COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 31st May 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 31st May 2022

UK COVID Statistics:
Cases last 7 days: 57,602 (average 8,228 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the 7 days to May 24th: 3,946
In hospital Thursday 26th: 5,584
Using a ventilator on Sunday 22nd May (this is the latest number): 175
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test up to 22nd May: 177,977
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause up to 20th May: 195,962
Tests last 7 days: 1,546,244 (average 20,892 per day)

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,561,632 cases and 7,271 losses of life (not yet reported today).

World: 532,349,235 reported cases and 6,312,535 losses of life.

"UKHSA has procured over 20,000 doses of a safe smallpox vaccine (called Imvanex, supplied by Bavarian Nordic) as part of our rapid response to rising monkeypox cases."
I see the UK Health Security Agency are determined to beat everyone else to this vaccine too. Vaccines for smallpox, unlike COVID vaccines, are still useful once a person has been exposed, so close contacts of confirmed monkeypox cases in the UK are being vaccinated already (and the same is true in many/most affected countries, including the USA).

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 27th May 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 27th May 2022

UK COVID Statistics - The page says it's all updated, but some of the data is over a week old. It makes a lot of this irrelevant as anything but a rough guide as to trajectory:
Cases in the 7 days up to 22nd May: 57,584 (similar to a week earlier)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the 7 days to 22nd May: 4,130 (substantially DOWN on a week earlier)
In hospital yesterday: 5,584 (substantially DOWN from 6,729 a week earlier)
Losses of life in the 7 days up to 20th May: 725 (down slightly on a week earlier)
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test up to 20th May: 177,977
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause up to 13th May: 195,347
Tests in the 7 days up to 19th May: 1,546,244 (similar to a week earlier)
UK Vaccination data up to 18th May
1st Dose 53,398,518
2nd Dose 49,895,254
Booster/Third Jabs 39,585,631

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,561,632 cases and 7,271 losses of life (not yet reported today).

World: 530,508,082 reported cases and 6,308,310 losses of life.

The Nursing Director of the UK's West Midlands Ambulance Service, Mark Docherty, has told the Health Service Journal (HSJ) that some people are now waiting up to 24 hours in an ambulance before a suitable bed is found, and the service could collapse completely. Over 100 people have now died when "the service has been unable to respond because its ambulances are held outside hospitals". Mr Docherty has gone so far as to predict the exact day the service might collapse completely if current trajectories continue - August 17th.
“It would make me the happiest person in the world if everyone in the system proves to me that actually the ambulance service in the West Midlands isn’t going to fail on 17 August, and I’ve got it completely wrong.”
Date for your diary there... fingers crossed it never happens. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Tuesday 24th May 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Tuesday 24th May 2022

The UK COVID Statistics page has been amended, and hasn't been updated since Friday, when I last took note of the numbers, so there seems little point having any statistics today. Hopefully on Friday they'll update it promptly, and I will be able to compare week on week differences. 

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,551,835 cases and 7,244 losses of life (not yet reported today).

World: 528,498,202 reported cases and 6,302,354 losses of life.

The UK HSA has announced quarantine guidance regarding Monkeypox - any close contacts with highest risk of exposure should self-isolate for 21 days. This includes sexual partners and households of people who test positive, as well as exposed healthcare workers. There's been a lot of people very shouty about this because it's usually a mild illness - however it can be dangerous for unborn babies, immunosuppressed people, pregnant women, and children under 12. Pretty much everyone who is pregnant or under 50 right now worldwide does not have any immunity via childhood vaccination for Smallpox. The spots can really cause nasty scarring too. I think it's fair, and I'm pretty sure most people who test positive or are direct contacts will too. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Friday 20th May 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Friday 20th May 2022

UK COVID Statistics:
Cases last 7 days: 58,786 (average 8,398 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 5,074
In hospital yesterday: 6,729 (substantially down from 9,619 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 191 (down from 203 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 789
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 177,890
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 194,550
Tests last 7 days: 1,566,809 (average 223,829 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,337,395
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,844,562
Boosted / 3rd dose / Spring Boosters: 39,474,656

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,551,835 cases and 7,244 losses of life.

World: 526,114,020 reported cases and 6,297,640 losses of life.

"UKHSA have confirmed 11 new cases of Monkeypox in the UK. This morning I updated G7 Health Ministers on what we know so far. Most cases are mild, and I can confirm we have procured further doses of vaccines that are effective against Monkeypox."
Sajid Javid, UK Health Secretary.

