Covid-19: China pressured WHO team to dismiss lab leak theory, claims chief investigator | The BMJ

A World Health Organisation mission to study the covid pandemic’s origins in China, which announced in February that the possibility that the virus had escaped from a laboratory needed no further investigation,1 was put under pressure by Chinese scientists who made up half the team to reach that conclusion, the scientist who led the mission has said.Peter Ben Embarek, who led the scientists dispatched by WHO to Wuhan, told a Danish television documentary, broadcast on 12 August, that the Chinese scientists refused to even discuss the lab leak scenario2 unless the final report dismissed any need for further investigation.Having haggled about it until 48 hours before they left China, Ben Embarek said, his Chinese counterpart eventually agreed to discuss the lab leak theory in the report “on the condition we didn’t recommend any specific studies to further that hypothesis.”Discussing the team’s findings before leaving China, Ben Embarek told reporters that a lab leak was “extremely unlikely.” Asked by Denmark’s TV2 if that wording was …

Source: Covid-19: China pressured WHO team to dismiss lab leak theory, claims chief investigator | The BMJ

Tokyo doctors association calls for Olympics cancelation – Japan Today

A Japanese doctors’ group has urged the cancelation of the Olympics, even as Games organizers reported a surplus of applications from medics to volunteer at the virus-postponed event. With less than 10 weeks until the Tokyo Games begin and as Japan battles a surge in infections, public opinion remains strongly…

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So mamy views and opinions, but how many of these views and opinions are from people who have the facts, well I am not sure.

 

But what I do see  is that there appears to be more against holding the Olympics than theree are for, so It would appear that the Games should be cancelled. For to hold the event and the pandemic really takes off it will be well too late for measures to alleviate it.

Suffering and even more deaths will occur, but will those that decide to hold the event be held to account. Even if there are, that is not sufficient for those who will have died or are suffering and their families who will have to pick up the pieces, for nothing could be sufficient compensation to cover all that.

 

Source: Tokyo doctors association calls for Olympics cancelation – Japan Today

A vision for the future of social care

I so agree, which is why I support the petition, Solve the crisis in Social Care, https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care

Further information can be found at https://1drv.ms/w/s!Aq2MsYduiazgo1VP3BeD4Qrpt0Xm?e=hHwlFU

Covid 19 my vaccine experience.

I too have had the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and now waiting for the second injection.

The first injection did not cause me any major problems, only had some numbness, on the next day, where the injection had been, but this had gone by the following day.

I have not rushed out thinking I was now safe, but continue to shield and will do until, at least, I have the second injection. Even then I will continue to stay safe, wear a face-mask when I go out and respect Social Distancing. I also wash my hand regularly throughout the day and certainly when I come back from medical appointments, the only reason I do leave home.

Until everyone has had the full course of injections I will not feel safe to go out.

I had the injection, not only because I believe in having injections and to safeguard myself, but also to safeguard others and do my bit to see that the effects and mutations of COVID-19 are substantially reduced or even eliminated. However, I do appreciate that I and others will need regular COVID injections, just like we do for the Flu. This is not to say COVID is like the flu, as it is very much worse and could cause long-term deliberating conditions in those who are not vaccinated.

I do have an adult daughter who has a severe aversion to needles and as she has Learning Disabilities and Autism does not have the capacity to understand anything about COVID-19.

So, until there is an alternative to the injection, such as a Nasal Spray she will be open to contract COVID-19, so I owe it to her to do all I can the ensure I will not be able to pass COVID-19 onto her.

The poor side of life

Yesterday I had my Covid 19 vaccination. I had the Pfizer vaccination and I really couldn’t wait for this day to arrive.

Most of you will know that my Covid 19 and Long Covid experience has been horrendous.

I first became ill with Covid 19 last April and I quickly became extremely unwell. You can read about this in my previous blog posts. I also developed Pneumonia and pleurisy and had numerous relapses.

To say that I was excited for my vaccine was an understatement, I can never forget how ill I have been and I certainly don’t want to catch it again. Not only do I have to think about myself I also have to think about my daughters wellbeing as well.

