain,
continues to be the predominant variant
in the country, being responsible for
99% of positive cases reported
last week.
In the last 24 hours, as many as 50, 584 new cases,
and 143 deaths were reported, totaling 10.3 million
people infected and 145,424 deaths, since the
beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Study names major
risks for vapers
December 1st, 2:36pm (RT)
Men who vape or use e-cigarettes are more than twice
as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than those
who have never used the popular nicotine-based
smoking alternatives, a new study has found.
The study, which analyzed self-reported data from
almost 14,000 US men aged between 20 and 65,
found that regular e-cigarette users were
around 2.2 times more likely to
experience impotence than
non-smokers.
The findings were published in the American
Journal of Preventive Medicine on Wednesday.
The risk was found to be 2.4 times greater in a smaller
sample of men younger than 65 – with normal body
mass indexes and no history of heart disease –
when compared to non-vapers. The study did
not include data on whether the respondents
were taking medications that can raise the
risk of erectile dysfunction.... such as
antidepressants or heart medication.
Researchers noted the “abundant evidence” already
linking smoking and nicotine to sexual dysfunction
and theorized that the particularly high level of
nicotine in vaping liquid reduces blood flow
to the penis and interferes with the normal
functions of blood vessels, though they
didn’t definitively prove the link.
Nonetheless, the study’s authors – from New York
University and Johns Hopkins University – noted
that vaping enthusiasts needed to be warned
about the potential impact on their
sexual health.
Citing research based on rodent models, the
researchers also noted that another
“plausible” link was exposure to
e-cigarette “refill liquids.. with or
without nicotine.” These contain
chemicals that may reduce
testosterone levels in the
human body and impair
normal erectile function.
“Overall, e-cigarettes are likely less harmful than
smoking cigarettes to the degree that they
substitute cigarette smoking,” the study’s
lead author, Omar El Shahawy, told Insider.
He added that men who view vaping as a
healthier alternative should try to “limit”
the habit as it is “simply not risk free.”
The study comes as England gears up to become
the first country to prescribe e-cigarettes as a
method to help smokers kick the habit. In
October, the UK’s Medicines and Health-
care products Regulatory Agency issued
updated guidance.. that would allow the
products to be offered through the NHS.
But El Shahawy warned that the relationship
between vaping and impotence needs to be
“fully investigated” in further studies. The
study did not detail whether the risk of
erectile dysfunction was comparable
to that posed by smoking.
________________________________
Report: Tens of Thousands Missed Cancer Referrals in UK ''Due to COVID-19''
December 1st, 11:43am (FNA)
The NHS may be missing more than 9 million
referrals, while patients face - a “postcode
lottery” for cancer treatment and routine
operations, a parliament watchdog
has warned.
Millions of patients... have either avoided, or been
unable to obtain healthcare during the pandemic
leaving the NHS with a potential unknown back-
log of operations, which could push the
national waiting list to 12 million by
2025, The Independent reported.
A report from the government’s National Audit Office,
on Wednesday, also warned that patients across
England are facing a postcode lottery in terms
of waits - with some hospital waiting lists far
larger than others following the pandemic.
The findings come ahead the government’s plan to
tackle the NHS’ treatment and surgery backlog,
which is expected to be published this week.
In November the NHS recorded its highest
ever waiting list, at 5.8 million.
According to the NAO’s analysis NHS services in
Birmingham and Solihull have racked up the
longest waiting lists - with 51 percent of
patients waiting more than 18 weeks,
compared to 20 percent in Surrey.
Birmingham and Solihull also had the worst for
cancer waiting times according to the data,
with 57 percent waiting more than three
months compared to Surrey, Kent
and Cornwall.
The NAO said variations may reflect, differences in
areas, such as poverty levels and rates of routine
operations, prior to March 2020, as well as the
direct impact of the pandemic.
The findings come after NHS data in November,
revealed the number of patients waiting more
than two years for treatment following a
referral, rose to a record 12,491.
The report also estimated there were between 240,000
and 740,000 “missing” urgent GP referrals for
patients with suspected cancer between
March 2020 and September 2021 and
up to 60,000 patients, missing first
treatments, in the same period.
The NAO warned, “The NHS was doing more work
year-on-year, before the-pandemic, but the
demand for its services was increasing...
even faster. To keep pace, it would have
needed either more beds and more staff
or a different way of working, or most
likely, a combination of all three.”
When COVID-19 first hit England, the NHS rapidly
agreed a deal with 27 private sector hospitals to
carry out routine operations.... amid fears
hospitals would be overwhelmed.
Under this national contract, during 2020-21, the NHS
will have paid £2.1 billion to private sector providers
in return for 3.3 million completed treatments, according to the NAO’s report.
Between March 2019 and February 2020,
independent providers carried out 8%
of routine operations for the NHS.
Following the pandemic... the NAO said there was a “sharp” reduction in operations carried out by
private sector hospitals in the initial stages of
the pandemic but that this increased to pre-
pandemic levels from June 2021.
It is not clear how many operations and treatments
were expected to be carried out by private
providers under the £2.1 billion contract,
and NHS England has never officially
released this information.
However, in November last year, the Health Service
Journal reported just one third of capacity paid
for by the NHS in private hospitals was used
following the first pandemic wave.
