Winter of Our Discontent?

Gabriel Scally (University of Bristol) predicts that the UK's winter plan for dealing with Covid19 will be haphazard. He makes his prediction on the basis of previous experiences (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/12/the-winter-covid-plan-will-be-marked-by-delay-confusion-and-ignorance-sound-familiar). A major worry for Scally (it seems realistic) is that there has been a recent change in the background of the UK's Chief Medical Officer. The Chief Medical Officer used to be a Public Health Professional, who was consequently in a good position to advise on issues like the Covid19 pandemic. In recent times, however, the appointment has been given to Clinical Medicine Specialists, with different portfolios of skills/ experiences. Scally agrees with Anthony Fauci (Chief Medical Adviser to the US President) on the imperative vaccinate children (as is being done in the US). Fauci pointed out that children :- a) spread the virus; b) can suffer severe infections with Covid and c) may be subject to, as yet unexplored, long-term effects of Sars-CoV-2. Scally finds the delay in deciding whether to vaccinate UK children especially surprising. He notes the UK government seems to have placed 'all its eggs (for dealing with Covid19 over the winter) in the vaccination basket'. Scally is unimpressed by a continued focus on routinely cleaning surfaces. He points out that surfaces are rarely a source of Covid19 infections. Some dismiss this cleaning as 'hygiene theatre'. He is right but winter surface cleaning, could cut down infections by viruses causing the Common cold or Seasonal influenza. These infections are always with us over the winter months. It is now well-established that Covid virus is generally transmitted by aerosols emitted, as people breathe and talk. Scally consequently finds it very strange that more attention has not been paid to ventilation quality in the schools, colleges and workplaces, people are being sent back to. He also notes that face masks worn by the public, are currently too crude. Scally says that properly manufactured masks are needed. They could have been developed and marketed over the summer. Finally, Scally thinks that more attention should have been paid to getting vaccines out to other countries. 'Openning up' to the world is always going to be problematic, if there are pockets of viral infection out there. It will be interesting to see whether Scally's pessimism is justified, when the 'winter plan' is announced.