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Showing posts with label vaccination. Show all posts

Friday, 5 September 2025

COVID-19 Coronavirus, HPAI H5N1 Bird Flu, Measles, Tropical Imports and Other Virus UK and World News Update 5th September 2025

From January every eligible child in the UK will receive a chickenpox (varicella) vaccination with their MMR jabs (MMRV).

"Research shows that chickenpox in childhood results in an estimated £24 million in lost income and productivity every year in the UK. The rollout will also save the NHS £15 million a year in costs for treating the common condition."

Mild chickenpox can still be awful and leave you with scarring. Severe chickenpox is rare, but does happen. It can cause infections, pneumonia, encephalitis or a range of problems with organs, including the brain, eyes and heart. Chickenpox during pregnancy can affect your baby. Any baby born with chickenpox will be very poorly.

Chickenpox vaccination also helps protect against shingles - which is where dormant varicella virus hiding in your body (often for decades) reawakens and can make you very ill. 10 years ago my partner got meningitis from dormant varicella springing back into action and making it into his head.

I strongly agree with vaccinating against varicella.

From January 2026 all children will get a chicken pox jab UK HSA image of a child's back with chickenpox spots

NHS England:

From 1 September, all severely immunosuppressed adults aged 18+ will be able to get the shingles vaccine from their GP.

"This includes people with conditions such as leukaemia or lymphoma or those who are undergoing chemotherapy, which put them at greater risk of becoming seriously unwell if they contract shingles."

This is another varicella vaccine, although it contains no complete or live virus (it's just a reminder for your immune system and safe for vulnerable people). You should get an invitation to book from your GP next month.

COVID-19, HPAI H5N1 Avian Flu, Mpox and other virus UK and World News Update 13th June 2025

The UK NHS is critically short of blood and is asking for new donors to come forward urgently. If you are aged 17 to 65, generally fit and well, and weigh between 7 stone 12 lbs (50kg) and 25 stone (158kg) you can usually donate. Find out more information and register if you are able at blood dot co dot uk. Save a life.

130625 Give Blood image of 2 blue hearts and text saying 9th to 15th is blood week

COVID-19 Coronavirus, HPAI H5N1 Bird Flu and other virus UK and World News Update 10th January 2025

COVID-19 Coronavirus, HPAI H5N1 and other virus UK and World News Update 10th January 2025

Happy New Year! I hope you had a good festive break, and I'm delighted to say that the world didn't become overrun by virus during the last 3 weeks, not entirely anyway...

"NHS England says there were over 5,000 patients in hospital with flu at the end of last week. The average...was almost 3.5 times higher than the same week in 2023. NHS England says the number quadrupled since the end of November."

BBC Health Editor Hugh Pym on 3rd January.

"NHS England says average flu patient numbers in hospitals at 5,400 last week - up on previous week. A&E attendances in 2024 up 7 per cent on the year. NHS leaders say strain on staff at times as bad as height of pandemic."

Hugh Pym on 9th January.

Flu levels are currently abysmal in the UK, but some suggestions we may soon peak - I hope so.

100125 An average 5407 patients a day in hospital with flu up from 4469 the week before

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus including HPAI H5N1 and Disease X UK and World News Update 13th December 2024

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 13th December 2024

World COVID Statistics: 776,947,553 officially reported cases and 7,076,993 losses of life.

The world is still officially losing around 500 people to COVID each week, despite only 102 countries still reporting regular figures to the World Health Organisation.

“We cannot talk about COVID in the past tense.

It’s still with us, it still causes acute disease and Long COVID, and it still kills.

The world might want to forget about COVID-19, but we cannot afford to.”

Dr Tedros, Head of WHO, at Wednesday's media briefing.

Large text telling people to get your Winter flu and COVID vaccinations and images of green germs in ice cubes

This time 5 years ago, the first severely ill patients in Wuhan, China, were about to be hospitalised.

Symptom onset for patient A was 1st December 2019, with 3 more patients by 10th December, and first hospitalisations around 17th.

