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Is the early Autumn Covid-19 wave taking off?
Summary Covid-19 Test positivity has continued to rise in England and Scotland and is now above ‘baseline’ levels, though still classified as low – for an overview of the data and explanation of the classifications used see the latest blog from Bob Hawkins. However, geographical differences continue to be observed with significant increases in the… Continue reading
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Further cut to data on Covid 19 infections proposed
Summary NHS England are proposing to abolish the publication of regular data on hospital Covid 19 activity and only publish it in the winter months alongside data on flu activity. The consultation on the change is open until 2 November. The purpose of this short blog is to set out the arguments on why the… Continue reading
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A late summer Covid 19 wave?
Summary Just over two months ago I posed the question ‘Has Covid 19 gone away? On the basis of the latest evidence the answer seems to be a no. The UK and a number of other countries appear to be witnessing a rise in Covid 19 to the highest levels seen this year, though the… Continue reading
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Further Restrictions on who will be offered a free Covid-19 Booster proposed for Autumn 2027
Summary On 16 July the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) published their recommendations on who should be entitled to a free Covid19 booster in Autumn 2027. The proposals amount to a further significant narrowing of entitlement and would mean that only those living in care homes for the elderly, those people immunosuppressed using… Continue reading
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Has COVID 19 gone away?
The UK and indeed most of the world has not seen a significant surge in rates of Covid infections for some time and people are beginning to ask the questions- has it gone? Do we need to stop worrying? Do we need to stop shielding or taking precautions? This short blog discusses the data and… Continue reading
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Vaccines and Therapeutics- the success story of the Pandemic? Covid Inquiry Module Four report
On 16 April Baroness Hallett published her report on the Vaccines and Therapeutics programmes following on from public hearings held in the early weeks of 2025. The overall message is that the programmes were a success, but there were also problems . Many of the issues encountered by clinically vulnerable families are picked up in… Continue reading
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Covid Inquiry Report On Healthcare Systems – Module Three
The long awaited Covid Inquiry report of the investigations into the healthcare systems (module 3) appeared on 19 March 2026 following on from ten weeks of public hearings held in the Autumn of 2024. This blog discusses the key findings and recommendations and outlines why this represents a major victory for the Clinically Vulnerable Families… Continue reading
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UK Covid Inquiry : Module 10 The Impact of the Pandemic on Society
The public hearings of the tenth and final module of the UK Covid Inquiry ran from mid February for three weeks. In the video embedded here Ben Connah, Secretary to the Inquiry, explains the scope of this stage on the impacts of the pandemic on society. This is a very wide ranging module which picks… Continue reading
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Early 2026 Update on the UK Covid Inquiry.
Last year was an exceptionally busy year at the Covid Inquiry. Public hearings were held on no fewer than six of the 10 modules. In addition the major report of modules 2, 2a, 2b and c on political decision making was published in November 2025. This short blog focuses in the main on what has… Continue reading
GILLIAN SMITH About Me
I am a semi retired social researcher and have previously held a number of senior social research positions in Whitehall Departments. See an interview with me here. I live in a London suburb with my husband who has suffered multiple serious illnesses over the last few years. I myself am living with MND.
This series of blogs represent a personal, evidence based perspective based on living in the UK at a time when we are all meant to be ‘living with COVID’. Although I am a social scientist by training, I have worked closely with people from different disciplines throughout my career in order to present a complete picture of the evidence on specific policy issues. I am therefore scientifically literate but where I quote evidence based on research beyond my particular expertise it is always validated with relevant experts. I am a member of the Clinically Vulnerable Families group, though please note that the information presented here and any views expressed are my own. We are a friendly, supportive group and can be found via Facebook in private mode or in public mode via X (formerly twitter) Or BlueSky.Social
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