On July 4th in the USA more than 180 people died from gun related incidents as reported by CBS. The freedom to carry a gun. 200 people die every year in the UK from drink related driving incidents. The freedom not to wear a mask – deaths not calculated yet. The freedom to travel to and from India after restrictions were placed on Pakistan and Bangladesh, thus allowing the Johnson strain to spread, deaths still rising (TBC).
COVID FACTS
I am assuming the following are true. Case of Covid could reach 100.000 a day (Secretary of State for Health); cases in Central Oxford – a university student area- have reached 2011 per 100.000. Other university towns and cities are also reporting higher levels of the virus, Students have not been prioritised for vaccination. the Secretary of State for Transport has not published research into Covid connections with amber list countries. The Secretary of State for Education has not had a positive thought regarding education, probably ever. The NHS is cancelling operations due to increased numbers of covid cases, and staff having to self isolate. Covid is affecting people from poorer areas and BAME backgrounds disproportionately. The WHO has recommended that all countries lift restrictions slowly.
FOOTBALL FANTASIA
Oh the poor press! It seems that they have not had anything exciting or positive to report for months, maybe even years. The hyperbole has however gone through the roof, it is just a game guy’s! Could we please keep sport to the back pages, and possibly centre pages. The government used yesterday to announce the reduction of the £20 extra Universal Credit.
JULY IN THE KITCHEN
After a failure due to over ambition with strawberry jam making, I am now doing 1kg at a time which also gives room for experimentation! I also bought some greengages to make some green jam, and might see if there are cheap apricots of the amber. Traffic light jam might work, make the three jams a day apart to allow for cooling in the fridge? I am also on the look out for gooseberries before the blackberry and apple season. Redcurrant jelly has set nicely – and is lovely and clear due to not squeezing the jelly bag.
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF COVID
All reports indicate that in the UK, and probably worldwide, Covid has become the disease of the poor. Reasons for this can vary but the major one is the high level of overcrowded living conditions and Covid. This is then compounded by the mistrust of the Government in the BAME community and the willingness of the poor to believe the anti-tax misinformation.
These two factors seem to be working independently, thus the North East has high levels of poverty and over crowding and has been hard hit in each wave ion the virus. Inner city boroughs in London like Tower Hamlets and Alum Rock in Birmingham have higher instances of the virus and lower vaccination rates, and more underlying health problems. The government has recognised this and has put money into solving it. Maybe door to door vaccination would help? Cornwall, presumably through tourism has had a recent spike with the Delta variant, whilst other rural areas with low population densities like Devon and Dorset have remained relatively low.
An interesting article on the BBC shows that the pattern of child mortality has hardly changed over the last 150 years. Covid follows the same pattern.
Going back to Dr.Snow in 1854, we have a lot to learn from the epidemiology of diseases. I wonder if the A level students who studied epidemiology with me have appreciated their knowledge recently? The international spread of the disease is more difficult to map, due to unreliable recording in some areas, but all the outbreaks I have seen reported originated in Wuhan, but were then rapidly spread by super spreader events like a ski resort in Switzerland (may have been Italy), Cheltenham Races and then more recently the decision by Bozo to not put travel restrictions on India when it was blatantly obvious to all that it was imperative (restrictions on Pakistan and Bangladesh – but he needed to try and get a trade deal with India to justify the Brexit debacle).
TESTS AND ORANGE JUICE
BUY A WOOLLEN JUMPER
Whilst New York is fitting air purifiers in every classroom, and Belgium is fitting CO2 monitors in public buildings, our wonderful government thinks rhetoric will ventilate our schools and public buildings. So my recommendation for the winter will be to buy extra layers to keep warm – bamboo t-shirts are wonderfully soft, nice woolly jumpers (we have a glut of wool in the Uk, and throw open those windows!
WE NOT I
So Sunak, Whateley and Jenrick have all publicly stated that they will drop wearing the mask asap. This basically sums up the nasty party. Wearing a mask protects others rather than oneself. So obviously a party of self righteous egoists would drop them as fast as they can, whilst being led by a liar and someone for whom personal responsibility seems to have been surgically removed.
ENGLAND FOOTBALL TEAM
Whatever the result tonight I am in awe of the team. The unity shown, the social awareness (taking the knee), the humility they show from the the manager to the support team. Whilst the government goes out of its way to be divisive, this team truly represents the England I want to be part of.
WILLIAMSON SETS OUT BID TO BECOME PM.
With a statement that basically said nothing new, and answering questions in the house with even less information Gav set out his stall to become PM when Mr.Bozo gets tired of playing the game!