"On that first confirmed case, none of his family members developed fever or any respiratory symptoms. He had not been to the Huanan seafood market and also no epidemiological link could be found between the first patient and later cases.

Chinese media later reported that there were earlier suspected infectections, going back to 17 November. Authorities did not publicly accept there was human-to-human transmission of the virus until 21 January."

Jim Reed, BBC Health Reporter.

5 years people... We all having been living a pandemic for 5 years.

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 1st November 2024

In the week ending 18th October, 241 people in England and Wales had COVID listed as their cause of death. This is the highest since February, and reflective of the recent wave of infection. 1,447 people had pneumonia or influenza listed as cause of death.

Overall deaths were still down on the expected number by a massive 10.8%.

The better news is that based on todays figures, hospitalisations (England data) have peaked and are decreasing.

WHO Breastfeeding until 2 years advice and image of person with baby

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 2nd August 2024

The UK's JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) have announced who will get COVID boosters this Autumn. They haven't expanded the list to include all children, nor do they include people who live or work with vulnerable people, but they have expanded the age range for older people. Folk in the following categories will be sent an invitation to book later in the year:

- Adults aged 65 or over

- Residents in a care home for older adults

- Individuals aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group (huge list, available online).

UK HSA COVID jabs Autumn eligibility 2024

The UK currently has high levels of COVID, and we aren't alone. Earlier Greece was warning tourists about a surge which has seen masks return to some hospitals, and travel advisories from neighbouring countries.

The FLIRT variants are being blamed. They actually appear to hospitalise slightly less people, but they can creep around some of our immunity, so more people are catching them, with a knock on effect that hospitals are still seeing more COVID patients.

Latest hospital figures for England show a peak in COVID admissions almost as high as last Winter or Autumn's peaks, and Scotland's wastewater monitoring shows the highest levels since early 2022.

Prof Christina Pagel of indieSAGE reminds us one negative test doesn't mean you don’t have COVID, test again over consecutive days to confirm:

"Basically, there is a LOT of Covid around and not a lot of other respiratory viruses.

If you have cold or flu symptoms, it's probably Covid."

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.

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 26th April 2024

World COVID Statistics: 704,753,890 officially reported cases and 7,010,681 losses of life. And that is the last COVID statistics update. Very few countries still report, and even less test regularly, so it's far from accurate. Huge thank you to Worldometers dot info for keeping tally for the last 4 years.

Pharmacy First England list of services available, shown in front of image of frontage of chemist

"It's World Immunisation Week

Every minute, every day over the last 50 years, immunisation saved over 6 lives. It is one of humanity's greatest achievements.

Yet there’s more work to do. We’ve eradicated smallpox, it’s time now to eliminate malaria, polio, cervical cancer and more.

Nobody should suffer from a disease we know how to prevent.

It’s Humanly Possible."

The World Health Organisation

"Thanks to immunisation, a child born today is 40% more likely to see their fifth birthday than a child born 50 years ago.

And more and more lives are being saved as more and more diseases are becoming vaccine preventable, with newer vaccines against COVID-19, malaria, cholera, dengue, meningitis, RSV, Ebola and mpox, and more in development"

DrTedros, Head of WHO

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 12th April 2024

World COVID Statistics: 704,749,430 officially reported cases and 7,010,624 losses of life.

Hiya! Welcome back. Not a lot of COVID news this week, it's especially quiet because a lot of regular sciencey folk have taken time off, so no big COVID news means no disasters, which is always a good thing.

120424 Biggest 5 month drop in waiting lists ever

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 24th November 2023

World COVID Statistics: 698,216,394 officially reported cases and 6,942,772 losses of life.

WHO loneliness causes illness image of man with risk factors in thought bubbles eg. dementia

According to latest NHS figures and reported by COVID Actuaries, hospital admissions with COVID in England decreased by 12% in-week. Biggest decrease NE & Yorkshire (-22%) and the NW (-20%). Acute bed occupancy is down by 10%, on top of a 15% drop last week (although at the end of October England had less than 4,200 beds unoccupied in total, so really needed that decrease).