Eve Byrne, head of campaigns and public affairs, at Macmillan Cancer Support, said, “This report
confirms what we hear --- day in, day out, from
people living with cancer.... Chronic staffing
shortages are already having a devastating
impact on cancer patients, and we have
major concerns that is only set to
worsen without urgent action."
She said the government’s plan to tackle
the operations backlog must be backed
up by steps.... to ensure enough
nursing staff.
“Without these critical pieces of the puzzle, we
risk increasing numbers of people facing later
diagnoses, poorer care and potentially worse
chances of survival. This has to change,”
she added.
As part of its recommendations the NAO has said
the government, NHS England and education
body Health Education England, should
develop a detailed plan to address
shortages in the workforce over
the next 12 months to 3 years.
The recommendation comes just after the government
rejected an amendment to the Health and Care Bill by
MP Jeremy Hunt which would have required the
Secretary of State for Health and Care to
publish independent assessments of
NHS workforce gaps, every 2 years.
Dr Tim Mitchell, vice president of the Royal College
of Surgeons of England said, “The NHS faces huge
challenges as staff continue to treat COVID-19
patients, while trying to reduce the vast
waiting list for planned care.
He called for the government’s upcoming plan to
include guidance --- on how it would set up
“surgical hubs” and separate planned
surgery from emergency care... to allow for operations to continue safely during the pandemic.
The royal college vice president added, “Also we urge
the government to amend the Health and Care Bill, to
ensure there are independently verified assessments
of workforce numbers. It will take investment both in surgical hubs and staff to bring waiting times down to acceptable levels.”
An NHS spokesperson said, “Treating more than half
a million patients in hospital for COVID... as well as
delivering a world-leading vaccination programme,
has inevitably had an impact on some routine and
non-urgent care, yet, since the pandemic began,
the NHS has performed millions of routine
procedures, and over 450,000 people
have started treatment for cancer."
“NHS staff are now pulling out all the stops to recover
elective activity levels, making good use of additional
resources to open new surgical hubs and diagnostic
centres, develop innovative ways of working and
perform more operations, tests, checks and
scans, so anyone who is concerned about
their health should come forward so the
NHS can help you,” the spokes-
person added.
(Rhondda Records adds: and in Wales?)
__________________________
Long-term efficacy of Russian
Sputnik V jab revealed
November 24th, 6:32pm (RT)
The Russian-made Sputnik V Covid vaccine
has demonstrated high long-term efficacy,
according to data collected in San Marino.
The jab remains around 80% effective
against the disease 6 to 8 months
after being administered.
The data was revealed on Wednesday by the
Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), the
sovereign wealth fund which bankrolled
the vaccine’s development.
Evaluation of the vaccine’s performance is based
on analysis of real-world experience obtained in
the Republic of San Marino. About 70% of the
microstate’s 34,000-strong population have
received the Russian-made vaccine.
“The data is based on the number of Covid infections
in San Marino, in November 2021. Efficacy was
calculated based on data obtained from over
18,600 individuals fully vaccinated with
Sputnik V not less than five months
before November,” the RDIF said
in a statement.
The analysis shows that the vaccine remained some
“80% effective against coronavirus infection from
6 to 8 months, after administering the second
dose.” Hospitalization rates among those
Sammarinese who got vaccinated with
Sputnik V have been extremely low,
with “only 0.75 per 1,000 people”
ending up in hospital, over the
span of the mass vaccination
campaign, from February to November 2021.
“This rate is more than two times lower than that
of any other vaccine used in the country,” the
RDIF noted.
“Efficacy of Sputnik V in 6-8 months, is much higher
than the officially published efficacy of mRNA vaccines,”the fund added.
Multiple studies have raised the alarm: about the
waning efficacy of mRNA vaccines - with the US
Pfizer jab in particular, faring rather poorly over
a long period of time. According to a study,
bankrolled by Pfizer itself - and published
in the leading medical journal the Lancet
-- the jab demonstrated 88% efficacy in
the first month, after full vaccination,
dropping to only 47% after 5 months.
The study was based on analyzing a large amount
of data, harvested during vaccination campaigns
in the US.
A competing mRNA vaccine, the Covid-19 shot by
Moderna, another US company, has apparently
shown significantly better long-term efficacy
than Pfizer’s shot. According to the firm’s
own claims, the jab remains some 93%
effective... six months after full
vaccination, compared to the
shot’s initial efficacy of 94%.
These estimates have been corroborated by
research from the US Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).
The research showed the Pfizer jab’s efficacy
falling from 91% to 77% over the 120-day
period after vaccination, compared to
Moderna’s shot -- demonstrating a
decline from 93% to 92% during
the same period.
An analysis of effectiveness of the mRNA shots over
a longer period of time, however, has produced
worrying results. According to a study, based
on data from of nearly 800,000 US veterans
and published in the Science journal early
this month, both Pfizer and Moderna jabs
demonstrated ''a major decline'' in efficacy, over a 7-month period.
While effectiveness against the disease was
some 89% for Moderna and 87% for Pfizer
in March, it dropped to 58% and 43%
respectively, by September.
___________________________________
Assisted death... only for vaccinated,
euthanasia association says
November 24th, 9:21am (RT)
Anyone wishing to be euthanized now, has to first
present proof of vaccination, or recovery from
Covid, as per the new guidelines issued by
Germany's euthanasia association.
A statement put out by the Hamburg-based group on
Friday reads... “assisted suicide and the preliminary
examination of a patient’s ability to make decisions
freely implies physical closeness between people.
