At the end of the covid-19 storm, another one is brewing
BMJ 2021; 372 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n673 (Published 11 March 2021) Cite this as: BMJ 2021;372:n673Read our latest coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
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Dear Editor
Not a very helpful article , very negative and demoralising and a fairly typical general whinge lacking constructive ways forward . Please reflect that such negativity is very easy to trot off the tongue and write, and being wise after the event is NOT clever. I did not hear any consensus or clear evidence based advice at the time that we needed it, despite being an avid reader and working hard on the clinical front line when many NHS colleagues were using all manner of excuses/reasons to hide.
Please try to be a bit more balanced and think through the results of your negativity.
Competing interests: No competing interests
Dear Editor
World is fighting with Vaccines to End the COVID-19 War.
At the end of one year after the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020, declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic, as of 12.3.2021, in 219 countries, over 1.51% (119,228,648) of the world population are infected with COVID-19 along with 2,643,951 deaths.
European countries have recorded 26.35% of the total global COVID-19 cases with 28.68 % of COVID-19 related deaths.
Among the European countries, the UK leads the list in the total numbers of COVID-19 cases (4,241,677) and COVID-19 related deaths (125,168).
A higher number of daily cases were reported in France and of daily COVID-19 related deaths were reported in Poland.
As of March 9, 2021, the United Kingdom had the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate in Europe, having administered 35.02 doses per 100 people in the country.
The UK was the first country in Europe to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for widespread use and began inoculations on December 8, 2020.
In the USA, COVID-19 cases have started declining and it has registered a single day spike of over 62k (62,773) cases and the total cases has now crossed the 29.9 million mark (29,925,902) with over 5.4 lakh (543,721) deaths (with the single day deaths of 1,531) on 11.3.21.
In India, about over 25 million (25,685,011) were vaccinated against COVID-19 as of 10.3.2021
Cases and death rates in India, Tamilnadu and in Trichy, my home town, are declining and our country's single day spike of COVID-19 cases was over 21 k (21,668) with the single day deaths of 113.
In India the total number crossed the 11.3 million mark (11,305,979) on 11.3.21, one year after WHO declared the COVID-19 Outbreak a Pandemic.
In India, recovered cases were second to the U.S and are over the 10.9 million mark (10,947,252) on 11.3.2021.
To bring this COVID-19 pandemic to an end, a large share of the world needs to be immune to the virus. The safest way to achieve this is with a vaccine. Now the world has vaccines to fight against COVID-19. Vaccines are a technology that humanity has often relied on in the past to bring down the death toll of infectious diseases.
The challenge now is to make these vaccines available to people around the world. It will be key that people in all countries — not just in rich countries — receive the required protection against COVID-19
Competing interests: No competing interests
Re: At the end of the covid-19 storm, another one is brewing
Dear Editor
This is a rejoinder to Dr Mark Spring ( Response, 12 March).
Dear Dr Spring
You have not suggested how best the Govt should prepare for a future epidemic.
Any suggestions?
My suggestion:
The Prime Minister has not yet divulged where the Government made mistakes. He said - things could have been done differently.
Note the word COULD.
If he were to just say-
“ With hindsight, I admit we made some blunders. I am sorry. These blunders were: -
1,
2.
3. “”
I for one would have faith in his ability to plan honestly”.
Does Dr Spring disagree?
Sincerely
JK Anand
Competing interests: No competing interests