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 27th October 2023

World COVID Statistics: 697,032,594 officially reported cases and 6,932,236 losses of life.

Hospital admissions with COVID in England have gone down for 2 weeks running. It looks hopeful this wave could have actually peaked and be on the downturn. If so, none of the newer, quicker variants have managed to get through our immunity better than their ancestors, and haven't even spread quickly enough to have an impact - whoot! The early booster roll out could also have been a very prudent move. Fingers crossed, what happens next makes a difference to what happens at Christmas.

By latest UK Government count (which is insanely behind):

New Cases 8,560 w/e 21st October

New Deaths (occurrences) 223 w/e 29th September

New COVID hospital admissions 3,367 w/e 20th October

The latest deaths data is also relatively small, with the number of people registered as dying only 1% higher than would be expected. Sadly it adds up.

"CMI calculates 204,800 excess deaths in the UK since the start of the pandemic. That total has increased by 33,200 in 2023.

Cumulative mortality rates YTD (year to date) are 5.5% of a full year’s mortality worse than 2019."

The Health Foundation charity have crunched the numbers and believe the UK NHS waiting list could expand to 8 million people waiting for treatment by the end of 2024 - or in a better scenario, it could have peaked now and be below 7.2 million by the end of next year.

The Health Foundation found (no surprises) the main problem is the ongoing chronic lack of staff and funding. Strikes by NHS workers asking for better pay have only caused an extra 210,000 patients to wait (3% of the 7.75 million backlog as of August 2023).

The longer you wait, the more serious, lengthy and urgent treatment needed, and the longer it takes to fix you and get you back to good health. This is a spiral of gloom, and it began unravelling long before COVID arrived. The NHS has run on less cash than it actually needs and waiting lists have been growing for at least 10 years - because someone (with private medical care) decided it was a good place to save money, and forgot how important health and life are to people, and to the nation as a whole.

As we're on a cheery note, 'destitution' isn't a word most of the world would associate with the UK, as it refers to being unable to meet the most basic physical needs - to stay warm, dry, clean and fed.

Sadly a study released this week by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (based on data collected up until the end of 2022), found UK destitution has doubled in the last 5 years, and the number of destitute children has tripled:

- Around 3.8 million people experienced destitution in 2022, a 61% rise since 2019

- Around 1 million children are destitute, an 88% rise since 2019

- This is widespread - the 3 local authorities with the highest levels of destitution are Newham, Manchester and Middlesbrough, and the 3 areas it's rising fastest are London, Wales and the West Midlands.

- More than 6 in every 10 destitute people (62%) have a disability or chronic health problem.

- The foundation point out that as almost 3/4 of destitute households receive benefits, our benefits system is pushing people (including a million children) well below the poverty line, with little chance of ever clambering out.

It's notable that the increase is smaller in Scotland. Scotland doesn’t cap child benefit at 3 children, and pays low income families a weekly top up for each of their children.

"According to the Economist, the world experienced an estimated 5.3 million excess deaths in 2020, 12.6m in 2021, and 6.9m in 2022. So far in 2023, the number is 2.3m, perhaps enough to make Covid, by the end of year, still the world’s third biggest killer."

New York Times journalist David Wallace-Wells neatly summing up the latest worldwide excess deaths news this week.

The COVID pandemic is simultaneously over, and also still killing us in droves. This cat is too snarly to go back in the bag, so instead, we should all just act like we can't see it, and remember the Trump method - less testing = less COVID. Eventually, if no-one tests, no-one dies from COVID. It's a winner.

While we're on the subject, some of us really are being told in plain English NOT to test for COVID. This week I have seen multiple emails to both UK medical and teaching staff, reminding them that they should be at work unless they are physically too unwell to function, and shouldn't be testing for COVID, as it could keep them off work for longer than necessary if the result is positive.

(Must.Go.To.Work.Protect.Short.Term.Economy.)