However, that is precisely the precondition for the spread of Covid.”
In February 2020, Germany's top court overturned
a ban on providing euthanasia as unconstitutional.
A number of German regions have put in place strict
curbs, banning the unvaccinated from most public
places. Across the country, only recovered or
inoculated people can enter restaurants,
museums, and similar venues, while
those even with a negative Covid
test cannot. Amid the surge in
cases, the German states of
Saxony and Bavaria have
both cancelled.... all
Christmas markets.
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, told her fellow
party members on Monday that the current wave
of Covid in Germany, was worse than any
previous one, and called for stricter
measures to contain it.
The country’s health minister, Jens Spahn, went
even further, claiming that “by the end of this
winter, everyone in Germany will either be
vaccinated, recovered, or dead.”
Those statements came as the seven-day infection
rate per 100,000 people broke a new grim record
on Wednesday, reaching the 404.5 mark.... as
reported by Germany’s disease control and
prevention authority, the Robert Koch
Institute.
______________________________________
Covid jab compensation
claims soar in Australia
November 17th, 3:15pm (RT)
Australia’s government could be forced to spend tens
of millions in payouts - after receiving over 10,000
compensation claims from people who suffered
side effects and a loss of income, due to
Covid-19 vaccines.
Under a no-fault indemnity scheme, eligible claimants
can apply for compensation amounts... of between
AU$5,000 (US$3,646) to AU$20,000 (US$14,585)
to cover medical costs and lost wages, as a
result of being hospitalized, after getting
the shot. The scheme’s online portal
is scheduled to be launched
next month.
Official figures suggest, however, that over 10,000 people
have already indicated their intention to make a claim,
since registration opened on the health department’s
website in September. If each claim was approved,
the government could face a bill of at least
AU$50 million (US$36.46 million).
There were around 78,880 adverse events to Covid-related
vaccination in Australia as of November 7th, according to
the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which regulates
national health products. The majority of side effects
were minor, including headaches, nausea, and
arm soreness.
Only people who experienced a moderate to significant
adverse reaction that resulted in a hospital stay of at
least one night are eligible for coverage under the
government’s scheme. Those seeking $20,000
or less have to provide proof their claims are
vaccine-related – although there has been
no information, as yet, on exactly what
evidence would be acceptable.
“Adverse events, even though they happen to a tiny
proportion of people, for the people it does impact
it’s really quite devastating,” Clare Eves, head of
medical negligence at injury compensation firm
Shine Lawyers, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Among the adverse reactions covered... are the blood
clotting disorder “thrombosis with thrombocytopenia
syndrome (TTS)” linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine
and... the “myocarditis and pericarditis” heart
conditions associated with the Pfizer vaccine.
Other reportedly accepted side effects are Guillain-Barré
syndrome, a rare neurological condition, and immune
thrombocytopenia (excessive bleeding due to low
platelet levels).
Claims for over $20,000, including those for vaccine-
related deaths, will be assessed by an independent
legal panel of legal experts and compensation
paid on its recommendations. Nine people
have reportedly died after an adverse
reaction to one of the 3 vaccines
in the country.
Eves told the Morning Herald that her firm was
representing a number of litigants over the
vaccine side effects, including several
who are not eligible for the scheme.
_______________________________
Ambulance Logjams Leave
Patients Dying With 12,000
Annually Suffering 'Severe
Harm', Says NHS Report
November 15th, 3:30pm (Sputnik)
Although the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is
known to have struggled for a long time to meet
'recommended ambulance response times' for
patients who have suffered a stroke or severe
burns – classified as Category 2 – in recent
months some patients have been forced to
wait for nearly an hour, after calling 999.
Increasingly long times to hand patients arriving in
ambulances, over to the Accident & Emergency
department (A&E) are resulting in more people
either dying or suffering a permanent setback
to their health, according to a damning report
by the UK NHS ambulance service.
Long periods of waiting before patients can be admitted
to hospitals --- because of bed shortages caused by
COVID-19, delays in discharging patients and
record demand for care, could be affecting
up to 160,000 patients annually, said the
report, cited by the daily newspaper,
the Guardian.
Clarifying that a typical handover, takes much longer
than the projected 15 minutes, an estimated 12,000
of the aforementioned patients, suffer “severe
harm”, stated the document, drawn up by the
Association of Ambulance Chief Executives
(AACE) and based on official NHS figures.
The conclusions were drawn after all handover delays
of more than an hour, spanning 10 ambulance trusts
on January 4th - and the ensuing harm – had been
analysed.
The data was used to estimate... how many patients
annually suffer a deterioration in their health, or a
condition necessitating more invasive treatment
such as surgery, as a direct result of
waiting times.
“When very sick patients arrive at hospital and then have
to wait an excessive time for handover to emergency
department clinicians to receive an assessment and
definitive care, it is entirely predictable and almost
inevitable that some level of harm will arise. This
may take the form of a deteriorating medical or
physical condition, or distress and anxiety,
potentially affecting the outcome for
patients and definitely creating a
poor patient experience,” states the document.
Those patients who finally get admitted to hospital after
languishing in the back of an ambulance or waiting in
their home after dialing 999, are increasingly not
saved - because paramedics are overwhelmed
at A&E departments.
