Friday 21 June 2024

COVID-19 Coronavirus, Avian Flu and other virus UK and World News Update 21st June 2024

 COVID-19 Coronavirus, Avian Flu and other virus UK and World News Update 21st June 2024

"We've not made as much progress on cutting waiting lists as I would have liked."
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sky News
Errrm, no. 
The NHS waiting lists for planned treatment in England alone rose in April to 7.57 million. In March it was 7.54 million. This relates to 6.33m patients (it was 6.29m in March). 
With the longest waits it's a mixed story. The number of people waiting over a year is down to 302,500, but of those, more people have waited over 65 weeks - more than 50,000 of you. (I waited 21 months for my last operation, so you have my honest sympathy.) 
I don't think this story is entirely negative, let us not lose hope. The NHS and it's workers managed to reduce waiting lists for 7 months straight, and in latest figures yeah it's up, but it's a relatively small 0.4%. Fingers crossed we can get back into the groove again, and fix some more of those people who have had their life on pause for over 15 months... 

Text be a blood doner and save lives and image of reclined person donating blood

Friday 7 June 2024

COVID-19 Coronavirus, Avian Flu and other virus UK and World News Update 7th June 2024

COVID-19 Coronavirus, Avian Flu and other virus UK and World News Update 7th June 2024

"If H5N1 does jump to efficient H-H transmission in the future, we would probably look back and say: "The cow farms with PB mutations, the sea lions with an a-2,6 favorable mutation, the infected workers... the signs were there, and we didn't do enough to stop it"
Jay.P.Weiland, Infectious Disease Modeller and Data Scientist.

Advice for food safety following an emergency

In the UK excess deaths have levelled off at the recent low figures, and are now steady and close to 2019 levels.
"So on any reasonable calculation basis it is clear we are no longer experiencing the significant excess deaths seen from 2020 until early 2023."
Stuart McDonald of the COVID Actuaries:
Ahhhh, that's better.