A Cure for Covid?

This week we are looking a bit at current affairs hopefully free from negativity of political discourse that does nothing for me but looks at actual issues which is a reason this blog like exists from when in 2016 I reviewed having it.

It was announced on Monday Pfizer/BioNTech pharmaceutical teams had come up with a vaccine for Covid-19 which had no ill effects on the test subjects who had been infected with it and a 90% success at preventing it had been reported.

The new treatment goes into accelerated testing for formal approval by various health regulators around the  world before treatment programs are established.

Not unsurprisingly mainstream  reaction has been overwhelming positive because so many of us are being affected in our most basic elements of our everyday lives, being unable to share affection with close family, under major restrictions on transportation, how we and what we can shop and eat and so on.

Is their any of us who doesn't want this to end soon?

No I doubt it so that is why there is much discussion about how here in the UK, the NHS, the leading state medical provider can roll out a vaccination program starting with people in health sector, then care homes and residents before moving in scale of vulnerability downwards to the whole population.

This may involve a call to bring many retired but otherwise capable former health workers back in to do the inoculations both in hospitals and the doctors surgeries and if here may be a role for chemists (the UK catch all term for Drug Stores) as there is with delivering the Flu vaccination annually.

The bigger thing may be getting the biggest very cold storage facilities for the vaccine where they are needed as it likes a temperature of minus 85 Celsius. 

We are looking at something like at least 1,200,000 inoculations a week probably scaling upwards at over 1,200 centres to try get the highest level of inoculation possible although it must be stressed other similar vaccines are due to report readiness for deployment too by December time.

In the UK it is not compulsory to take nationally prescribed vaccinations, an area of controversy given the drop in Polio and MMR vaccinations in recent years and associated rises in childhood infection.

It was stressed no one would be made to be vaccinated against Covid-19 but in terms of effectiveness in being able to gradually drop the restrictions we all are tired of, it's essential nearly all of us do.

It is possible that those who do not may face potential restrictions where say working in very close proximity may come into play although no one has actually said this.

In what has been at times a very downbeat time, the possibility of being able to move out the restrictions we are presently in in the knowledge we are highly unlikely to catch Covid and by extension reduce it transmission potential has given hope to hundreds of millions world-wide.

I'd take an inoculation if offered.

Smoking in public places

It's not something I talk about  a lot but I have a strong memory of being brought up with smoking cigarettes as many including my Grandad did, collecting as was the want back then such things as the cards issued with them with illustrations and brief factual information on various subjects.
A number of school friends also smoked from their mid teens although I didn't probably because my best friend had told me straight if she caught me smoking, by the time she'd finished with me I wouldn't be able to sit down for a week and I had no cause from the past to doubt her.
But nonetheless smoking continued in my family, in the workplace although rules were being brought in to control it and in very many public places before a major prohibitive act was introduced that among many things lead to the banning of smoking in places you eat, drink or waited for public transportation.
This was meant to apply to places such as Hospitals too although in practice it was banned only within the buildings as attempts to extend it to grounds failed because patients, staff and visitors who do smoke, still did.
Today though NICE (the health and drug regulator) are issuing new guidance that will require them to prohibit it from the grounds too, removing smokers shelters and ashtrays on the basis that they feel something that causes many illness and even can lead to  death should not be condoned by the Health Service.
I don't apologize for not smoking and certainly don't advocate smoking, however I do feel the need to object because for one thing the product is legal with tax revenue being used to part fund the Health Service (its Socialized) and unlike many places one doesn't necessarily actively choose to be there.
Smoking is an addiction - there I used the 'A' word - and people in times of high stress are likely to require that craving such as coming to see a seriously ill or dying relative or a staff member that has tried and failed to resuscitate a patient. They are highly likely to be really stressed that the slightest thing could result in them lashing out of their character if denied the chance to unwind with a smoke. 
I feel strongly that to deny them this right away from patients at such times is inhumane, lacking compassion and has the potential to put staff at risk from abuse (not that abuse is justified).