"In Downing Street there is a sense of injustice and considerable upset that the 126 Partygate fines have been levied disproportionately on women and junior officials. One source said: “the majority of [those fined] are very junior diary managers etc on 24k-ish and these fines are really stacking up for them. Typically they are getting fined for events they were at with their males bosses who seem to have got away no problem. Pretty clear also that people who bothered lawyering up [like the PM] are fine. There is a lot of very angry and upset people.”
Robert Peston, ITV's Political Editor. 

Butterfly Garden Complete Kit from Insect Lore (sent for review by Bright Minds)

This Spring we were invited by Bright Minds to review the Butterfly Garden from Insect Lore. This is a complete kit which contains everything you need to raise your own butterflies - including a voucher to send away for live caterpillars when you are ready to begin. 

Because you raise real live animals, you can only use the kit in Spring and early Summer - which is when the butterflies (Painted Ladies) hatch.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Tuesday 17th May 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update Tuesday 17th May 2022

UK COVID Statistics:
Cases last 7 days: 63,296 (average 9,042 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 5,771
In hospital yesterday: 7,604 (well down from 9,619 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 189 (down from 214 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 986 (average 140 per day)
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 177,410
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 194,550
Tests last 7 days: 1,627,672 (average 232,524 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,337,395
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,844,562
Boosted / 3rd dose / Spring Boosters: 39,474,656

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,535,451 cases and 7,203 losses of life (not yet reported today)

World: 523,559,119 reported cases and 6,291,622 losses of life.

Latest UK HSA data shows 79.2% of those people aged 75 or over, who became eligible at the end of March for the COVID Spring booster, have taken up the offer and received their vaccination.

Also UK HSA data, and 59.5% of those giving birth in January 2022 had received at least one dose of the vaccine, up from 53.7% in December 2021 and 48.7% in November 2021.
Over half (50.6%) had received 2 doses, up from 43.3% in December 2021 and 38.4% in November 2021.
Between January 2021 and January 2022, 125,365 vaccinated people have given birth in the UK (88,736 of those with 2 doses and 14,378 with 3 doses).
"Despite the upward trend in the number of pregnant women coming forward, women of Black ethnicity and those living in the most deprived areas of England remain the least likely to be vaccinated."
Between November 2021 and January 2022, just 30.5% of Black women had one or more vaccine doses by the time of delivery, compared to 57.5% of White women. In the most deprived areas of the country, 38.9% had received one or more doses by the time of delivery, compared to 71.1% in the least deprived areas. Why do we have these disparities? Accessibility (no time/transport/childcare)? Misinformation? Distrust of authorities?

May 2022 #TBCSmiles 93 Months...

I've promised my family I won't work weekends, and while we are having to move we don't really have the time, so the #TBCSmiles have been relegated to today. That doesn't mean they are less important, in fact if anything they are more important - especially this month. 

We just had Mental Health Awareness Week, and it's no coincidence that it's placed here in the year. This month we've had the least smiles that we've had in 5 years, and while I'd love to be surprised by that, I'm not. It's been a lot harder for us to make smiles, and it's required more effort for just about everyone. 

Spring in the UK is often cold, disappointingly not-so-sunny, and everyone is tired. Really we need to work less hours through Winter and sleep more, and then we'd be ready to face the world. Instead we are all a bit gloomy and really waiting for Summer to kick in and brighten everything up. On top this year we have the war in Ukraine, the ongoing COVID infections which really haven't gone away, the residual tiredness that most of us feel after catching COVID, the fuel bills flying through the roof and food prices going up. The comfort we've felt for the past 30 years is slipping away, and it's only now we realise just what we had to lose.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 13th May 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 13th May 2022

UK COVID Statistics - we are missing updated figures for Northern Ireland, as they are delayed:
Cases last 7 days: 76,867 (average 10,981 per day - UP slightly on 10,829 a week earlier)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 6,020
In hospital yesterday: 9,619 (down from 10,763 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 203 (down from 253 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 1,389 (average 198 a day - UP from 186 a week earlier)
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 176,708
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 193,713
Tests last 7 days: 1,821,189 (average 260,169 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,264,512
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,780,389
Boosters / 3rd doses / Spring Boosters: 39,345,313

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,535,451 (+524) cases and 7,203 (+27) losses of life.

World: 519,990,677 reported cases and 6,285,251 losses of life.

"A fever whose cause couldn't be identified explosively spread nationwide from late April and more than 350 000 people got fever in a short span of time, and at least 162 200 out of them were healed completely. On May 12 alone, some 18 000 persons with fever occurred nationwide and as of now up to 187 800 people are being isolated and treated. Six persons died (one of them tested positive for the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.)"
North Korean official media KCNA.
I don't know about you, but by crikey I just want to give them a hug. 

