Friday 15 May 2020

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 15th May 2020.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 15th May 2020.

The UK added 3,560 cases today and now has reported a total of 236,711 positive cases of COVID-19. Yesterday we completed 133,784 tests, and all together we have tested 1,663,492 people. 
10,024 people are in hospital, down from 11,041 yesterday and a 13% fall since last Friday. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we lost another 384 people who have tested positive to COVID-19. We now very sadly have a total of 33,998 losses of life in all settings.

England 141,387 / 30,364
Northern Ireland 4,317 / 454
Scotland 14,260 / 2,007
Wales 11,960 / 1,173

Rep. Of Ireland 23,827 cases and 1,506 losses of life. Not yet reported today.

There have now been a total of 4,586,274 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 306,063. Already 1,734,903 people have recovered.

"Through solidarity, through trust, through working together;
we have a chance to turn a tragic pandemic into a beacon of hope for the future of our planet" - Dr Mike Ryan, World Health Organisation. 

Health Workers mental health WHO

The ONS (Office for National Statistics) have published data on care homes: 
"Since the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic (between the period 2 March and 1 May 2020, registered up to the 9 May 2020) there were 45,899 deaths of care home residents (wherever the death occurred); of these 12,526 involved COVID-19, which is 27.3% of all deaths of care home residents."
"The Care Quality Commission collect information on recipients of domiciliary care in England, between 10 April 2020 and 8 May 2020 there were 3,161 deaths of recipients of domiciliary care, this was 1,990 deaths higher than the three-year average (1,171 deaths)." (Domicillary Care is extra help for people who live in their own homes.)
Today's UK briefing was with Matt Hancock, Health Secretary, Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Dr Nikita Kanani of NHS England. 
He talked about the ONS statistics about care homes and reminded us about extra money promised, and assured us all care home staff and households can be tested, and no residents will be sent home from hospital without a test. (The government have come under a lot of criticism for previously sending patients with COVID-19 back to care homes once well enough - understanding and common sense was lacking at the start of this epidemic).
Only 64% of care homes have so far escaped. 36% of care homes have at least 1 case of COVID-19.
Regardless of symptoms, every single care home resident and member of staff will be tested by early June. Each care home will be allocated a clinical lead, and video medical appointments will be made possible. 

Excitingly, during press questions, someone's connection went a bit weird and screechy loud, and Dalek-like. Matt Hancock actually looked like he'd been electrocuted. We watched it 3 times. Dance Matt, dance. 

Reopening schools has to be a team effort, and can only be done when it's safe and keeps control of the virus. He wouldn't propose reopening schools unless it was safe to do so. He says it is safe to do so because children are usually spared from the virus... hmmmm. 

The UK's R rate is up - between 0.7 and 1. Until now they've said 0.5-0.9. 
It's perhaps not exactly what they meant, but in London for example, it's nearer the 0.8-0.9. In a large swathe across the UK from below Scotland down to the Midlands, lets call it say, The North, the R rate is in fact teetering around 1. 

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson:
"Education is vital, however it does not come before the health&safety of our children & staff. We have responsibility for Safeguarding our children and so I will resist allowing schools to reopen in June. To do so risks our children’s and staff safety."
 
Two people, 2 metres apart UK Government advertising

French drugmaker Sanofi have had a warning from the French government after saying they would reserve a COVID-19 vaccine for the US first. 
"As indicated by Emmanuel Macron, a vaccine against COVID-19 should be a global public good. Equal access to all for a vaccine is non-negotiable ". Edouard Philippe, French Prime Minister. 

The UK swiftly housed around 90% of rough sleepers to protect them from COVID-19,  but the scheme is coming to an end and there isn't any replacement currently planned. (Come on guys, that was a brilliant thing you did, don't drop the ball now). 

Remember the news that was overshadowed by all that other Trump and disinfectant business - 2 minutes in bright sunshine and COVID-19 was already half dead (does not work through glass). 

MP's are due to return to UK parliament in person next month, as an example to the population as lockdown measures ease. This has disturbed many of them, including the speaker of the house, who is attempting to work out logistics for social distancing safety, and MP's from countries other than England, who are not reducing their lockdowns. 
The government clearly state you should work from home whenever you can, so most of them probably don't need to be there. 

French teachers returning to the classroom this week had exactly the same fears over keeping everyone safe and mentally well as in England. They have a limit of 10 pupils to a room, and the school in the article had around 50% take up. 

The government has agreed to a bailout for Transport for London (TfL) of £1.6b, with several big caveats, including more control and the following:
- congestion charge to go up to £15
- congestion charge 7 days a week 
- congestion charge extended to 10pm
- under 18s lose free travel and discounts
- over 60s no longer get free travel at rush hour

WHO experts have modelled the likely path of COVID-19 in Africa: 
"Of WHO Africa’s 1 billion population, 22% will be infected in the first year, with 37 million symptomatic cases and 150,000 deaths. There will be an estimated 4.6 million COVID-19 hospitalisations, of which 140,000 would be
severe cases requiring oxygen, and 89,000 critical cases requiring breathing
support."
Doctors Without Borders (Medicins Sans Frontieres) say there are around 20 ventilators for 2 million people in Gaza, 3 ventilators for 5 million people in the Central African Republic and only 12 intensive care beds for 20 million potential patients in Burkina Faso.