Although stopping short of saying how many patients
die annually because of ambulance logjams, the
report is cited as adding:
“We know that some patients have, sadly, died while
waiting outside ED [emergency departments], or
shortly after eventual admission to ED, after
a wait. Others have died while waiting for an ambulance response in
the community.”
The AACE report also estimated that because of the
pressure that hospitals are under, about 190,000
handovers a month – around half the total – take longer than they should.
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth was cited
by the outlet as deploring the scale of harm being
done to patients thanks to “years of Tory NHS
neglect”. In the wake of the report, a
Department of Health and Social
Care spokesman was cited
as saying:
“We are committed to supporting ambulance crews who
work tirelessly, responding to emergencies every day.
NHS England and Improvement, has given ambulance
trusts an extra £55 million to boost staff numbers for
winter, helping them to bolster capacity in control
rooms and on the frontline.”
The UK Department of Health and Social Care, also stated
it had pledged support to the NHS to meet unprecedented
challenges amid the coronavirus pandemic. It cited
record investments this year, including an extra
£5.4 billion over the next six months to support
the COVID-19 response, and £36 billion for
“health and care over the next 3 years”.
______________________________________
Latest scientific discovery may
lead to a cure for Alzheimer’s
November 15th, 11:11am (RT)
A team of scientists from the UK and Germany has
managed to reverse memory loss in mice... and
says the treatment could, potentially, lead to a
breakthrough in fighting Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers used the “humanized” therapeutic
antibody called TAP01_04, and the vaccine
called TAPAS.
According to a study published in Molecular Psychiatry,
both drugs triggered “a striking reduction” in the
formation of harmful deposits of protein, that
prevent communication between neurons
of the human brain.
Previous drugs for Alzheimer’s have a similar
mechanism, but have shown little success
and have sometimes produced negative
side effects.
One of the study’s authors, Mark Carr, a professor
from the Institute of Structural and Chemical
Biology at the University of Leicester, said,
“While the science is currently still at an
early stage, if these results were to be
replicated in human clinical trials,
then it could be transformative.”
The researchers are now looking for a commercial partner to run the anti- body, and the vaccine, through clinical trials on humans.
_______________________________
UK: NHS Waiting List at Record High as 5.8mln Still Waiting for Treatment
November 11th, 2:14pm (FNA)
More than 5.8 million patients were waiting for routine
surgery by the NHS, in England, by the end of
September, new data revealed.
This is the highest figure since August 2007 and comes
as hospital leaders have warned: the health service is
at “breaking point”, The Independent reported.
Ambulance services answered 82,000 emergency 999
calls in October, which was more then any other
month on record, while response times
have skyrocketed.
The average response time for category two patients
who needed emergency, but not life threatening,
care such as strokes, was nearly 54 minutes -
the longest average waiting time since
records began in 2017.
Response times for urgent calls - such as late stages of
labour, non-severe burns and diabetes - averaged three
hours, nine minutes and 58 seconds. This is up from
two hours, 35 minutes and 45 seconds in September,
and again is the longest average since current
records began.
The Independent has previously revealed ambulance
response times doubled during the pandemic, amid
a spike in patient deaths recorded by services.
Patients waiting for more than 12 hours in A&E also
reached the highest levels ever in October, with
7,059 waits recorded. This is more than five
times higher than the number of 12 hour
waits recorded in October 2020, which
saw 1,268 patients waiting.
Meanwhile there were 121,000 patients waiting over
four hours in A&E, following a decision to admit,
during the same month. Which is the highest
number on record.
The number of patients waiting more than year for
treatment has also risen for the first time in five
months, from 292,138 in August to more than
300,566 in September.
A total of 12,491 people in England were also waiting
more than two years to start routine hospital
treatment at the end of September 2021.
This is up from 9,754 at the end of August and is more
than four times the 2,722 people who were waiting
longer than two years in April.
NHS England has told hospitals to eliminate all waits
of more than two years by March 2022 and is due to
publish a plan on how the NHS will recover its
growing backlog of routine operations, later
this month.
For key diagnostic tests like X-rays and MRI scans, NHS
England data shows almost 370,000 people have waited
longer than six weeks. This is an improvement on
September 2020, when there were 419,841.
But in September 2019, before the pandemic, there were
just 38,802 people waiting longer than six weeks for a
diagnostic test.
The NHS has been given £5 billion to reduce NHS backlogs
including opening 100 community diagnostic hubs to try
and carry out more tests away from hospitals.
The number of urgent cancer patients who waited more
than two weeks to see a doctor was the highest-ever
on record in September, as was the number of
people who were left waiting more than a
month for treatment.
However, the numbers of people starting treatment for
cancer, in September, had risen.... compared to
pre pandemic levels.
Responding to figures, head of policy at Macmillan Cancer
Support Minesh Patel, stated it was “deeply concerning”
to see record numbers of people waiting too long for
specialist cancer treatment, in addition to this
she said “progress to clear the
backlog, stalled".
Professor Stephen Powis, medical director for the NHS
noted, “there is no doubt pressure on the health
service remains incredibly high”
He added, “But, despite high demand, NHS staff are
going above and beyond to see more patients and
deliver millions more tests, checks, treatments
and operations.
“Increasing numbers are coming forward for
treatment and this is expected to go up, but
it remains really important -- people do not
delay seeking help from the NHS, if they
feel unwell,” he continued.
