Health chiefs learned of Covid guidance from TV early in pandemic, inquiry told
1 year, 9 months ago

Health chiefs learned of Covid guidance from TV early in pandemic, inquiry told

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Failures of planning and preparation for personal protective equipment for healthcare staff “led to the ludicrous spectacle of doctors making aprons from bin liners”, one lawyer said. At the start of the pandemic, directors were learning about new policies and guidance at the same time as members of the public were when the televised 5pm daily briefings began to be broadcast Steven Ford KC Steven Ford KC, representing the Association of Directors of Public Health, which he likened to local chief medical officers, said directors of public health had been “repeatedly excluded from key communications and guidance developed at a national level”. He told the inquiry there was “an insufficient understanding of the role of directors of public health at a national level” and “as a consequence they were largely omitted from planning for the pandemic”. “They were expected to impose these policies without the necessary structures and support mechanisms having been in place.” Frontline staff often had to go without PPE, buy their own, use homemade, donated or expired items, and reuse single-use items Brin Stanton, for the BMA In healthcare settings staff had to improvise having been left with a lack of adequate protective clothing.

Health Pandemic Public Health Public Bin Directors Ppe Health Chiefs Bin Liners  learned  policies  ppe  directors  early  planning  items  public  inquiry  chiefs  tv  staff  pandemic  guidance  covid  told  health

History of this topic

House Covid-19 panel releases final report criticizing public health response to the pandemic
3 months, 3 weeks ago

House Covid-19 panel releases final report criticizing public health response to the pandemic

CNN  

CNN — A Republican-led House committee investigating broad aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects in the US released a final report Monday summarizing its two-year effort, saying it hoped the work would “serve as a road map for Congress, the Executive Branch, and the private sector to prepare for and respond to future pandemics.” In the 520-page report, …

Government’s ‘fatal strategic flaws’ in Covid planning led to avoidable deaths and economic pain
8 months, 1 week ago

Government’s ‘fatal strategic flaws’ in Covid planning led to avoidable deaths and economic pain

The Independent  

Mass deaths and economic pain during the Covid-19 pandemic were driven by “fatal flaws” in planning by the government, civil servants and scientists who prepared for the “wrong pandemic”, a public inquiry has found. The UK Covid-19 Inquiry, chaired by Heather Hallett, published its first report on Thursday, focusing on the UK’s pandemic “preparedness and resilience”. The 217-page report said …

People with Covid discharged to care homes over fears for NHS, inquiry told
1 year, 4 months ago

People with Covid discharged to care homes over fears for NHS, inquiry told

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Professor Dame Jenny Harries, England’s deputy chief medical officer during the pandemic and now …

Chris Whitty: Britain’s Covid plans were ‘woefully deficient’ – even for a flu pandemic
1 year, 4 months ago

Chris Whitty: Britain’s Covid plans were ‘woefully deficient’ – even for a flu pandemic

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Britain’s pandemic plans …

Health officials ‘not concerned’ about Covid patients in care homes months into pandemic, inquiry hears
1 year, 4 months ago

Health officials ‘not concerned’ about Covid patients in care homes months into pandemic, inquiry hears

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Department of Health staff were “not concerned” about discharging elderly people …

UK must be prepared to lock down to prevent disease spread – Hancock
1 year, 9 months ago

UK must be prepared to lock down to prevent disease spread – Hancock

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UK must be prepared …

Matt Hancock arrives to give evidence to Covid-19 inquiry
1 year, 9 months ago

Matt Hancock arrives to give evidence to Covid-19 inquiry

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Former health secretary Matt Hancock has arrived to give evidence …

DHSC accepts restrictions caused ‘profound pain’, Covid Inquiry hears
1 year, 9 months ago

DHSC accepts restrictions caused ‘profound pain’, Covid Inquiry hears

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy …

Covid-19 Inquiry: People encouraged to share pandemic experiences
1 year, 9 months ago

Covid-19 Inquiry: People encouraged to share pandemic experiences

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy People across the UK have been urged to share their …

Ex-UK health chief defends record after COVID messages leak
2 years ago

Ex-UK health chief defends record after COVID messages leak

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Britain’s former health minister on …

Experts discuss WHO's recent COVID-related statement
2 years, 1 month ago

Experts discuss WHO's recent COVID-related statement

China Daily  

Editor's note: After the conclusion of its 14th International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, the World Health Organization issued a statement that the novel coronavirus pandemic remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. That requires society to make seasonal arrangements to protect vulnerable groups, like vaccinating the seniors who have a weak immune system and the medical staff who have …

