Displaying items by tag: pandemic funds

Four years into the Covid pandemic, the virus continues to evolve rapidly, affecting the UK population and healthcare system. Approximately 1.2 million people in England and Scotland are now estimated to have Covid; the latest significant strain is the JN1 variant of Omicron. Despite lower peaks than in previous years, the virus still causes multiple waves, exacerbated by reduced vaccination scope and emerging variants. Hospitalisations have declined, with fewer than 5,000 weekly admissions in England since early 2023, thanks to vaccine effectiveness. The anti-vax movement has influenced public perception, but vaccines have significantly reduced Covid mortality. Long Covid remains a concern, affecting almost two million people in the UK and adding financial strain to healthcare services. Excess deaths in 2023 were still above the five-year average, indicating ongoing challenges for the NHS, including treatment backlogs. The pandemic has underscored health inequalities and the importance of comprehensive public health strategies. Future measures include seasonal vaccines and improved indoor air quality to combat evolving variants.

Transparency International warned of the dangers of funds for the response to the coronavirus crisis being misappropriated. On 26 May more stories confirmed the validity of these concerns. In Bolivia, the minister of health was removed from his post after the government paid over the odds for ventilators that were not even fit for purpose. In Italy, the head of Sicily’s coronavirus response has been put under house arrest following an investigation into bribery cases going back to 2016. In Poland, the health minister is under fire after the government bought more than 10,000 useless face masks through a family friend. The case has been referred to prosecutors. These examples join many others, including an investigation in Bosnia and Herzegovina into a multi-million-euro government contract for ventilators that went to a raspberry farm with political connections, and the resignation in Panama of a senior politician involved in yet another ventilator procurement scandal.