Bit of a setback for the Oxford University vaccine research, but not all bad news, while the news from America is more promising;-
https://www.newscientist.com/article...s-stocks-rise/
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Bit of a setback for the Oxford University vaccine research, but not all bad news, while the news from America is more promising;-
https://www.newscientist.com/article...s-stocks-rise/
Taken from the Guardian's rolling coverage this morning;-
"Excess deaths in UK reached almost 55,000 in early May, says ONS
Nick Stripe, head of the health analysis and life events division at the Office for National Statistics, told the BBC a few minutes ago that the total number of excess deaths in the UK - the number above what might expected at this time of year, judged by a five-year average, was just under 55,000 by early May.
Scientists, and ministers, have repeatedly said that the excess death figures will ultimately prove the most reliable guide as to how badly the UK has been hit by coronavirus.
Stripe told the BBC:
Across England and Wales up to 8 May we are now looking at an excess deaths figure of just under 50,000. If we look at the UK as a whole, that is just under 55,000 excess deaths.
So the gap between Covid-related and excess is about 25% of excess deaths are not explained by Covid being on the death certificate. And that is now a key area of research for us to get underneath that, to understand that.
Stripe said that within the next couple of weeks the ONS planned to publish more research looking at why the excess deaths figure was so high. But he said a report published by the ONS on Friday, on deaths in April, did shed some light on what was happening. He went on:
That showed that deaths from dementia and Alzheimer disease had gone up very, very significantly during April, as had deaths from something known as “ill-defined conditions”. That is often where the certifying doctor puts things like frailty or old age on the death certificate. Usually in the very old, where there might not be a specific morbidity, but the patient has been unwell, you’ll often get these ill-defined conditions. And they were up significantly as well in April.
Stripe said there could be two reasons for this increase. First “normal care pathways” could be disrupted; ie, fewer patients were going to hospital, because the hospitals were concentrating on coronavirus. Second, coronavirus might be a factor in these deaths, without doctors being able to confirm that. He explained:
There may be some cases where Covid is present but it is not obvious to the certifying doctor that that is the case.
And it may be the case that this big jump in the number of dementia and Alzheimer deaths could explain part of that reason there. It could well be that in the very old, if the patient is not able to describe their symptoms very well, there may be many other co-morbidities, that perhaps the doctor has not felt able, in the absence of a positive test, to put Covid on the death certificate."
Coronavirus: Cancer surgery delays risk 'thousands' of deaths https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52722150
No shiiiiiiiit
Sweden now havé highest deaths per capita, shows how important the lockdown has been really. Imagine how bad we would have been otherwise.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52738526
A call has been made for the Welsh Government to be investigated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission over fears older people's rights could have been breached.
The Older People's Commissioner for Wales says comprehensive testing for Covid-19 in care homes was "too slow".
She has questioned whether the "right to life" had been breached and raised the issue with the EHRC.
The health minister said he "didn't recognise" a breach and said the policy was based on scientific advice.
Since lockdown began, 27% of the coronavirus deaths in Wales have been care home residents, according to the Office for National Statistics. This figure does not include those care home residents who died after being transferred to hospital.
Questions are now being asked whether more lives could have been saved had testing rules been different.
Crikey....
Coronavirus: Wales' 19 field hospitals cost £166m to build https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52752976
No mention of this on here....35 patients.
was impressed by the effort not impressed by Mr Drakeford in any shape or form
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52738526
Are you >??????????????
I think the whole of the UK has made a complete cockup of this. I live in ingerland so haven't followed Wales to any great degree. You have changed your tune though, it was all about celebrating the positives when we were talking about the UK gov a few weeks back but not seemingly when it is about the Welsh government. Are their failings any greater in your opinion?
Sounds encouraging;-
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52754280
I missed the first two Thursday night NHS celebrations (I wasn't aware of it for the first and nodded off in front of the telly for the second!) and have joined in with them all since then, but I can understand where this doctor is coming from;-
https://www.theguardian.com/society/...eople-clapping
I think they had to be done but as they could be something we require in the future, surely they should have tried to build them somewhere sustainable? Clearly keeping any future virus patients away from mainstream hospitals is vital. The MS, bluestone for some obscure reason, scarlets ground etc....all got to be taken down again.
Wouldn’t that just be a hospital then? A field hospital is just a temporary hospital isn’t it? They were always there for the peak and removed once they weren’t being used.
I have joined in the Thursday clapping from the start, and last night it was at the same level as 6 weeks ago. I understand the case made by some that it is a sentimental distraction from the real issues in the NHS, and sometimes carried out by people who voted for parties that undermined the health and care services. But I feel that the genuine shared community support for those people and services that have led the fight against Covid 19 is valuable - and I think the clapping has held the government's feet to the fire on all the issues raised in the opinion piece, more than deflected attention.
I'm not sure how or when the clapping will stop. It will fizzle out at some point. But I have a (maybe naive) hope that the country will be a different place when the pandemic has passed - clearly worse economically and with tens of thousands of dead, but also with a clearer focus on mutual support and what is important in life. In our area there are community action groups formed that will not go away when Covid goes, and friendships formed that wouldn't have happened in the 'old normal'.
Anyone who know me would know I'm a big proponent of the NHS. I've worked with the NHS, raised money for it messaged MPs to try to encourage support of it and try to minimize the influence of companies seeking to bleed it .
I have many friends who work for the NHS across various levels.
I haven't attended the weekly saucepan banging once.
I don't see anything wrong with people wanting to express their support in that way, but it isn't for me.
It just feels like a distraction from the real issues to me - I know that isn't how other people see it and I have no doubt it started with good intentions.
I had similarly unpopular views about the help for heroes charity which was ubiquitous a few years ago.
You know that they're field hospitals, right? They are temporary by definition.
The Tories are going to be building lots of new hospitals though, they've promised us. So don't you worry about it, sweetheart.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/50579557
Following on from that Doctor's opinion of the Thursday night NHS tributes;-
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52773032