Tim Gardener, senior fellow for think tank the Health
Foundation said, “Today’s figures provide further
evidence of the increasingly serious pressures
facing hospitals across the country."
“The government has said that the NHS is under
‘sustainable pressure’, but it would be extra-
ordinary to look at what’s happening in the
NHS right now.... and claim that it is
sustainable," Gardener continued:
“That we are facing pressures this significant,
before we have reached the peak of winter, is
concerning, particularly as cases of seasonal
viruses, and rising staff absences, are likely to add further pressure.”
New symptoms that could
help doctors diagnose pancreatic cancer
by Pavel López Lazo
November 10th, 5:10pm (Prensa Latina)
Researchers at the University of Oxford, UK, have identified a series of symptoms associated with pancreatic cancer, including two previously unrecognized symptoms - feeling thirsty and having dark urine.
The study has confirmed a further 23 signs of pancreatic
cancer, after looking at data from 24,230 patients who
were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in England
between 2000 and 2017, using a large electronic
database (QResearch).
The research, which is the largest study of its kind,
found 23 symptoms linked with the diagnosis of
PDAC... (yellowing of the skin, bleeding in the
stomach or intestine, problems swallowing,
diarrhea, change in bowel habits, vomiting,
indigestion, abdominal mass, abdominal
pain, weight loss, constipation, fat in
stool, abdominal swelling, nausea,
flatulence, heartburn, fever,
tiredness, loss of appetite,
itching, back pain, thirst,
and dark urine).
Nine symptoms were linked with PNEN (yellowing of
the skin, blood in stool, diarrhea, change in bowel
habits, vomiting, indigestion, abdominal mass,
abdominal pain, and weight loss).
“When pancreatic cancer is diagnosed earlier, patients
have a higher chance of survival. It is possible to
diagnose patients when they visit their GP, but
both patients and GPs... need to be aware of the symptoms associated with pancreatic
cancer.”Dr. Weiqi Liao said.
While most symptoms were not specific to pancreatic
cancer and could be due to other benign conditions,
the researchers found patients diagnosed with
pancreatic cancer, had a higher chance of
experiencing some of these non-specific
symptoms, one year before diagnosis.
Dr Liao said: “These new findings enable us to conduct
further work on understanding symptoms that could
suggest pancreatic cancer. This will help GPs to
make decisions - about who to refer for urgent
tests, especially when patients have several
seemingly non-specific symptoms.”
____________________________________
Care Homes in England Set to Lose
50,000 Staff as COVID Vaccine
Becomes Mandatory
(Rhondda Records: and in Wales?!!!)
November 10th, 2:31pm (FNA)
Tens of thousands of care home residents face
losing vital support, as unvaccinated carers
clock off for the last time, before double
jabs become mandatory.
About 50,000 care home staff who have not had
two doses in England will not be allowed to
work from Thursday. Analysis by the
Guardian suggests that on current
staff/resident ratios without other
measures to tackle the problem
------ the care of about 30,000 people could be affected.
Care operators and health chiefs have warned: staff
shortfalls could prevent thousands of people from
being discharged from hospitals this winter ---
limiting admissions and clogging up wards.
They say it will increase pressure on remaining care
staff to work longer hours, despite many being
already exhausted.
One of the largest not-for-profit operators, MHA,
estimates-about 750 care homes may have
already stopped taking new admissions..
because of the staffing crisis. Seven of
its homes are closed to new entrants
and it is losing up to 150 staff
because of the vaccine
policy, this week.
“It is scary, as we head into winter and the concern
is there will be a buildup of people in hospital who
can’t be discharged,” said Sam Monaghan, MHA chief executive.
The National Care Forum said providers are
running at 17% average staff vacancy rates.
Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS
Confederation, which represents healthcare
organisations, said people who were
medically fit to leave risked longer
hospital stays than necessary, at
a time when capacity is crucial.
“As we head towards what could be the most
challenging winter on record, we hope the
government has assessed the possible
knock-on impact of this policy,”
he said.
The Department of Health and Social Care said
councils will help care operators with staff
shortages, that it has provided town halls
with over £1bln of additional funding for
social care this year, and is running a
TV recruitment campaign.
Mandatory double vaccination for care workers in
homes for older and younger adults has boosted
vaccine protection, with close to nine out of 10
staff getting both jabs. But in areas including
Thurrock, Nottingham and Manchester -- a
fifth of staff are still not fully protected.
NHS staff and domiciliary care staff who look after
people in their own homes, will not need to be
fully vaccinated... until April 1st, 2022, the
government announced on Tuesday.
Claire Callender, 42, a short-staffed care home
manager in Warwickshire, who has already
closed 12 of her 27 bedrooms, said she
was laying off another care worker on
Wednesday because of the vaccine.
“The [situation] is absolutely ridiculous,” Callender
said, adding - “I have to turn a healthcare worker
away if they are not vaccinated, but not visitors
[who do not need vaccination].
Katie Madden, who worked night shifts at the Greenways
care home, cried when she told the Guardian about
leaving. She worked through a COVID outbreak at
the home and was sick with the virus for weeks.
She had planned to get the vaccine but was
anxious about it making her ill again.
“The decision was taken out of my hands …
and I thought, no, I’m not ready,” she said.
She washes residents, prepares them for bed
and checks on them through the night.