The COVID inquiry hasn't been quite as explosive over the last 2 weeks, but we did find out Professor Angela McLean (now Patrick Vallance's replacement as UK Govt Chief Scientific Adviser), described Rishi Sunak as “Dr Death the Chancellor” (Muhahaha). She also referred to an unknown person as a "fu€k₩it". Naughty.

On a more serious note, Sir Patrick Vallance has asked that all of his diary entries aren't made public, because he wrote all kinds of brain dump in there, and his mental health is suffering at the idea we might all read it, and Professor of infectious disease modelling and Government advisor John Edmunds made a blistering testimony:

"As I explained to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, we either lockdown now and control the epidemic, or it will force you into a lockdown later, when you'll have to lockdown harder and longer. 20,000-25,000 people died. Some would have, but there's no reason for that many people to have died at all.. There was no strategy, no long term thinking."

Guess what's back? Yeeeay, mask wearing in hospitals!

In fact it's only a few UK health authorities and buildings (inc in Sheffield, Worcester) which at this point have asked staff and service users to wear masks.

Hospitals and clinics are literally swarming with sick people, vulnerable people, and staff who don't want COVID every 4 months for the rest of forever. What a mix. It always seemed ridiculous that mask-wearing was universally dropped - although don't forget that air purification has stepped up massively.

Sad news for the Captain Tom Foundation charity, as it is closing down. They just aren't getting many donations, and it's probably not covering the staff bill. The late Sir Captain Tom's daughter is currently going through an appeals process to keep her illegitimately built home spa pool from demolition. (Thoughts and prayers. Maybe a slow handclap.)

As the charity is coming to an end, a person who worked on the launch has done media interviews. She says she helped set everything up, was in line for loads of industry awards, and then was told she was no longer needed and she couldn't talk about her involvement. Nice.

Captain Sir Tom Moore raised a fortune for the NHS while he was alive. He has his own legacy, and his daughter has hers.

The world's first vaccine against Malaria is doing astoundingly well! Big handshake to all involved in this one. Over 4 years of vaccinating children under 4 years in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi, it has cut deaths from Malaria by 13% - saving 1 in every 8 of the children who would have died, and preventing hundreds of thousands becoming seriously ill.

In 2021, malaria killed an estimated 468,000 children under age 5 in sub-Saharan Africa, so if the vaccine can be rolled out across the entire area, it should mean over 58,000 children's lives saved, and make a massive difference to available healthcare services.

It is the weekend again! Huzzah! Most of our young people go back to school on Monday, so if you've been juggling work from home and everything else - you made it. The world news is all a bit grim right now, so it's even more important to treat yourself to something nice. You've earnt it, you deserve it and it's good for your mental wellbeing. I'll be having a board game afternoon with my kids, with snacks and pop, because they've earnt it too.

No numbers tonight because I'm travelling, and it's a long one already! Back in 2 weeks...

Worry About What You Can Change, Find Ways To Work With The Rest. Save The NHS.

Sources:

Images

https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1717375558491770970?t=VQD_lC2ulC3bc3-0SrfMHA&s=19

Images hospital stats

https://x.com/COVID19actuary/status/1717460346217095671?t=vJySNxN9FC2ec6Vtt2xokA&s=09

https://x.com/PaulMainwood/status/1717451108895822300?t=rM_XxnDwG8f5fZyMUr4wiA&s=09

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Week 1 stats

https://x.com/chrischirp/status/1714992106849063259?t=G6ifp7WQ9zTBiWu9UieHCg&s=09

New Cases 8,560 w/e 21st October

New Deaths (occurrences) 223 w/e 29th September

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

Deaths data

https://x.com/john_actuary/status/1716795541135261790?t=EXm6DprgeRpUuvYJGlAwQQ&s=09

https://x.com/COVID19actuary/status/1716738217892806947?t=k5mhScTHEeQ2trfTPKCSzw&s=09

Destitution?