Lessons From COVID: What The World Needs to Learn to Tackle Future Pandemics
2 years, 2 months ago

Lessons From COVID: What The World Needs to Learn to Tackle Future Pandemics

The Quint  

The costly lesson from COVID: why elimination should be the default global strategy for future pandemics Getty Images Imagine it is 2030. An upgraded pandemic response to eliminate at source The process by which the WHO currently decides whether to declare a public health emergency of international concern has drawn criticism for being too slow. Elimination makes sense for other …

Explained | Is there any end of the COVID-19 pandemic in sight?
2 years, 6 months ago

Explained | Is there any end of the COVID-19 pandemic in sight?

The Hindu  

The story so far: “We are not there yet, but the end is in sight.” At a press conference on September 14, World Health Organization director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Last week, the number of weekly reported deaths from COVID-19 was the lowest since March 2020. We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic.” The …

In the new COVID-19 era, politicians are advising the experts — and in some cases, ignoring advice they don't want to hear
2 years, 8 months ago

In the new COVID-19 era, politicians are advising the experts — and in some cases, ignoring advice they don't want to hear

ABC  

It's less than a year since the "hi-vis" protests brought Melbourne's CBD to an almost daily standstill. It's less than six months since the "Convoy to Canberra" saw huge crowds converge on the national capital for a two-week "freedom" festival. This week, Victoria's Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas rejected advice from the state's acting Chief Health Officer to mandate mask-wearing in …

Director of new pandemic institute urges government to prepare UK for next outbreak
2 years, 8 months ago

Director of new pandemic institute urges government to prepare UK for next outbreak

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The director of a new UK institute dedicated to fighting future …

Hospitals still implementing Covid restrictions amid backlogs ‘face being named and shamed’
2 years, 10 months ago

Hospitals still implementing Covid restrictions amid backlogs ‘face being named and shamed’

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Hospitals continuing to implement Covid restrictions face being “named and shamed” …

Policies on discharging patients into care homes during Covid ruled unlawful
2 years, 11 months ago

Policies on discharging patients into care homes during Covid ruled unlawful

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It has only increased the distress to me and …

NT opposition drafting legislation requiring CHO to provide quarterly COVID reports, citing lack of 'transparency'
3 years, 1 month ago

NT opposition drafting legislation requiring CHO to provide quarterly COVID reports, citing lack of 'transparency'

ABC  

The NT opposition says more frequent reporting requirements for the Chief Health Officer during declared emergencies would bring "genuine transparency" to the government's pandemic management. Key points: The opposition says decisions behind health declarations cannot be scrutinised The Chief Minister says the proposal is an unnecessary burden on the CHO The CHO has not fronted a press conference since February …

Union Health Minister reiterates five-fold strategy for effective COVID-19 surveillance
3 years, 2 months ago

Union Health Minister reiterates five-fold strategy for effective COVID-19 surveillance

The Hindu  

Highlighting the role that teleconsultation has played to serve the people in far-off places as well as COVID-19 patients in home isolation, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday asked the states and the union territories to focus more on such services for better public health management. Stressing the role that teleconsultation and telemedicine have played in the country to …

Why the U.S. pandemic playbook was no match for COVID
3 years, 5 months ago

Why the U.S. pandemic playbook was no match for COVID

NPR  

Why the U.S. pandemic playbook was no match for COVID Enlarge this image toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Drew Angerer/Getty Images COVID-19 deaths and cases are starting to decline and some experts are projecting that the worst of the delta surge is over, thanks to a combination of vaccine uptake and natural immunity. In his new book, Uncontrolled Spread: Why …

A new focus of news coverage: Are there double standards for Covid protocols?
3 years, 6 months ago

A new focus of news coverage: Are there double standards for Covid protocols?