“This is a job I am going to be really upset about leaving,”
she said, adding, “I built a relationship with them all. We
were all there, through thick and thin, when everyone
was poorly … I could have run away when there was
coronavirus, but the old people were getting it and
it was breaking my heart. But I went there,
breaking my back to help, and it turns
from that, to –‘you can go now’.
I feel really let down.”
Neil Russell, the chairman of PJ Care, which provides
neurological care for adults, said he was losing 14
staff across three sites on Wednesday and
potentially... another dozen by December
24 unless they could persuade doctors
they are medically exempt.
Carers are allowed to self-certify a medical exemption
until Christmas, but must leave after that date, if it is
not confirmed.
Those leaving this week are going to new jobs including
in the NHS, and handling parcels at Amazon and John
Lewis warehouses, he said.
The Care Quality Commission, which regulates care
homes, will enforce the vaccine mandate with “a
proportionate approach, to ensure the welfare
and safety of people who use services”, it
has told operators.
“We will always treat each matter individually and
consider the individual circumstances when
undertaking an assessment and deciding
on any possible next steps,” it said.
________________________________
Swedish doctors sign petition
to stop Pfizer rollout over suspected fraud
November 9th, 9:36am (PressTV)
A group of doctors from Sweden, along with researchers
have signed a petition demanding the suspension of
vaccination with Pfizer jabs --- over reports of
violations in the trial of the vaccine.
In the petition, a group of 16 Swedish medical
practitioners have expressed grave concern
over what they call “gigantic” side effects of the Pfizer vaccine --- amid reports of a suspected research fraud.
It comes as the British Medical Journal (BMJ), a weekly
peer-reviewed medical journal from the UK, last week
cited a whistleblower as saying that a subcontractor
to Pfizer falsified data and failed to promptly follow
up on adverse events reported during the crucial
phase III trial of the vaccine last autumn.
Brook Jackson, who served as the regional director at
the Ventavia Research Group, told the BMJ that the
company unblinded patients, and employed
inadequately trained vaccinators.
According to the report, staff members who conducted
quality control checks were “overwhelmed by the
volume of problems they were finding.”
An employee at a US-based contract research company
helping to carry out Pfizer’s pivotal covid-19 vaccine
trial was fired, after reporting massive clinical trial
violations, a report says.
‘Extremely serious'
The group of Swedish doctors considered the
report surrounding Pfizer “extremely serious”.
“It undermines confidence in Pfizer, which is responsible
for testing the vaccine and for the safety of the vaccine
currently used by Swedes, including hundreds of
thousands of children,” the petition said.
The health experts also suggested that the extent of
the number of reported suspected side effects of
Pfizer jabs, is “gigantic”.
They put the number of suspected side effects reported
during the 10 months that vaccination has taken place,
at 83,744 ------ 10 times more than all the side effects reported, per year.
“The strong suspicion, that parts of the clinical trial of
Pfizer's vaccine were not performed in a scientifically
acceptable manner, and where the study results can
not be considered reliable, combined with the large
extent of reported suspected side effects, after
vaccination - many of a serious nature - makes
us, as doctors, researchers & immunologists
--- deeply concerned,” the petition stated.
____________________________________
UK Senior Adviser Says
Vaccinated Patients
Dying of COVID Due
to Waning Immunity
November 8th, 11:46am (FNA)
Double-jabbed vulnerable and elderly people are
dying from COVID-19 due to the efficacy of the
vaccine waning, a senior adviser said.
The effects of coronavirus vaccines are known to
wane some five or six months after the second
dose, as discovered in multiple studies
during the pandemic, PA news
agency reported.
It comes as the government launches a campaign
to encourage take-up of booster jabs this autumn.
While most of those dying with COVID-19 are
unvaccinated, reports last week said Number
10 was concerned about hospital admissions
& deaths among double-vaccinated people
rising, due to waning immunity.
Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK
Health Security Agency... told the BBC’s Andrew
Marr Show there are deaths among the elderly
because around 5% remain unvaccinated.
She added, “We’re still seeing deaths in mainly the
unvaccinated population ... but increasingly,
because of immune waning effects, there
are deaths in the vaccinated group
as well.”
She added that the majority of deaths are occurring
in the older age-groups --- particularly the over-70s,
and also among the clinically/extremely vulnerable
and those with underlying medical conditions.
She continued, “As we’ve mentioned, the immune
effects wane and what we see is, especially in the older or the vulnerable groups, those are the people whose immunity will wane the most."
“So, if you’re a healthy 30-year-old, then two doses
will protect you for a longer period. That’s why
those people need to come forward for their
third dose as soon as possible,” she added.
Patients over 50 and those most at risk from COVID-19
are currently eligible for a booster six months after
their second jab.
More than seven in 10 people aged 80 and over have
had their boosters while almost three in five people
50 and over have also had their top-ups,
according to NHS figures
from Sunday,
From Monday, booster jabs can be booked
one month earlier than previously allowed.
Under previous rules, people could only book their
booster six months after receiving their second
dose. Now, they will be able to arrange an
appointment after five months, and
attend as soon as the six-month
period is up.
The move is meant to accelerate the programme by
making it easier for people to book their inoculation.
Dr Hopkins said that, while the uptake of booster jabs
has been “quite good”... it has also been slower
than with previous doses.
“I think.. that may be due to people thinking they’re already protected, which is why we’re giving a lot of public health messages about why it’s so important for them to come forward for that third dose,” she added.