Addendum to covid stats re scotland

https://x.com/ActuaryByDay/status/1716805711903207528?t=J1dNs-auXWSy1nVeNBYnAA&s=09

And precis and image

https://twitter.com/ActuaryByDay/status/1716813737225793738?t=p72L1ppnMRRK5GRUyuw_qg&s=19

Health Foundation

https://www.health.org.uk/search/basic_page_sub_type/54?textsearch=&sort_bef_combine=created_DESC

https://www.health.org.uk/waiting-list

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-67228043?s=09

NHS underfunded Democide

https://x.com/danielgoyal/status/1714546395267342676?t=HOh1fFao1JBdg3gQrDbPCw&s=09

Destitution

https://www.mygov.scot/scottish-child-payment

https://x.com/jrf_uk/status/1716715308369535026?t=CGjJ9XE8KQc9MlZJWUTylQ&s=09

Covid is over, and not. Less testing.

https://x.com/dwallacewells/status/1715391129061917120?t=mN2awUX_b2XpCJbvBg5kJQ&s=09

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates

Teacher guidance - don't test.

https://x.com/KateCushing2/status/1713210383408779585?t=8Jzfoy0CKumyUooxgNA6iQ&s=09

COVID inquiry

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/19/science-adviser-referred-to-rishi-sunak-as-dr-death-covid-inquiry-hears

https://twitter.com/implausibleblog/status/1715039421152600321?t=PteW-yOXpjAs2Rd1XTQFBw&s=19

https://x.com/BBCHughPym/status/1713942663651582308?t=od1bDbSUJZozxkLgigfA0g&s=09

Boris bollocks

https://x.com/carolvorders/status/1712930722367856848?t=J4_keQZ9qB5khvOZaky-UA&s=09

150 partygate fines

https://x.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1712867258991518171?t=YZYSXvuELZMLqxTZTEhPvA&s=09

Mask wearing Sheffield

https://x.com/BBCNews/status/1716129974745211287?t=Wp0ZEAXw8uqt027O9rOEmQ&s=09

Worcester did a month ago

https://twitter.com/WorcsAcuteNHS/status/1707017845190586794?t=2xQe_ze_HpRJ9Q73lopyug&s=19

Captain Sir Tom Moore:

https://www.upday.com/uk/captain-sir-tom-moore-what-are-the-controversies-surrounding-his-family

https://f7td5.app.goo.gl/e3t6GV

https://www.upday.com/uk/woman-who-helped-launch-captain-tom-charity-was-cut-out-by-the-family

Malaria

https://www.science.org/content/article/first-malaria-vaccine-slashes-early-childhood-deaths?s=09

Friday, 13 October 2023

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 13th October 2023

World COVID Statistics: 696,503,623 reported cases and 6,925,559 losses of life.

In England during the month between 1st and 29th September, 866 babies and children were hospitalised with COVID.

That is an increase from 476 during August and 276 during July.

COVID hospitalisations are rising across England (Scotland is a more mixed picture). Last week there was a 25% increase, and this week a 12% increase. We are still at a relatively low level, but it's been rising fairly steadily since the end of June, despite the fact we aren't routinely testing anyone any more.

131023 Hospitalisations children and babies chart

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 29th September 2023

World COVID Statistics: 695,939,792 reported cases and 6,921,077 losses of life.

Hospital admissions with COVID in England increased by 10% in the week ending 22nd September. Biggest increases are in the NW (+33%) and NE&Yorks (+29%).

The UK is still losing more people each week than anticipated, but it isn't at the lofty heights (and extra 8-10%) that it was last year.

The Continuous Mortality investigation (CMI) weekly Mortality Monitor (week ending 15th September) for England and Wales shows rates were 4% higher than the equivalent week in 2019, based on death registrations data.

"CMI calculates 204,200 excess deaths in the UK since the start of the pandemic. That total has increased by 32,600 in 2023.

Cumulative mortality rates YTD (year to date) are 5.4% of a full year’s mortality worse than 2019."

Better news for this year (but worse for last year), the CMI note that there are far more late registrations than usual, so many of December 2022's registrations were actually added in with January 2023's figures.

