Day: 12 October 2020

The Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre collates clinical data from all the intensive care units in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The data input is done by intensive care specialists, so is probably as accurate as it is possible for a clinical audit to get. On October 9th, ICNARC released a report on all confirmed Covid patients cared for in ITUs since September 1st and compared their finalised outcomes and data with those patients admitted before August 31st. Non-medical readers should note that these are the very sickest patients with Covid – the vast majority of Covid patients admitted to hospital never need intensive care and the vast majority of patients who contract Covid never need to go to hospital at all. There are some striking differences between the two data sets. 856 patients were admitted between September 1st and October 8th – the majority in the North West, North East and the Midlands, compared to 10,894 admitted before August 31st (see graph 1) Graph 1 The median and mean ages of both groups were similar (approx. 60) as was the gender split (70% male) and ethnic mix. There was a slight increase in the social deprivation index and degree of obesity in the group admitted after September 1st. The co-morbidity mix was roughly comparable between the two ...

In the summer of 2020, universities across Scotland, England and Wales, indicated that they would be open and ready to start a new academic year in the Autumn. They presented to undergraduates – new and returning ones – that a full physical teaching or hybrid university experience would be delivered within the allowable parameters of the Covid pandemic and in so doing, accepted payment from students for university accommodation, often paid up front or in contracts with strict terms. Within a week of the start of term, many of these universities reversed their position and imposed strict quarantine measures on students, irrespective of whether they tested positive or not. These measures have included an unexpected solitary confinement in halls of residence, for 14 days at a time and sometimes much longer. Some universities have taken it upon themselves to determine what those students will eat and when, delivering food that is often near or past its expiry date and that cannot meet the nutritional requirements and calorific demands of an eighteen year old. In some places, students subjected to such confinement are banned from washing their clothes and no measures are put in place for that basic necessity. Those students who break quarantine are harassed and treated as criminals and the only option presented is to leave the university and ...

by Charlotte Kirkham What I will be discussing: Why friends are important at university.The impact coronavirus is having on making friends at university as a ‘fresher’. Why friends are important at university: As we know, university is not only a chance to broaden our academic horizons, but also an opportunity to meet new people and make long-lasting friendships. It’s safe to say, whilst being academically focused university also offers a large and vibrant social scene. A journal article written by Tanya Kantanis (2000), named “The role of social transition in students’ adjustment to the first-year of university”, states that: Social transition underpins a successful academic transition to university. This research highlighted that the development of a friendship network was a major contributory element in this process. The sample indicated clearly that not having friends made the whole process of transition to university more difficult, whilst having friends helped students to settle in quickly and make progress with their studies Kantanis continues to reference a 1996 pilot study, which reviews the common expectations of a first-year student and the realisation of those expectations. The findings are written below. Common expectations: Meeting new and different peopleHaving funEnjoying the freedom of a learning environment that is not regimented in the same way as schoolBeing mentally stimulated by all the new experiences, andHaving the ...

The North Forced Into Second Lockdown Blower's cartoon in today's Telegraph Liverpool will be among several Northern cities to be plunged into a "three tier" lockdown, with pubs, bars, bookies, casinos and gyms ordered to close. The Mail has the details. The Prime Minister will chair a COBRA meeting on Monday morning to hammer out the final details before setting out the new nationwide three-tier system of restrictions in the Commons.From 5pm on Wednesday, hundreds of pubs in the northwest will be closed for four weeks, the Telegraph reports, while the Sun says that overnight stays in the northern hot spots are to be banned for the same period.Locals will only be allowed out of their areas for essential travel such as work, education or health, and must return before the end of the day, with the country divided into 'medium', 'high' and 'very high' risk sectors. Needless to say, the rumoured announcement provoked fury in Liverpool. Mayor Joe Anderson made his displeasure clear on twitter last night. https://twitter.com/mayor_anderson/status/1315370444216729602 In Manchester, politicians launched a last-ditch appeal to ministers not to shut all pubs and restaurants and instead hand them the power to only close those which are not meeting coronavirus safety restrictions. Five of the city's MPs yesterday warning Boris of the "devastating impact" of closing businesses. But these please ...