Ministers – MPs – officials and researchers :
Further to the email sent to Ministers/MPs 27th March (attached), evidence could not be more graphic of the enormous failure of government to pre-plan adequate personal protective equipment for the NHS, and this adding to the astonishing refusal of government to promote the use of face masks and respirators for the general public.
A quarter of the population of the world in Asia are using face masks and respirators, as are large numbers of people in Europe and USA. But in the UK we are locked into out-of-date highly dubious advice “there is little evidence of widespread benefit …”. This then echoing around the media.
ASTONISHING ADVICE FROM GOVERNMENT WHEN THERE IS EVIDENCE OF CONSIDERABLE BENEFIT. COPIOUS CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT MASKS AND RESPIRATORS WILL PROTECT. WHY ON EARTH OTHERWISE WOULD MANY MILLIONS THROUGHOUT ASIA BE WEARING MASKS – AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA?
FFP3 Respirators : meeting US and EU viral protection standards.
Larger P3 respirator : larger respirators easier to breathe and more durable.
Health and Safety Executive 2008 : “Using separate tests to measure levels of inert particles and live aerosolised influenza virus, our findings show that surgical masks provide around a 6-fold reduction in exposure. Live viruses could be detected in the air behind all surgical masks tested. By contrast, properly fitted respirators could provide at least a 100-fold reduction.”
Social Distancing – new study suggests two metres is not enough : This is behind Telegraph paywall, however : “The two-metre social distancing rule being used to keep people apart may need to be four times bigger to prevent coronavirus from spreading, a new study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) suggests”.
“The new analysis by MIT has found that viral droplets expelled in coughs and sneezes can travel in a moist, warm atmosphere at speeds of 33ft to 100ft per second (10sq m to 30sq m), creating a cloud that can span approximately 23ft to 27ft (seven metres to eight metres).” “The researchers also warned that droplets can stay suspended in the air for hours, moving along airflow patterns imposed by ventilation or climate-control systems.”
And this “behaviour” for the straightforward fact virus, as pollen and dust “aerosol”, spreads and lingers in the air. The higher the concentration, on public transport for instance, the greater must be the risk. For practical demonstration shake any fabric in sunlight and we see dust expanding out in a cloud throughout a room. And so it is all too clearly in the case of exhaled virus contaminated air.
But “experts” and some academics are advising not to wear masks outside of clinical settings. And this based on a view the general public would not know how to maintain and keep clean respirators and masks. They might do more harm than good.
But the fact stands respirators will protect. The need is for “experts” with government to explain best practices as a matter of highest urgency. An extraordinary attitude from medical experts taking the view what will protect us is for the exclusive use of the medical profession. We need to move forward urgently on this. We need masks and respirators for the entire population.
I am wearing an FFP3 respirator mask every day I go shopping, along with surgical gloves and swimming goggles. In the complete absence of guidance from government and experts this is the best I can do. I know the respirator “fits”, you can feel the suction when you breathe in. Back home goggles and respirator are carefully removed (eyes closed) and cleaned with wipes and 60% alcohol based sanitiser spray. Gloves are removed and disposed, hands washed before and after handling.
The most dire infectious airborne and contact pandemic to sweep through the world in a hundred years it is beyond incomprehensible as a highest priority government is not four square procuring and promoting masks and respirators for the entire country. Highest priority of course to NHS staff and front-line workers, but no less we all need respirators.
As reported throughout the country monumental government failure to pre-plan and put in place respirators, personal protective equipment, and masks and respirators, needed by the NHS, and masks, respirators, and gloves, for the general public.
The Telegraph 28th March : Ministers were warned that the NHS could not cope with a pandemic three years ago but ‘terrifying’ results were kept secret : Exercise Cygnus October 2016 : “Ministers were informed three years ago that Britain would be quickly overwhelmed by a severe outbreak amid a shortage of critical care beds, morgue capacity and personal protective equipment (PPE), an investigation has discovered.
Scientists have been sounding the alarm on coronavirus for months. Why did Britain not act? : Richard Horton – Editor In Chief of the Lancet : “Under immense pressure, as the epidemic exploded around them, Chinese doctors (January 2020) took time to write up their findings in a foreign language and seek publication in a medical journal thousands of miles away. Their rapid and rigorous work was an urgent warning to the world”. “Medical and scientific advisers to the UK government ignored their warnings”.
Lancet January 2020 – Timely research papers about Covid-19 January 2020. Thank you China. Thank you Lancet editors.
Question Time 26th March – Adam Bute GP : “My own colleagues on the front line have had to go and buy their own scrubs and eye protectors because protective equipment has not been adequate. Problems that could have been anticipated”. Richard Horton : “A national scandal. We knew in the last week of January this was coming. The message from China was absolutely clear – a pandemic was on its way.”
And so it is, spring 2020 – government and parliament besotted by Brexit for four years – on top of ten years massive destruction of public service – NHS chronically underfunded waiting lists running into months – and now we face the full force consequences of what must be the most extreme ideological driven governance of the UK in British history.
Ministers have not been paying attention. We end with – irony of ironies – a conservative government taking the most extreme financial measures in British history nationalising huge section of national income. UK now well on way to ending up a centrally planned socialist state. And this from a conservative government.
And meantime hundreds are dying for lack of intensive care units with ventilators. Notably the ventilators made in counties such as USA, Holland and Germany (the EU which we were part of) none made in the UK : Europe searches for ventilators : UK with one of the lowest critical care bed numbers per 100,000 population in Europe.
And for the rest we don’t even have masks and respirators for the general public with government nothing to say on the issue for the all too clear reason to raise the issue is to bring more attention to the staggering failure of ideologically driven governments to take care of our country and people.
Jeff Williams
Poole