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 4th August 2023

The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has currently authorised 9 different COVID vaccines, and the latest is Bimervax, which is suitable as a booster jab for people aged 16+. It's still up the Joint Committee on Immunisation and Vaccination (JCVI) as to whether we actually deploy any of the vaccines we've okayed, and the Government have to agree to buy them.

Protect yourself from the sun - skin and eyes - WHO poster

In the UK COVID cases are currently on the rise, with pharmacists noting a marked increase in test buying over July and the ZOE app. registering a jump in symptomatic people. That follows a similar pattern to previous pandemic years, with us desperate for the school holidays to serve as a firebreak. It's always worth keeping alert though...

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 21st July 2023

World to date: Officially reported COVID cases 691,770,965, losses of life 6,901,646

The final witness has testified for the first phase of the UK COVID Inquiry. There's a lot to sift through and evaluate, so an interim report is expected next year, and it'll be a long time before the final document. By then it'll likely be another degree warmer, fish will contain too much plastic to count as fauna, and no-one will really care about a report stating the obvious inadequacies we all lived through. They hope.

measles is common abroad get vaccinated and image of holidaying family climbing steps onto a plane

A recent UK study has looked at just how many children have been hospitalised with COVID in England.

• Between July 2020 and February 2022, 3,226,535 children and teenagers in England tested positive with COVID for their first time.

• 29,230 (0.9%, almost 1 in every 111 of those who tested positive) needed hospital admission - some were tested on arrival to hospital with various other ailments, but 21,000 (around 3 in every 4) were taken to hospital and admitted specifically due to COVID.

• 1,710 (5.9% or 1 in every 17 of those admitted to hospital) involved paediatric critical care.

• 70 deaths occurred in which covid-19 or paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome was listed as a cause.

• 8,415 (28.8% or more than 1 in every 4) of those children admitted to hospital were aged under 1 year.

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 23rd June 2023

We may as well start here... The Privileges Committee Report:

Within an hour of my last post, Boris Johnson resigned. This was after he received an advance copy of the 'Partygate' report - which he said finds him guilty "regardless of the facts".

Even then he didn't actually give in, and reportedly sent the panel some extra evidence. They delayed the report by 24 hours to read it, which bizarrely resulted in Johnson getting shouty in Parliament about delays to publication.

On Thursday we were able to see what has been blindingly and unquestionably obvious since the very start. We were right there watching. Johnson lied to Parliament. Repeatedly.

He was emphatic that all of the COVID socialising rules had been followed, but as he has a brain and implemented them in clear English himself, he must have been aware he was breaking them.

Parliament still had to endorse the Privileges Committee's report, and they did, by vote of 354 - 7 (225 Conservative MPs abstained).

COVID jab UK deadline July except vulnerable NHS

Among evidence which has now become public is a reminder WhatsApp isn't just for text messages, and the 'Partygate video'.

Handily this video appears to be from a party the met police didn't investigate through 'lack of evidence', and it shows people wearing paper party hats, laughing, flirting and dancing at an actual Christmas office party - with music, booze and catered food. Awesome.

I am so very sorry if you lost your next of kin, your parent, your child, during lockdown and restrictions on mixing. If you lost someone you loved very much, with very little contact or chance to say goodbye. If you attended a limited funeral, or weren't even able to go. If you had a baby, and couldn't show them off. If your Grandchildren grew, without you being able to watch.

This affected ALL of us. They set the rules, and some never for a second believed those rules also applied to them.

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update catch up 9th June 2023

World COVID Statistics: 690,078,591 reported cases and 6,889,524 losses of life.

Hey up! Remember me? I'm finally regaining use of my faculties after having my abdomen wall reconstructed, and dipping back in to the COVID news between naps and 'exercising by walking round the block at the speed of a UK Government Renters (Reform) Bill'.