I was virtually bedbound for around a month except for the odd trip downstairs which completely exhausted me. As a result my illness really scared my daughter…

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Frances Whiley: Another Sister Speaks For Her Brother With LD

Yet again persons with learning disabilities, (LD), are, apparently, going unnoticed by the UK Authorities, especially in Wales. This is in spite of a report in November 2020 from Public Health England,  which showed that people with learning disabilities were three to six times more likely to die from covid-19 than the general population during the pandemic’s first wave

This is when, before COVID-19, the risk of persons with LD dying earlier than persons without LD is well known and the reason the LeDeR programme with the University of Bristol, is being researched, which started on 1 July 2016 and is funded by NHS England.

So, why with all the above are persons with LD being ignored and even worse, if they went into hospital could well have a DNR (Do not resuscitate), placed on their record.

It would appear all is against persons with LD, but why?

Do these authorities feel the right to life of persons with LD should be ignored, if this is correct, then this is a very dangerous and very worrying premise, for to believe, this is how exterminations start, just look at Germany in the 1930/40s.

This needs to be stopped forthwith for persons with LD have as much right to life as anyone.

Same Difference

Since the pandemic began more than a year ago, one of my greatest fears has been losing my brother, who lives in a care home. He is in his late 20s, is severely autistic and has epilepsy, as well as other complex needs. He is extremely vulnerable. According to Public Health England, people with severe learning disabilities are six times more likely to die from Covid-19 than the general population. In my brother’s age group, the 18-34 bracket, the death rate is 30 times higher.

Then there is the added risk of where he lives. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), living in a care home is a “major factor in the increased exposure of people with learning disabilities to Covid-19”. The communal nature of these facilities, combined with how much contact is required between care workers and residents – my brother needs help with everything, from…

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The curse of ‘white oil’: electric vehicles’ dirty secret | News | The Guardian

Electric vehicles are being put forward as the green future, but what is green for one could well be black for others.

With electric vehicles the dark emissions will be reduced, but to obtain essential element, such as, Lithium the green image will be distorted due to the mining practices for the lithium.

So are electric vehicles as green as they are painted, may be not, but for many the creation of mobility aids is an essential part of life, due to their disabilities and vehicles of some nature will be required.

Many other vehicles will be also be required by those to whom travel is an essential part of their job requirements and how they manage their lives.

To have your own vehicle is part of a persons independence and forms of group travel would reduce this independence considerably.

So, while electric vehicles would appear to be the answer for a more green future, more green types of fuel will be required,

Source: The curse of ‘white oil’: electric vehicles’ dirty secret | News | The Guardian

When can children get the COVID-19 vaccine? 5 questions parents are asking

This article looks at the vaccines for children and it appears that work has already been started or is soon to start, but there is still, at least, one other area and this is for adults with learning disabilities (Intellectual Disabilities) and Autism who are needle averse, for in this area needle injections are not possible.

The adults are very vulnerable, but as I see it there is no work taking place in that direction.

With regards to Flu these adults can be given the nasal spray, which is generally given to children under 12 years, but it is not as effective as the injection, but something is better than nothing.

 

Source: When can children get the COVID-19 vaccine? 5 questions parents are asking

Council proposes to increase social worker caseloads to help address financial crisis| Community Care

The Government is wrong again for it is totally inappropriate for local government secretary Robert Jenrick to say the the authority had been “entirely irresponsible with their spending and investments”.

For it is the Government who are entirely irresponsible with their funding of not just Croydon, but all Local Authorities (LAs).

The funding of Social Care has never been sufficiently funded, even before 1970, when LAs were made responsible for all Social Care and the 10 years of austerity cuts only compounded this and then the additional costs related to COVID-19 made a very bad situation even worse.

Yes, the Government has provided some extra funding for COVID-19 costs incurred, but again the Government funding fell way short of what is required.

We all wonder what this Government is good at, well they are certainly good at getting things wrong, in fact on this they are exceptional, something they have fully mastered.

