health
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Further Narrowing of Entitlement to Covid-19 Vaccines proposed
Yesterday the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) set out proposals for who will be entitled to a free Covid-19 vaccine booster in 2025 and 2026. Whist entitlements to the spring booster remains largely unchanged, there is a very significant proposed narrowing of who will be able to get a vaccine booster in Autumn Continue reading
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UK Heath and Security Agency (UKHSA) Make up the data!
On Thursday 10 October the UKHSA announced plans for a series of weekly updated graphs about so called ‘winter viruses’, based on data that is already available. So far so good – there is nothing wrong with presenting data more clearly in graphic form. Except it was not OK. The post has now been removed Continue reading
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Covid-19 Autumn Booster Campaign
My previous post, Submission to the Treasury on forthcoming budget and spending review was highly critical of the plans for the 2024 Covid-19 Autumn booster campaign, particularly the further narrowing of entitlement to a free vaccine, including the exclusion of informal carers and household members of the clinically vulnerable. However, one of the issues that Continue reading
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How to Avoid Catching Covid
This blog is a revised and updated version of my previous blog on this subject which was published May 2023. The vast majority of the population of the UK have had at least one confirmed or suspected Covid infection. This reflects the fact that governments and authorities have allowed the virus to rip by failing Continue reading
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BBC article on ‘Is there a summer covid wave’ – complaint
The BBC struck again on Sunday 30 June with an article on their news website about the current Covid wave. This has much in common with previous BBC articles, except it does not mention the previous BBC stance that Covid is now a routine winter virus. But I guess that publishing this in the UK Continue reading
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Summer Wave 2024
Whilst politicians, the media and the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) continue to pretend that Covid-19 is now a seasonal illness that strikes in late Autumn and Winter, the UK, in common with many other countries, now seems to be entering the second significant wave of infections of spring/early summer 2024. This blog provides Continue reading
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Data on Long Covid published at last
On 25 April the Office for National Statistics published data on self reported long covid from the Winter Covid-19 infections survey. This paints an alarming picture of continuing high rates of long covid, and suggests a growth in the number of sufferers since data was last published in March 2023. How many people have Long Continue reading
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Mask Abuse and Discrimination
Summary Back in 2020 and 2021 it was normal for people in the UK to wear masks, and it was sometimes mandatory in healthcare, supermarkets and other public buildings, for example. However, after the so called freedom day in July 2021 fewer and fewer people wear masks, even in very high risk settings which has Continue reading
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Preparing for the Next Pandemic
Earlier this year the World Economic Forum at Davos held a discussion about ‘Disease x’ and how to prepare for it. This blog discusses the issues focusing on the UK context in terms of preparedness for another pandemic. I am fully aware that we are still in the current pandemic as confirmed by the World Continue reading
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The Saga of Vaccination against Covid-19 in the UK continues…
As we await the opening of bookings for those eligible for the free spring 2024 Covid booster (listed in the photo above), this blog summarises what the situation is regarding private vaccines this spring and discusses wider issues about access and equity and updates my earlier post. Novavax Early optimism about the potentially relatively low 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 