A lobby group of healthcare workers has warned against the decision to remove face mask guidance in healthcare settings. BBC News has more.
The Scottish Healthcare Workers Coalition (SHWC) has written to ministers, claiming “very serious flaws” in changing the guidance.
The group is made up of medical professionals who worked throughout the pandemic. All members have long Covid or another chronic post-viral illness.
Face mask guidance was withdrawn in May in hospitals, dentists and GP surgeries having been in place since June 2020. The decision came after the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 was no longer a global emergency. The Scottish Government said the country had entered “a calmer phase” of the pandemic.
Doctors from the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland condemned the decision at the time.
The SHWC said healthcare workers were at significantly higher risk of contracting the virus and some have developed post-Covid chronic illnesses. They warned that the decision to not enforce masks in care homes and hospitals was “playing Russian roulette” with staff and patients’ welfare.
The group is demanding the reintroduction of masks in all health and social care settings and a commitment to improving ventilation and air filtration as a matter of urgency.
Data from Public Health Scotland show that an average of 35 Covid cases were reported daily in the week ending July 9th. In the same week, a total of 55 people were admitted to hospital within 14 days of returning a positive test.
Worth reading in full.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.