 

Source: Council proposes to increase social worker caseloads to help address financial crisis | Community Care

The EU Parliament’s Procedure to Decide on the Immunity of Catalan MEPs Carles Puigdemont, Clara Ponsatí and Toni Comín to Begin Tomorrow Monday

I do hope that the EU Parliament come down on the side of Catalan leaders Puigdemont, Ponsatí and Comín, rather than the Spanish authorities.

For the leaders Puigdemont, Ponsatí and Comín were following their convictions and the wishes of the Catalonian population in the 2017 independence referendum.

For, if, the results of any referendum are not abided by, then what is the point of having a referendum.

However, the EU and some countries within the EU are not good in progressing the views of referendums, has can be seen with the UK Brexit referendum of 2016 and previously referendums in Ireland in 2001 and 2008, Greece in 2019 and France and The Netherlands in 2005, .

Lets hope on this occasion the views of the Catalonian population will be upheld.

Josep Goded

Tomorrow Monday, November 16th, the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs will start discussing whether to lift the immunity of Catalan leaders Puigdemont, Ponsatí and Comín. This comes at the request of Spanish authorities, who have openly expressed their desire to have them extradited in order to jail them for their roles in the 2017 independence referendum, even though Belgian justice recently rejected the extradition of exiled Catalan leader Lluís Puig arguing that the Supreme Court did not have the authority to issue a European arrest warrant against him.

The ultra-conservative Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki will be the head of the committee and will present the case, which will then be discussed by the rest of MEPs on the committee.

Monday’s session will be held virtually due to Covid-19 restrictions. Puigdemont, Comín and Ponsatí will be summoned for a hearing at a later date. The debate on their immunity is…

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I’m still here. My continued battle with Long Covid and good memories.

No truer words have been published and my heart goes out to Charlotte Hughes and her family.

The Government also play their part in this debate, for all their work is there to discredit benefit claimants, for they make it as difficult as possible to claim benefits. Also, in most instances the assessments that claimants have to undergo add to this discredit of benefit claimants. Assessors have been shown to be producing incorrect assessments and some shown to have deliberately so, but has one assessor been prosecuted for doing so?

I fear not, which if correct is a disgrace.

The Government goes out of its way to make like difficult for vulnerable people, disabled people, the poor and sick, etc.

then, this Government and many previous Governments have deliberately kept Social Care short of fun ding, so it is not just welfare benefits they are using to make like difficult for persons in need, but also Social Care, which they require to live a reasonable life.

Governments have made numerous promises to provide the correct funding for Social Care and to solve many of the other problems, but to date, they have not done so. So, Social Care continues to slide greater into crisis and there will come a time, if it has not already been reached when the failure to solve the crisis will cause, not only distress and pain, but the ultimate, death.

It could be argued that in the COVID-19 pandemic this failure to solve the Social Care crisis as already created deaths, a great stain on this Government.

To bring this to the attention of everyone, especially the Government I created the petition, Solve the crisis in Social Care,

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/solve-the-crisis-in-social-care.

Please view the petition and, if you agree, please sign and share.

But funding is not the only problem, even if it is the main problems, so, if you wish for further information please see,

https://1drv.ms/w/s!Aq2MsYduiazgoEy6ROxeV0abd2mT?e=tA03zo

Thank you

Chris Sterry

#care #socialcare #crisis

The poor side of life

Dear readers an extra blog post from me, I hope that you don’t mind.

I’ve been a tad quiet recently because my recovery has been set right back.

My daughter unknowingly brought home a nasty virus with her when she returned home from school about two weeks ago.

What would normally would have been a slight cold etc completely floored me. I was forced to retreat back to bed.

I really hated having to retreat to bed because I wanted to be out and about and I had plans to do ‘stuff’.

I’m now out of bed but I’m coughing a lot and I can’t get my stats above 94 to 96. I’m also experiencing the return of the stabbing pains.

Yes I know that I should go back to the hospital and I will do when I’m financially able to do so. Shite happens and I’ve got to learn…

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