New Years Eve already!

 Can't believe this year has passed so quickly! The year of the Covid 19 pandemic. 

23rd March 2020 we entered lock-down. Schools closed except for key workers children. People asked to work from home if possible and to only leave your homes for essential shopping, medical appointments and to exercise once a day. Holidays abroad were cancelled including ours to Spain in May. Hospitals were full of extremely ill patients in ITU on ventilators and the catch phrase was PROTECT THE NHS.  Routine hospital appointments and surgeries were cancelled. People were advised not to visit the A&E unless an emergency. Some GP practices appeared initially to close down now its telephone or zoom consultations and one to one. Luckily pharmacies kept open and continued to dispense prescriptions, take blood for diagnostic tests requested by GPs and give advice. Well done Pharmacists and their staff. 

We were told things would improve by the Government and their experts but they didn't. It appears Covid doesn't wane in warmer weather and also flourishes in the cold like flu! We were told to cover our faces with masks, keep 2 metres part and wash our hands frequently. HANDS FACE and SPACE.  We entered shops and banks masked up, stood on dots on the floor whilst queuing and followed arrows around the buildings. Most people I believe followed the rules with the exceptions of some well known names and groups of people that were exposed by the media.

We then entered Tiers and our area went into tier 2 on October 24th then we went into four week lock-down on 5th November. December 3rd entered tier 3 then today into tier 4. This is going to be reviewed in 2 weeks. 

Deaths and covid cases are rising! The rising cases I think are because more people are being tested and with a new variant many people are asymptomatic. If you die within 28 days of a positive covid test then you join the number of covid deaths. Hospitals are said to be under more pressure. This time of year we are always told of winter pressures with older people having flu and beds filling up. Hospitals are getting so much better at treating covid that patients are needing longer stays and not dying. Well done the NHS for innovative care and all your hard work over the months.

I'm wondering about the number of people who may have died through lack of early diagnosis of cancer, strokes etc. I'm sure we will look back in the future and say we should have done this and not that. Oh for the power of hindsight.  

Margret Keenan was given the first vaccination in the world after it had been approved for use in Britain on December 8th. An amazing first for Coventry! We are being told that a huge amount of our population should all be vaccinated by April. I'm not holding my breath! Up to now nothing is happening but it is holiday time so Monday 4th January I'm expecting centres to be ready for mass vaccination. A friend who has a 92 year old mother has yet to hear when she will have the jab. 

I appreciate the Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid 19 vaccine is easier to store in fridges than the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine in below -70 freezers so I'll patiently wait and see. Once the vaccine is available I'm sure the GPs at the local practices will step up to the mark.  

 To be fair vaccinating all the population over 18 is a huge logistic operation. It can be done!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.