Scam of the day is a link offering a £250 ALDI voucher - sadly, and unsurprisingly,  not. It's someone pinching your information. Lots of people know that there are easy targets online at the moment who are new to all this internet stuff, or not paying attention properly because there's a pandemic on. If you wouldn't be happy to ring or write to them and give them your information, consider if you should be doing so online. 

The World bank has announced $1b support for social protection in India. This is in addition to $1b support for Indian healthcare. 

Honeywell will soon begin making masks for the UK at their South Lanarkshire premises, at a rate of 4.5m a month. We massively need to scale up UK manufacturing and we really need to make our own PPE. 

Good news from yesterday's World Health Organisation Annual Statistics:
"Better maternal and child healthcare has led to a halving of child mortality since the year 2000”. 

Second hoax of the day - being vegetarian protects you from serious affects of COVID-19. Sadly for me and my grown up veggie kids, not true.

The South Korean nightclub outbreak started by 1 person, has now found 153 people in total infected - 90 clubbers and 63 friends and colleagues. EVERYONE who is a contact of those people has to quarantine for 14 days, and over 46,000 people have now been tested. 
This is why the UK is still not ready for track and trace. We have too many positive cases at the moment. 

face coverings advice  cdc

Wuhan in China are planning on testing all of their 11 million residents who haven't previously been tested. The health authority said that 72,791 tests were conducted yesterday. 
 
Moves are underway to make life easier and safer for pedestrians and cyclists in our new world. 
A quarter mile stretch of Deansgate in Manchester has been pedestrianised.
Bristol will see the old city completely pedestrianised. 
Some roads are being temporarily closed around school opening and closing in order to make walking, cycling and scooting safer. (As someone who has walked to school for 26 years, and 12 years ago had a child run over opposite the school gates - hurrah.)

Slovenia has become the first European country to declare an end to it's outbreak. A little disturbingly this means they've removed quarantine for EU citizens. (Steady on chaps, no rush.) 
They have reported a total of 1,464 cases and lost 103 people. 
Best of luck. 

Yesterday in Osaka, Japan, monuments were lit up in green to celebrate that there were less than 10 new cases with unknown infection routes, less than 7% of those tested were positive, and they have more than 40% of critical care beds empty. 

As COVID-19 spreads, the focus is now beginning to move away from East Asia and a mainly recovering Europe, and move through South America, Africa and the rest of Asia. Cases are growing rapidly in many countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, and Russia, which seemed to escape COVID-19 for a long time. The USA continues to hold mass rallies against the lockdown... 

Some people. All of them a little bit scared:

Countries / Cases / Losses of life (some states and provinces yet to report in larger countries in different time zones): 

USA 1,469,307 (+11,714) 87,662 (+750) 
Spain 274,367 (+1,721) 27,459 (+138) 
Russia 262,843 (+10,598) 2,418 (+113) 
UK 236,711 (+3,560) 33,998 (+384) 
Italy 223,885 (+789) 31,610 (+242) 
Brazil 208,031 (+5,113) 14,267 (+274) 
France 178,870 Not yet reported today 27,425
Germany 175,223 (+248) 7,933 (+5) 
Turkey 146,457 (+1,708) 4,055 (+48)
Iran 116,635 (+2,102) 6,902 (+48) 
India 85,546 (+3,549) 2,746 (+97) 
China 82,933 (+4) 4,633
Peru 80,604 not yet reported today 2,267
Canada 73,829 (+428) 5,499 (+27) 
Belgium 54,644 (+356) 8,959 (+56) 
Saudi Arabia 49,176 (+2,307) 292 (+9) 
Mexico 42,595 (+2,409) 4,477 (+257) 
Chile 39,542 (+2,502) 394 (+26) 
Pakistan 37,218 (+1,430) 803 (+33) 
Ecuador 30,502 not yet reported today 2,338
Qatar 29,425 (+1,153) 14
Kuwait 12,860 (+885) 96 (+8) 
.




Sources:


https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/1587705160-us-homeland-security-science-advisor-says-coronavirus-destroyed-by-sunlight
https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1260970250021068802
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-52669718?__twitter_impression=true
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/deansgate-closed-to-traffic-saturday-18252622
https://www.france24.com/en/20200512-french-teachers-anxious-as-schools-gradually-reopen-after-covid-19-lockdown
Comme l’a indiqué @EmmanuelMacron, un vaccin contre le #COVID19 devra être un bien public mondial. L’égal accès de tous au vaccin n’est pas négociable.
https://twitter.com/BBCLBicker/status/1261165548940873728?s=19
https://www.dw.com/en/who-warns-coronavirus-could-kill-150000-in-africa-as-burundi-expels-experts/a-53445721
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-coronavirus-health-china-toll/chinas-wuhan-says-it-has-tested-almost-a-third-of-its-citizens-for-coronavirus-idUSKBN22R035
https://twitter.com/Parikshitl/status/1261156033080287232

1 comment:

  1. Another fascinating article. Interesting about Honeywell. That’s in the town I live in & my dad was a scientist for the company that started the industrial park it’s in. Xxx

    ReplyDelete

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