CNN  

CNN Business — A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. So we’re left assuming, left guessing, left making risk assessments without reliable data, and that leads to even more pandemic dissonance… Follow the rules or change the rules Double-standard-style behavior by Democratic politicians and vaguely defined members of “the elite” is a daily theme of …

Covid: We need the review into the pandemic response published now
3 years, 9 months ago

Covid: We need the review into the pandemic response published now

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Ironically Michael Gove’s Cabinet Office, which …

The pandemic has pushed more than 250 public health officials out the door
3 years, 10 months ago

The pandemic has pushed more than 250 public health officials out the door

CNN  

CNN — Riverside County, California, was one of the first counties in the country to face Covid-19, when repatriated US citizens were quarantined at March Air Reserve Base on January 29, 2020. While some of it is part of the normal ebb and flow of the workforce leaving or retiring, Freeman says much of it is “due to the pressures …

Volunteers Allege Clampdown on Online COVID-19 Relief Work
3 years, 11 months ago

Volunteers Allege Clampdown on Online COVID-19 Relief Work

The Quint  

It is no news that we are witnessing the collapse of the country’s healthcare system after the spike in COVID cases in the second wave. An acute shortage of supply of oxygen and medicines, the dearth of hospital beds and plasma, led people to turn to social media for help to be able to save the lives of their loved …

Covid-19 continues to disrupt essential health services: WHO
3 years, 11 months ago

Covid-19 continues to disrupt essential health services: WHO

India TV News  

Over one year into the Covid-19 pandemic, about 90 percent of the world's 105 countries surveyed still report disruptions to their essential health services, the World Health Organization said. A recent WHO survey has found that about 66 percent of countries continue to report health workforce-related reasons as the most common cause of service disruptions, and in nearly one-third of …

Covid: 800,000 clinically vulnerable people may have missed support, MPs say
3 years, 11 months ago

Covid: 800,000 clinically vulnerable people may have missed support, MPs say

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Poor data may have resulted in 800,000 clinically vulnerable people losing …

Here are 10 things the ‘pandemic doctors’ revealed to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about their time fighting Covid-19
4 years ago

Here are 10 things the ‘pandemic doctors’ revealed to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about their time fighting Covid-19

CNN  

Watch “COVID WAR: The Pandemic Doctors Speak Out” at 8 p.m. Friday, April 2 on CNN. Asked if there was a moment when he knew the danger was going to be big, Fauci said “When I saw what happened in New York City, almost overrunning of our health care system, it was like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ “ “That’s when it …

Start preparing for next pandemic now, experts warn Boris Johnson
4 years ago

Start preparing for next pandemic now, experts warn Boris Johnson

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “You pay the consequences.” Sir Mark said: “Not much funding has been moved into local …

Covid: Frontline staff left to risk their lives because of an inadequate PPE stockpile, report finds
4 years, 1 month ago

Covid: Frontline staff left to risk their lives because of an inadequate PPE stockpile, report finds

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Meg Hillier, chairman of the PAC, said: “The cost of emergency procurement – billions of …

Newsom’s COVID-19 briefings often leave more questions than answers, some officials say
4 years, 2 months ago

Newsom’s COVID-19 briefings often leave more questions than answers, some officials say

LA Times  

In his last news briefing of 2020, one of more than 100 held since the COVID-19 pandemic exploded in March, Gov. Superintendents in seven of California’s largest school districts said Newsom failed to address the needs of big-city schoolchildren and called his policy “confused.” The state’s largest teachers’ union said it left “many unanswered questions.” The independent Legislative Analyst’s Office, …

Coronavirus: UK to face ‘worst weeks of pandemic’, Whitty warns as cases surge
4 years, 2 months ago

Coronavirus: UK to face ‘worst weeks of pandemic’, Whitty warns as cases surge

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy England’s chief medical officer has warned the coming weeks are going …

Coronavirus: Government must reveal if pockets of UK rejecting vaccine, scientists urge
4 years, 2 months ago

Coronavirus: Government must reveal if pockets of UK rejecting vaccine, scientists urge

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Experts have called on ministers to reveal significantly more information about …

Coronavirus: NHS chief warns of ‘rising pressure’ as top psychiatrist issues plea for mental health funding
4 years, 3 months ago

Coronavirus: NHS chief warns of ‘rising pressure’ as top psychiatrist issues plea for mental health funding

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy An NHS chief has warned hospital services are experiencing a …

‘A scandal’: Fury after hospital bosses given coronavirus vaccine ahead of front line medics
4 years, 3 months ago

‘A scandal’: Fury after hospital bosses given coronavirus vaccine ahead of front line medics

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Bosses at one of England’s biggest hospital trusts have been …

Coronavirus: Christmas mixing guidance ‘under review’, No 10 admits
4 years, 3 months ago

Coronavirus: Christmas mixing guidance ‘under review’, No 10 admits

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “But our intention to allow families and friend to meet up during the Christmas period …

