The Daily Sceptic

Women Forced to Wear Face Masks During Labour, Charity Finds

Nearly one in five pregnant women are being forced to wear a face mask during labour, according to research by the charity Pregnant Then Screwed. Some of these women have described the experience as the most terrifying of their lives. They were first seen by their children while masked. For months, a number of hospitals also banned the presence of birth partners for all but the hours of active labour. It is no wonder there was an increase in the number of pregnant women considering freebirth without a medical professional present in 2020. The Guardian has more.

Women described feeling unable to breathe, having panic attacks or even being sick during labour because they were made to wear a face covering [while in labour].
The research was carried out by the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, who surveyed 936 women who gave birth during December. It found that 160 of those who went into labour were made to wear a face covering. This goes against current joint U.K. guidance, published in July 2020 by the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
The guidance says that women should not be asked to wear a face covering of any kind during natural labour or during caesarean births because of the risk of harm and complications. Rosie, 39, from London, said she felt as if she was dying because she was in so much pain during advanced labour with her third child, born in December. Yet maternity staff instructed to keep on her face mask.
She told BBC News: “I was feeling claustrophobic and the mask was making me feel really nauseous and making me panic as well. I’m pushing my baby out, I have this mask on my face, and the feeling of claustrophobia is just massive.”
She said she couldn’t express herself because while struggling to breathe it was hard to talk and staff couldn’t see her whether or not her lips were moving. “I was frightened that amongst everything else that was happening I was then going to be sick inside the mask,” added Rosie, who has a condition called emetophobia, which is a fear of vomiting. At one point she ripped off the mask but was told to put it back on.
Natalie Titherington, from Oldham, says she was not aware of the guidance on face masks during labour when her baby girl was born last December. She said the birth was the most terrifying experience of her life. “I was gasping for air. I felt completely suffocated. I’m never going to be able to forget the feeling of not being able to breathe, and the fear and panic I felt while wearing a mask.”
Titherington says she was made to wear a face mask while she was in advanced labour, around 8cm dilated and having regular and very painful contractions.
“Someone put the mask on me and I said: ‘You can’t be serious,’ and she replied: ‘Yes,’ and then I remember having a contraction,” said Titherington, who has flashbacks of her traumatic birth and has been unable to wear a face covering since because it triggers the memory of struggling to breathe.
She ended up having an emergency caesarean and was told to wear the mask during the entire surgery, which goes against the official guidance.

Worth reading in full.

By Michael Curzon / 14 May 2021 • 18.03

84 comments

Lockdown Easing Postponed – in Scotland!

Scotland’s Supreme Leader, Nic Sturge-On, has announced that the lockdown rules in place in some areas will remain in force after Monday. The Sun has more.

The Scots First Minister revealed Glasgow and Moray will remain subject to tougher Level 3 restrictions on Monday as the rest of mainland Scotland drops to Level 2.
It means people in Glasgow will be no longer allowed to mix in each other’s homes from Monday as planned.
And those in the affected areas shouldn’t travel in or out of them either.
The slamming on the handbrake is over fresh fear the India variant is driving an [upsurge in cases] in Scotland’s second largest city.
Some 80.4 cases per 100,000 people were recorded in Glasgow in the seven days to May 11, with experts warning of a “loss of control”.
Speaking to the Scottish Parliament today, Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that “pressing pause” would ensure that coronavirus measures would not have to be reimposed at a later date.
She said: “I know how disappointing this will be, but pressing pause for a few days will hopefully avoid a situation in which we have to impose even more restrictive measures over the next few weeks.”
Initially, both areas will remain at Level 3 for a week, with a further decision made at the end of next week.
It heralds the return of local restrictions for Scotland after parts of the central belt were subject to tougher measures last year.
They will have less freedoms than counterparts in other areas of Scotland, who will be able to mix indoors in groups of six from three households.
Overnight stays are also allowed under Level 2, but are banned in Level 3.

Worth reading in full.

By Toby Young / 14 May 2021 • 17.38

65 comments

Vaccine Passports May Not Be Needed for Cinemas, Theatres and Restaurants

The Government’s domestic vaccine passport plans could be scaled back even further as a review on the scheme later this month is expected to report that certification will not be needed at cinemas, theatres and restaurants. Vaccine passports are, however, still likely to be introduced for a range of other venues, along with caps on numbers attending large events. MailOnline has the story.

Pubs are already excused from having to check the vaccine status of punters amid an outcry and now more businesses are set to avoid measures critics say will have a constricting effect on business.
A review is expected to report on the scope of any domestic passport scheme by the end of the month.
But ministers questioned their health benefits at a meeting on the subject last week, the Telegraph reported.
It also said that there were feared that physical passports for those without smartphones might be a forgery risk.
Amid nosediving hospitalisation rates across England a source told the paper: “This different reality has prompted people saying, ”Well actually, I saw the benefit of it before but do we really need it?'”
However, strip clubs are expected to be one area where passports are required.
The Sun reported today that “adult entertainment venues” will join stadium events and large crowd venues like nightclubs in requiring proof of vaccine status.
They are due to reopen from June 21st under Step Four of the lockdown easing.

Perhaps the Government did listen to those thousands who marched against vaccine passports in London last month after all.

Worth reading in full.

Stop Press: Merriam-Webster has enlarged its definition of “Anti-Vaxxer” to include “a person who opposes vaccination or laws that that mandate vaccination”. How long before it enlarges it again to include “or opposes mandatory vaccine passports”?

Stop Press 2: Turns out, Merriam-Webster has been defining “Anti-Vaxxer” that way since 2018.

By Michael Curzon / 14 May 2021 • 13.29

Vaccine Vaccine Passports

70 comments

Commons Speaker Speeding up the Reopening of the House

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the Commons, hopes to speed up the reopening of the House so that Parliament may return to normal sooner than was previously anticipated. Guido Fawkes has the story.

