Covid-19

The global pandemic in 2020.

Action on Covid-19

The expected new Covid wave with BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants has not happened, or not yet. But new variants are certain to come in due course, and may well be fiercer than Omicron. We fight against the Tories’ and bosses’ scaling-back of sick-pay provision, virus-surveillance, etc. and for: • a sustained public-health testing-and-surveillance system • good sick pay for all • restore NHS funding and repeal privatisation • requisition private hospitals to augment NHS resources • bringing social care into the public sector with NHS-level pay and conditions for staff • workers’ control of workplace...

China and Covid: silence from the Morning Star

In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Morning Star gave extensive and enthusiastic coverage to China’s response, which did indeed appear to be impressive. A piece entitled “The Planned economy vs the coronavirus” (republished on 30 January 2020 from the US Stalinist paper People’s World ) noted: “The World Health Organisation is praising the Chinese government’s quick response to the crisis… The scale of that commitment is now ramping up in a massive way - showcasing the ability of the country’s socialist state to marshal resources rapidly and efficiently in the service of public...

Bird flu: a warning for the next pandemic

Avian flu has been affecting many countries this year, leading to widespread culling of poultry in UK, France, US, and other countries. In America this has led to direct-action protests at the methods used. Glen Taylor, a billionaire who also owns Rembrandt Enterprises, culled 5.3 million hens by “ventilatory shutdown plus” ( VSD+ ). Protesters glued themselves to goals to disrupt the games in April of the Minnesota Timberwolves basketball team, where Taylor is majority shareholder. US authorities (but not UK) advise that VSD+ is a legitimate method of cullting. The birds die slowly over...

Action on Covid-19

Covid case rates are falling, but remain high. Precautions like mask-wearing and self-isolating when sick have faded. 13,000 people are in hospital with (if not necessarily because of) Covid, more than at the end of December. We will probably have a new wave soon (though probably a mild one) with the arrival of BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron. Whole new variants are certain in due course, and may well be fiercer than Omicron. The Tories have chopped Covid-surveillance projects, are scaling down the UK Health Security Agency, and have repealed 2020’s sick-pay boosts. Sainsbury’s and Tesco...

China, Covid and ultra-lockdowns

Over 25 million people in Shanghai are in ultra-lockdown over Omicron. Having seen the loss of life in Hong Kong, where after two years of “Zero Covid” policies, in one month over 7,700 people out of 7 million have died from Omicron, Shanghai has made a dramatic U-turn. As recently as 26 March, as the city recorded 2,269 new coronavirus cases, Shanghai city leaders still declared that it would not lock down the city. According to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post , Wu Fan, an expert member of Shanghai’s Covid-19 response task force stated: “No, we can’t, because Shanghai is not only home to...

Action on Covid-19

The count of people admitted to hospital with Covid (not necessarily because of Covid) has risen again since late February, as precautions have faded. Evidence from other countries where BA.2 subvariant arrived early suggests that this particular surge may be short and mild in effects. But maybe not. In any case new variants are certain to come in due course, and may well be fiercer than Omicron. We seek to make the labour movement fight for the social measures necessary to underpin curbing Covid: • a sustained public-health testing-and-surveillance system • good sick pay for all • restore NHS...

Diary of a Tube worker: Measures had already frayed

On Monday, all the remaining distancing measures are removed from the station. The sign giving a capacity limit for the mess room is taken down, and the barriers used to create “staff safe zones” on the gate lines are gone too. Our unions register concern about the removal of the measures, but there’s no big fight over it. Some workmates feel the measures, the enforcement of which had significantly frayed, had become more theatrical than effective. “Do you feel unprotected?”, a workmate asks on our first shift without the “staff safe zone” in place. He’s kidding, but I mull it over. I do feel...

Action on Covid

Covid case counts have risen again since late February, as precautions like mask-wearing have faded and the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron has spread. Evidence from other countries where BA.2 arrived early suggests that this particular surge may be short and mild in effects. But maybe not. In any case new variants are certain to come in due course, and may well be fiercer than Omicron. We seek to make the labour movement fight for the social measures necessary to underpin curbing Covid: • a sustained public health testing-and-surveillance system • good sick pay for all • restore NHS funding and...

Diary of a paramedic: Helping fewer because busier

I start my shift at 0700. There is already a queue of four ambulances outside A&E when we get there with our first patient an hour later. The queueing used to start mid afternoon as the department filled up but often now the backlog hasn’t been cleared overnight, so it’s all day. It’s routine now to log your position in the queue when you arrive and then sit waiting. Only an hour outside in the car park on this occasion. The next time we get to the hospital there are eight ambulances. A three hour wait just to get through the front door. The patient we are with has severe dementia and...

Lithuania cancels Covid vaccines for Bangladesh

It has been widely reported that Lithuania has cancelled a donation of 440,000 Covid vaccines to Bangladesh because of the Bangladeshi government’s abstention in the UN General Assembly vote on Russia’s war in Ukraine. I haven’t been able to find any statement or quotation from the Lithuanian government confirming this, but it seems to be true. It’s a disgraceful and stupid decision. Those who decided on Bangladesh’s stance at the UN will not be hurt by it. Those who will be hurt are people with mostly little influence over such government policy - the working class and in particular the poor...

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