The basic principles of epidemiology are summarised by CDCD: count, divide, compare, then discuss differences. Unfortunately discussion of COVID-19 has widely ignored this approach. First, we must count something. Examples of things you might count include deaths, cases of disease, uses of a health service, occurrence of a symptom, or the presence of a risk […]
Tag: coronavirus
Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing a new podcast with you, where we’ll discuss the coronavirus pandemic, the government’s response, and what might happen next. We’ll interview doctors and senior health figures, and try to gain some insight into this unprecedented situation.
Treatment without prejudice We believe that all people are of equal value. Whether old or young, rich or poor, disabled or not disabled, we all share a common humanity. This was true before the coronavirus pandemic, and it remains true today. Coronavirus is affecting different people in different ways. Many have a mild illness, but […]
In recent weeks we have among others seen Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and members of the Royal family (all of whom it’s safe to guess have never used the NHS) joining in the public applause for key workers. Additionally, there have been a number of structural changes and commitments to increased funding that make it […]
Like many people in the UK, I live in a house of multiple occupation (HMO). We make an improvised family of five. Three of us work in the NHS: one junior doctor on a geriatric ward, one junior doctor on a psychiatric dementia ward (me) and one working in administration. The other two are finishing […]
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COVID-19: A GP’s Perspective
As I write we are at the beginning of the pandemic in the UK. We still have relatively small numbers of cases but they are steadily increasing along with, tragically, associated deaths. There is a very fine line between not fuelling mass panic, which is unhelpful, but also in taking sensible precautions. Public health messages […]
In response to Covid-19, Doctors in Unite urges the government to:
• Extend day-one sick pay to those on zero hours contracts, in the “gig-economy” and self-employed members of society
• Ensure that workers are not under pressure to attend work while they are unwell and may inadvertently pass on the disease: both financially and in regards to staffing.
• Allow the NHS to requisite private health care facilities to accommodate effective Covid-19 treatment and quarantine provision if needed
Wuhan Novel Coronavirus (CoVid-19) has claimed over 1,300 lives and infected 60,000 worldwide so far, with no sign of slowing down. The NHS has become an increasingly fragmented service supplied by multiple providers, which is at risk of failing to deliver the co-ordinated, effective response that Coronavirus requires. The last potential pandemic the NHS responded […]
Doctors in Unite 