She added, “We know the virus is circulating at very
high levels in our community. So... unless people get
vaccinated, we will have a long and difficult winter.”
_________________________________________
Veteran care workerloses job
over vaccine mandate, blasts
government
November 8th, 7:07am (RT)
A UK care worker who worked in the field for over a dozen
years, decried the Covid-19 vaccine mandates, after her
refusal to be vaccinated cost her... her job. The story
has grabbed national headlines.
Louise Akester, 36, worked at Alderson House in Hull for
the last three years and in the healthcare field for 14
years, but has now lost her job, due to her non-
compliance with a mandate stating that all
care workers must be fully vaccinated
after November 11th, unless they
receive a medical exemption.
Opponents of vaccine mandates have argued that this
approach could lead to major staffing issues over
the winter months, while supporters insist it will
offer more protection to vulnerable care
home residents.
In a video she reportedly took... on Friday afternoon,
after her final shift, Akester tearfully explained how
losing her job and walking away from the people
she has cared for, was the hardest thing she has ever done.
“I just can't believe what the bloody government
is doing to us, I just don't get it, I don't
understand,” she said.
Akester said the situation is unfair, as residents and
guests are not required to be vaccinated under the
new rules. She claimed residents at her facility
are “crying their eyes out” over her departure,
and noted that she has been tested for
Covid-19 regularly --- and has worn
proper protective gear at her job.
Thousands could lose their jobs after November 11th,
and Akester, who said she made the minimum wage at her last job, said she has received lots of messages of support.
“It’s nice to know I’m not alone - that there’s
other people in my shoes,” she said.
Akester insisted that she is not against vaccines,
but is not ready to be vaccinated for Covid-19
just now. She previously told the Daily Mail
she is waiting -- due to concerns over the
potential long-term side effects.
“This choice should be my basic human right.
I do not deserve to be punished for saying
no,” she said.
However, she did not rule out being
vaccinated for Covid-19... at some
point in the future.
_____________________________
Covid-19 causes hearing
and balance disorders
by Pavel López Lazo
November 4th, 8am (Prensa Latina)
A team of experts disclosed that the SARS-CoV-2
virus causes hearing and balance disorders ---
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) reported.
“Coronavirus can infect cells of the inner ear, including
hair cells, which are critical for both hearing and
balance, causing hearing loss and tinnitus,”
researchers stressed.
In both human inner ear samples and stem cell-derived
cell models, specialists found that certain cells (ciliated and Schwann) express proteins necessary for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to enter.
A new study... from MIT and the Massachusetts Eye and
Ear provides evidence that “these two proteins include
the ACE2 receptor, which is found on the cell surface,
and two enzymes called furin and serine 2
transmembrane protease, which help the
virus to fuse with the host cell.”
Damage to cochlear hair cells, which can cause hearing
loss, is generally assessed by measuring otoacoustic
emissions, sounds made by sensory hair cells when
they respond to auditory stimulation.
Possible pathways for the virus to enter the ears include
the Eustachian tube, which connects the nose to the
middle ear.
The virus can also escape through the nose via small
openings surrounding the olfactory nerves. That
would allow the virus to enter the brain and infect the cranial nerves, including the one connected to the inner ear.
According to the Reports Nature’s Scientific journal,
Covid-19 causes more than 50 negative effects in
humans. These discomforts can last for weeks
and even months after a patient’s recovery is
decreed. The list of complaints is led by
fatigue, headache, attention disorder,
hair and tooth loss, shortness of
breath, loss of taste, smell,
cough, chest discomfort,
the decreased ability to
pulmonary diffusion,
sleep apnea.... and
pulmonary fibrosis.
Patients may also have heart disorders such
as arrhythmias and myocarditis; in addition
to tinnitus (when a ringing or other noise is
felt in one or both ears) and night sweats
...in addition to neurological disorders,
including dementia, depression,
anxiety... and obsessive-
compulsive disorders.
______________________________
High efficacy of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in protecting the elderly confirmed by the large Argentinian study
November 1st, at 10:57am (RT)
A real-world study carried out in Argentina's capital
of Buenos Aires, has proven the high efficacy of
Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19
in those aged above 60, the distributor of
the jab has said.
The results of the large-scale research by the Ministry
of Health of the City of Buenos Aires were published
in the prestigious, peer-reviewed Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA) last week.
The study included more than 660,000 elderly residents
of Buenos Aires who'd been vaccinated with Sputnik V,
AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm jabs, between June the
1st and June the 15th, 2021.
According to the paper, infection rates decreased by
over 88% among those fully vaccinated, while
mortality dropped by 96.6%.
Two-dose vaccination also contributed to a 94.2%
reduction of all-cause deaths among those aged
80 and over, and a 98.2% reduction among
those aged between 70 and 79.
Sputnik V was the leading vaccine in the survey,
with over 63% of the participants injected with
the Russian-designed jab.The Argentinean
study: “reconfirms the great efficacy of
Sputnik V, in protecting the elderly,”
the Russian Direct Investment
Fund (RDIF), which funded
the development of the
Russian jab, and now
oversees distribution
...said in a statement.
The RDIF pointed to other research by the Buenos
Aires health ministry that was published in June
...and revealed the single-shot Sputnik Light
vaccine had an efficacy of 78.6–83.7%
among people aged between
60 and 79.