MOC-82591 Medieval Church Brick Set Review (sent for review by Let Bricks)

I was recently sent the Let Bricks Medieval Church set MOC-82591 for review. This has been designed by Peter Keith, and I was sent a hand-picked set - so I do have some errors which are unlikely to appear in the final store product. 

This is a 516 piece set, which is a nice build and creates a really attractive little chapel... 

As it's only a 516 piece set it doesn't need to have numbered bags, and the instructions are on a USB key, so although you don't have a paper copy, you can access them on any device - and enlarge them at will.  

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update May 10th 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update May 10th 2022

UK COVID Statistics (most data, such as 'cases last 7 days' is now only updated by the UK on Mondays and Thursdays):
Cases last 7 days: 102,089 (average 14,584 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: Has not been updated since May 3rd
In hospital yesterday: 9,619 (well down from 12,475 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 214 (well down from 304 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 1,512 (average 216 per day)
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 176,424
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 193,713
Tests last 7 days: 1,788,178 (average 255,454 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,264,512 (92.6% of UK aged 12+)
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,780,389 (86.6%)
Boosted / 3rd dose / Spring Boosters: 39,345,313 (68.4%. Every time I type this I consider the fact that some people have had a 3rd jab and a booster and a Spring jab, so this percentage is meaningless now.)

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,524,555 cases and 7,163 losses of life (not yet reported today).

World: 518,032,714 reported cases and 6,278,793 losses of life.

"I'm starting to see signs that many people (scientists included) are getting convinced that going forward, we no longer need to vaccinate against COVID-19. Why? Because infections will do the trick. That thought is as delusional today as it was in 2020. Let's not go there."
Kristian G. Andersen, Infectious diseases & genomics Professor and Immunologist at the Anderson Lab at Scripps Research Institute. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 4th / 5th / 6th May 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 4th / 5th / 6th May 2022

UK COVID Statistics:Cases last 7 days: 75,809 (average 10,829 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 7,126
In hospital yesterday: 10,763 (well down from 13,027 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 253 (well down from 302 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 1,300 (average 186 per day)
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 176,212
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 192,464
Tests last 7 days: 1,808,795 (average 258,399 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,189,550 (92.5% of UK age 12+)
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,730,039 (86.5%)
Boosted / 3rd dose / Spring Boosters: 39,254,038 (68.3%)

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,522,363 (+889) cases and 7,131 (+23) losses of life.

World: 516,102,810 reported cases and 6,273,069 losses of life.

From 09 May 2022, the Public Health Scotland COVID-19 dashboard will be updated on Mondays and Thursdays, before moving to weekly updates, on a Wednesday, from June.
(Handily I report on a Friday and Tuesday, so I should still have current data.)

Wales and UK headline vaccination data will now be updated weekly - data up to Thursday will be reported the following Monday.

Home: My Life in the Universe by Mark Ballabon. Teenage / Young Adult Book Review (sent for review)

Home: My Life In The Universe is written by Mark Ballabon, with illustrations by Grant Macdonald. It is suitable for teenage and young adult readers aged around 12+, and is a book which really does make you think about what home is, and where it is...?

The story focusses on Leah, a teenage girl who is growing into the adult she'll become. It is a coming-of-age tale, with the climate crisis and our place in the universe right at its heart. 

Leah is an 'ordinary' teenager, and she's unique, just like every teenager. She feels she is weird and different, yet really plain, and she's okay with individuality to a point, but she wants to fit in, and she wants to be liked, but she doesn’t enjoy the feeling of being plain. She also wants to try new experiences and push herself out of her comfort zone, which she does when, together with her younger brother, she goes away to spend 3 weeks at an international camp over Summer. It's there that she meets people who test her patience and her mood, and others who encourage her to understand that we all have a backstory - reasons why we act as we do. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update April 30th May 1st /2nd /3rd 2022

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update April 30th May 1st /2nd /3rd 2022

UK COVID Statistics:
Cases last 7 days: 79,310 (average 11,330 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 8,840
In hospital yesterday: 12,475 (down from 14,929 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 304 (321 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 1,175
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 175,319
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 191,277
Tests last 7 days: 1,889,966 (average 269,995 per day)
Vaccination Data is delayed, so we'll leave it for today as it's still the same as Friday. 

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,519,296 (+491) cases and 7,092 (+5) losses of life.

World: 514,254,906 reported cases and 6,264,024 losses of life.

Scottish guidance on isolation has changed. If you've tested positive you should stay at home for 3 days if you're 18 years and under, or for 5 days if you're over 18 years. Day 1 is the day after you took your test.
"Stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection such as coronavirus and have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities."
(Probably someone should tell them COVID isn't necessarily a respiratory infection.)