Early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the UK along with many other countries around the world tried to minimise the spread of new variants of the virus by limiting travel across borders. The then health secretary.
Variants
Why are people so scared of Omicron?
Unfortunately there is also every reason to expect continued attempts to fan the flames of hysteria rather than increase hospital capacity. Out of respect for our elders and those who are grieving lost loved ones, we have a duty to resist panic and hysteria.
Only a fraction of the population are susceptible to each variant
The implication of this is that each variant will find the susceptible population and once those people have been found that variant will disappear.
Omicron: Not Ebola
For reader’s of last week’s HART bulletin article describing the media’s role in promulgating government propaganda, the ‘Omicron escalation’ over the weekend will come as no great surprise.
More analysis of recent SAGE report
20 August – A recent SAGE briefing outlined various scenarios that might occur in the evolution of the SARS-Covid-19 pandemic.
What’s in store next?
6 August 2021 – The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has published an extraordinary paper setting out possible scenarios for the future.
Unvaccinated as ‘variant factories’?
15 July 2021 – Several media outlets in the UK have simultaneously released a story alleging that unvaccinated people are risking their own health and will become potential factories of coronavirus variants.,
Concerns about Indian variant continue to be unfounded
27 May 2021 – The news this week reports a ‘surge’ of cases and hospitalisations of the Indian Variant (B1.617.2) in the Greater Manchester area. Indeed the Indian government is distinctly unimpressed with this nomenclature and does not concur that this variant belongs to them.
Indian variant over-hyped
20 May 2021 – News this week has focused on the rise in the Indian variant. The proportion of sequenced samples that are from the Indian variant has indeed increased and is now approximately 30% of those sequenced.
Mutant variants and the futility of border closures
By Dr Gerry Quinn Post-doctoral Researcher in Microbiology and Immunology Mutant variants, emerging overseas or domestically, are an inevitable biological reality once a virus is in the population. On 9 February 2021, Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced that travellers from ‘hotspot countries’ will be expected to pay £1,750 to stay in one of 16 hotels […]
COVID-19 vaccination in children – major ethical concerns
By Dr Ros Jones Retired Consultant Paediatrician Known potential, late-onset effects from vaccines that have not yet been ruled out could take months or years to become apparent. The development of new vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 to the point of temporary approval1 has been the main tool promoted by the Government in the management of COVID-19.2 […]