Sputnik V has been one of the main vaccines used in
Argentina’s immunization drive. Russia's jab has
contributed to Covid-19 cases in the capital
dropping “at least 15 times”, over the last five months, the RDIF said.
Its high efficacy of 97.6% in those fully vaccinated
and its lack of any significant known side effects
has generated praise in the international
scientific community --- including from
the prestigious medical magazine,
The Lancet.
The Russian jab is already registered in 70 countries
but still lacks authorization from the EU's regulator,
the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the
World Health Organization (WHO).
In late October, the WHO said it was resuming the
approval procedure after a month-long pause
...caused by the claimed discovery of
''irregularities'' at one of the plants
where Sputnik V is manufactured.
During his address to the G20 summit over the
weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin
urged the world’s leading nations to work
out a mechanism: to efficiently update
vaccines against Covid-19. in light of
the new variants and accelerate the
recognition of each other’s jabs.
Competition in the area of vaccines, only
undermines global vaccination efforts,
and exacerbates inequality in access
to the jab, he pointed out.
Putin again highlighted the high effectiveness
of Sputnik V, and said its single-component
version could be used as a booster shot...
to vaccines produced by other countries.
___________________________________
One rule for them? UK minister
claims MPs can choose whether
to wear masks after govt urges
public to wear face coverings
October 21st, 2:28pm (RT)
UK ''Health'' Minister, Edward Argar, has defended MPs
who fail to wear masks in Parliament -- claiming they
can make an “informed view”, on whether to follow
guidance, despite the health secretary asking the public to wear face coverings.
Speaking on Thursday, Argar rebuffed criticism that
MPs are not following government guidance, by
claiming that politicians are entitled to adopt
an “informed view”, about whether advice
to wear one in enclosed places, applies to Parliament.
“There’s clearly a leadership role for members of
Parliament on all sides,” Argar said, adding, “I think it’s for those individual members of
Parliament to read the guidance,
consider it, bear in mind what
Sajid [Javid] has said, and
reach their own views.”
Conservative MPs... have largely stopped wearing
masks during debates in the House of Commons
while opposition politicians were seen without
face coverings, during the indoor Labour
Party conference, earlier this year.
The defence put forward by Argar comes after the
UK’s Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, urged the
public in England, to wear face coverings in
“crowded” areas for the foreseeable future
...amid rising Covid cases and fatalities in the UK.
Issuing a warning, Javid stated at the Downing Street
press conference, that Covid restrictions would be
“more likely” to be legally reintroduced if people
fail to take proper safety precautions, such as
wearing masks “when they really should.”
Liberal Democrats spokesperson Layla Moran blasted
the Conservative government --- for showing “utter
hypocrisy” -- by advising people to wear masks
“while Conservative MPs refuse to do so.”
____________________________________
Pandemic-hit NHS -- wastes over
£560mn yearly on ‘unnecessary’
and addictive pills with severe
withdrawal symptoms – study
October 19th, 2:46pm (RT)
Despite the Covid pandemic, the NHS is reportedly
wasting as much as £568 million yearly on habit-
forming drugs like painkillers and sleeping pills
that the majority of patients do not need,
leading to dangerous addictions.
Doctors in England, are unnecessarily pushing
dependency-causing opioids, antidepressants
and other pills, according to a new study by
the Council for Evidence-based Psychiatry.
Researchers found that 3 in 4 prescriptions
were totally unnecessary in some cases.
The study, published Tuesday in the journal Addictive
Behaviours, revealed that, for many patients, their
symptoms... were not severe enough to warrant
such medication. In other cases, safer options
of treatment such as counselling or less toxic
drugs, were not fully explored, while there
were also instances of patients who were
put on the pills for longer than required.
“Money is being wasted at a time when the health service
is strapped for cash. The NHS, is not taking this problem
seriously and many doctors don’t appreciate the extent
to which withdrawal from these medicines is a problem,”Dr James Davies, the study’s co-lead author, told the
Daily Mail.
Between 2015 and 2018, the study estimated, there
was a taxpayer bill of £1.7 billion for prescriptions
for... antidepressants, opioids, gabapentinoids,
benzodiazepines and Z-drugs (sleeping pills).
The total costs accounted for the price of the
drugs, the average consultation cost (about
£33) of seeing a General Practitioner (GP),
and dispensing fees.
NHS figures reportedly show that nearly 17 million people
a year, in the country, are getting a prescription for such
drugs. The level of waste is so colossal that it could go
towards paying the salaries of another 10,000 GPs or
20,000 nurses, according to the Daily Mail, which
reported that the Department of Health and
Social Care is yet to finalise plans to
tackle the issue.
Nearly half the taxpayer money being wasted each year – to the tune of £288 million – goes towards highly
addictive opioid painkillers followed by £158
million a year for gabapentinoids. But the
researchers, at Roehampton University,
Greenwich University, plus University
College London, warn that it is likely
the total amount lost is far higher
than the “conservative”
estimates in the study.
In addition, the study does not account for the significant
costs related to harms caused by habit-forming drugs.
These include higher disability payments and lost tax
revenues, as well as workplace absenteeism and
decreased productivity.
Besides the financial losses, unnecessary prescription also
exacts a human cost: when people try to kick the habit, they
suffer severe withdrawal symptoms --- including stomach
cramps, blurred vision & loss of appetite. For instance,
studies on benzodiazepine usage reportedly show that
50% of those on the drugs for as little as four weeks