covid
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The Tragedy of Long Covid
Summary What is Long Covid? What causes it? What are the implications for the lives of sufferers and policy implications more generally? Are some people more likely to get it? Public Attitudes to sufferers? How extensive is it? Is there are cure? This blog summarises the key issues, spells out the policy implications and, in Continue reading
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Happy 2024?
New Year is a time for reflecting back over the last year and looking forward to the next 12 months. At a time when the world is in the grip of a fresh Covid wave, driven largely by the immune dodging JN.1 variant, and evidence on the damage done by Covid mounts by the day, Continue reading
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Increasing calls to improve protections against Covid in Healthcare
The last week has witnessed increasing calls, including from the BMA and RCN to improve safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid in healthcare settings. This follows on from a statement by WHO which classified Covid variant JN.1 as a variant of interests, which is being assessed. This was further fuelled by the publication Continue reading
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Avoiding Covid?
Please note this blog was updated and a revised in August 2024 The vast majority of the population of the UK have had at least one confirmed or suspected infection. But some people have never had Covid (including myself and my husband) and many have only had it once. In some cases never having Covid 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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Living on Plague Island 