Recordings reveal WHO’s analysis of pandemic in private
4 years, 4 months ago

Recordings reveal WHO’s analysis of pandemic in private

Associated Press  

GENEVA — As the coronavirus exploded around the globe, scientists at the World Health Organization were sometimes privately frustrated by the mistakes made by some of their top donor countries but reluctant to say so publicly, leaked recordings of internal meetings show. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19, noted that the agency lacked “enough detail to say what …

Recordings reveal WHO’s analysis of pandemic in private
4 years, 4 months ago

Recordings reveal WHO’s analysis of pandemic in private

Associated Press  

GENEVA — As the coronavirus explodes again, the World Health Organization finds itself both under intense pressure to reform and holding out hope that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will reverse a decision by Washington to leave the health agency. Biden has promised to overturn President Donald Trump’s decision in June to cut off funds to WHO and withdraw the U.S. …

Recordings reveal WHO's analysis of pandemic in private
4 years, 4 months ago

Recordings reveal WHO's analysis of pandemic in private

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy As the coronavirus explodes again, …

Recordings reveal WHO's analysis of coronavirus pandemic in private
4 years, 4 months ago

Recordings reveal WHO's analysis of coronavirus pandemic in private

India Today  

As the coronavirus explodes again, the World Health Organization finds itself both under intense pressure to reform and holding out hope that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will reverse a decision by Washington to leave the health agency. Biden has promised to overturn President Donald Trump’s decision in June to cut off funds to WHO and withdraw the U.S. WHO has …

Avoid politicization of pandemic response, WHO tells countries
4 years, 4 months ago

Avoid politicization of pandemic response, WHO tells countries

India Today  

The WHO's Emergency Committee on Covid-19 met on 29 October to review the situation and progress made on temporary recommendations. They advised that the pandemic still constituted a public health emergency of international concern, and urged a focus on response efforts based on lessons learned and strong science. The committee expressed appreciation for WHO's leadership and activities throughout the global …

Coronavirus: Government throwing ‘lit match into a haystack’ by discharging Covid patients to care homes
4 years, 5 months ago

Coronavirus: Government throwing ‘lit match into a haystack’ by discharging Covid patients to care homes

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The government has been warned it is throwing “a lit match …

Coronavirus not ‘under control’ with pandemic ‘definitely heading in wrong direction’, warns chief scientific adviser
4 years, 5 months ago

Coronavirus not ‘under control’ with pandemic ‘definitely heading in wrong direction’, warns chief scientific adviser

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Sir Patrick Vallance has warned the coronavirus pandemic is not “under …

Giving the government free rein during the coronavirus pandemic is eroding our civil liberties
4 years, 5 months ago

Giving the government free rein during the coronavirus pandemic is eroding our civil liberties

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy MPs are …

Controversial guidance on CDC website written by Trump administration officials against will of scientists
4 years, 6 months ago

Controversial guidance on CDC website written by Trump administration officials against will of scientists

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. However, several CDC officials told the Times earlier this week that the guidance was …

Coronavirus: Care regulator warns hospitals and nursing homes over infection risk as it urges the public to give more feedback
4 years, 6 months ago

Coronavirus: Care regulator warns hospitals and nursing homes over infection risk as it urges the public to give more feedback

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The CQC is being forced to move away from its regular inspections of hospitals, care …

Self-isolation flouters could face fines for leaving house amid spike in coronavirus cases
4 years, 6 months ago

Self-isolation flouters could face fines for leaving house amid spike in coronavirus cases

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Flouting self-isolation rules could be punishable with a fine under …

COVID-19 pandemic not last, prepare for next: WHO chief
4 years, 6 months ago

COVID-19 pandemic not last, prepare for next: WHO chief

India TV News  

The coronavirus is not the last pandemic and the world must be better prepared for the next, World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned, adding the countries must invest in public health to tackle the next pandemic in a better manner. As a reminder, the review committee will evaluate the functioning of the IHR during the pandemic so …

Experts predicted a coronavirus pandemic years ago. Now it’s playing out before our eyes
4 years, 6 months ago

Experts predicted a coronavirus pandemic years ago. Now it’s playing out before our eyes

CNN  

CNN — In 2017, a team of experts at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security published a scenario as part of a training exercise that they believed could happen in the not-so-distant future. “It was really important to let people know that we’re still learning.” The need to invest in preparedness Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana, the SPARS Pandemic Scenario project …

Coronavirus: Northern areas released from lockdown against local advice see surge in new infections
4 years, 6 months ago

Coronavirus: Northern areas released from lockdown against local advice see surge in new infections

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Two areas of Greater Manchester set to be controversially released …

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