I get a 6 month sicknote, so recovery is all going to plan, just veeeery sloooow. It's been 6 weeks, so there are quite a few headlines you might have missed - here are some of them.... (as always source links are at the bottom of the page, so you can find out more if you wish).

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 31st March 2023

World COVID Statistics: 683,871,943 reported cases and 6,830,866 losses of life.

"Isn't a baseline of 1 million current cases & several hundred deaths a week dramatic enough for you? Like Coronation Street, it drags on forever, but can't be said to lack drama."

Excellent quote from someone named Mal Smith on the COVID stats last week. COVID very definitely isn't over, we are 'learning to live with it'. Never forget those who won't ever be able to take it lightly. Around 1.5 million people in the UK will always be more vulnerable to serious disease and death. Never belittle someone who wants to wear a mask or flinches if you cough, whether for their own safety or yours.

310323 1st and 2nd COVID jabs will end for most on 30th June

The weekly COVID19 surveillance report from the UK HSA shows that hospital admission rates have decreased in almost all age groups. The highest admission rates continue to be seen in the over 75s.

This is for the week ending 26th March, so it's much more up-to-date than we used to have to work with.

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 10th March 2023

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 10th March 2023 - the Matt Hancock Lockdown WhatsApp edition.

World COVID Statistics: 681,301,970 reported cases and 6,810,359 losses of life.

"Since April ‘20, the COVID-19 Infection Survey has gathered & analysed more than 11 million swab tests & 3 million blood tests from households.

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the survey… your contributions have provided invaluable data that has helped develop our understanding of COVID-19 & helped shape decisions made throughout the pandemic."

Prof.Steven Riley, Director General of Data, Analytics and Surveillance, UK Health Security Agency.

100323 COVID jab Spring booster rollout recipients

Almost 3 years since the first UK press conferences, so hands up if you've got COVID! Yeeeay... noooo... booo. My youngest is testing positive again (4th or 5th time). Most of us are ill, but he's currently the only one with a positive test to prove it. Should be a fun weekend ahead...

COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 3rd March 2023

World COVID Statistics: 680,435,744 reported cases and 6,803,287 losses of life.

"Hospital admissions with COVID in England have fallen by 6% in-week.

Our R estimate has fallen to 0.95.

Admissions rose slightly in NE&Yorks and were flat in the Midlands, but fell everywhere else. The largest fall was 22% in the East.

Bed occupancy has fallen by 7%."

The COVID Actuaries Response Group

(Join in Yorkshire, and then we might get all good news to start with next week... )

Hospital-acquired COVID (which generally works as a canary in a coalmine, to tell us early which way it's going to go), fell by 12% in the latest weekly counts. Adele Groyer:

"There were 1,903 likely hospital acquired cases in the 7 days to 27 February vs 2,160 the previous week."

Protect yourself from Norovirus wash hands with soap

Sadly not quite a full house. The ONS random sampling is a bit more out of date, so expect it to show improvement next week. Week ending 21st Feb:

"The estimated percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) continued to increase in England and Wales, decreased in Northern Ireland, and the trend was uncertain in Scotland."

- England, estimate 1,298,600, equating to 2.31% of the population (2.18% in the previous reference week), or around 1 in 45 people.

- Wales, estimate 68,100, equating to 2.21% of the population (1.79% in the previous reference week), or around 1 in 45 people.

- Northern Ireland, estimate 20,800, equating to 1.14% of the population (1.62% in the previous reference week), or around 1 in 90 people.

- Scotland, estimate 117,100, equating to 2.22% of the population (2.18% in the previous reference week), or around 1 in 45 people.

About The Brick Castle

COVID-19 UK and World News Updates every couple of weeks. (I couldn't do 7 days a week forever!)

Play and entertainment for children and young people from tiny to teen and beyond. Skilled at Lego building, reviewing big kid toys and mending all things trodden on.
My family lost our 16 year old to suicide in August 2014. I write about this occasionally, and I collect smiles as often as possible.
Mainly my own content with an occasional guest post to put food on the table. If I didn't write it, they'll have certainly paid me to host it.

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