A new message sent to MPs says he will now encourage the Commons Commission on Monday to implement “all changes possible” under the current Government guidance, due to the reduction in the Covid alert level. Previously he was dragging his feet…
The changes he wants [include]:
~ The Chamber: Subject to final public health advice the chamber should consider moving from 2m social distancing to 1m+
~ Catering: Introduction of the rule of six – up from the current situation of tables with just one chair
~ Terrace Pavilion to open indoor and outdoor
~ Smoking room to be opened…
~ Non-pass holders: It is hoped the Commission will be able to support a limited return of access for non-pass holders for a greater variety of business reasons

Sir Lindsay has also requested that overseas committee visits resume.

Worth reading in full.

This comes as pressure from Tory backbenchers grows for Parliament to return to normal. Some MPs believe this could encourage companies across the country to speed up their reopenings. The Express has the story.

Peter Bone (Conservative, Wellingborough) told MPs: “I am afraid Parliament isn’t working. It is not holding properly the Government to account and it strikes me that Parliament should lead.
“So, could we have a statement from [Jacob Rees-Mogg] the Leader of the House telling us that Parliament – and particularly the House of Commons – is going to be restored to normal process and that we will end virtual proceedings?
“We won’t have hundreds of votes in the Deputy Chief Whip’s pocket and we’ll have proper voting and we’ll end social distancing in the chamber.
“We really need to lead and get Parliament back doing its job properly.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg says that he “hopes” the House will be back to normal from June 21st.

The Express report is also worth reading in full.

By Michael Curzon / 14 May 2021 • 12.04

House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle Parliament Peter Bone

24 comments

Portugal, on Government’s Travel “Green List” From May 17th, May Not Lift Ban on British Tourists Until May 30th

As if the Government’s travel “green list” wasn’t limited enough, there are reports that Portugal may not lift its ban on European tourists until at least May 30th – two weeks after travel restrictions are eased in Britain. This decision would force many to cancel their holiday bookings. The Mail has the story.

Portugal had been expected to lift its ban on European tourists entering its borders – including U.K. holidaymakers – from this Sunday.
But there was confusion amid reports the ban could be extended to May 30th.
It would mean Britons with holidays booked there next week – to coincide with the U.K.’s own travel ban being lifted on Monday – face having them cancelled.
It would also block thousands of football fans who have booked tickets for the Champions League final in Porto on May 29th.
The match had previously been due to be held in Istanbul but was moved following talks between U.K. ministers and UEFA organisers after Turkey was added to England’s travel “red list”…
Officials in Lisbon suggested the Portuguese cabinet talks about Covid concerned extending the country’s official “state of calamity” and would not change the lifting of the travel ban.
They said it related to its ability to introduce emergency Covid legislation and would not include tourism, which they said was still expected to be given the green light from Sunday.
A formal announcement clarifying the situation is expected on Friday.
It came as the BBC reported that the Portuguese Government will require U.K. football fans to fly in and out of the country on the day of the match. Fans will also have to stay in a “bubble” while in the city.
The country’s Cabinet Affairs Minister, Mariana Vieira da Silva, said: “They will be moved to the stadium and from the stadium to the airport, being in Portugal less than 24 hours.”

Worth reading in full.

Stop Press: MailOnline is reporting that holidays in Portugal are back on: “Portugal confirmed today that British tourists will be allowed to enter the country from next Monday, after it held crunch talks with the EU about non-essential travel.”

By Michael Curzon / 14 May 2021 • 11.07

Holiday Overseas Travel portugal

14 comments

News Round Up

“Boris Johnson to push ahead with reopening despite rise in Indian variant cases” – The Prime Minister is set to push ahead with Monday’s easing of restrictions, the Telegraph says, hoping that a local surge in vaccinations can suppress the Indian variant
“Ten Million over-50s and vulnerable people in Indian variant hotspot towns will get urgent second doses” – Anxiety about the Indian variant has prompted an acceleration of the vaccine rollout, according to the Daily Mail, with Public Health England’s medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle saying: “Hospitalisations continue to fall, which shows the vaccine is working”
“Every patient to have right to see a GP as NHS abandons ‘total triage’” – The NHS has stepped back from plans to use online and telephone screening and has announced that all patients will have the right to see their GP face-to-face, the Telegraph reports
“Allow Care Home Residents Home Visits without Need for 14-day Self-isolation” – John’s Campaign is calling on the Government to take the next step in easing the restrictions on care home residents and drop all requirements for 14-day self-isolation
“Covid passport plans ‘scaled back’ as ministers question health benefits” – According to the Telegraph, plans for Covid passports are being scaled back and are “unlikely to be required for cinemas, small theatres or restaurants”
“The HART Bulletin” – The latest news from the Health Advisory and Recovery Team
“Britons are left behind in race to sun loungers as other European nations waive tests and quarantine for vaccinated travellers” – Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands have all dispensed with quarantine and test requirements for vaccinated visitors, according to the Daily Mail, but Portugal will ban British tourists until at least May 30th
“Nicola Sturgeon advisor Devi Sridhar’s warning after sudden surge in Covid cases” – Scottish doom monger Professor Devi Shridhar has warned Supreme Leader Nic Sturge-On not to open the border because of the Indian variant, Edinburgh Live reports
“We really need an inquiry into how SAGE forced Britain into lockdown” – “Time is running out to learn the real lessons of the Covid response,” says Fraser Nelson in a sceptical piece about lockdowns for the Telegraph. “The virus (or another lurgy) might be back with us this winter”
“Covid vaccines have already saved 12,000 lives and prevented 33,000 hospital admissions, Public Health England study claims” – The Daily Mail reports Public Health England research which suggests that the jabs have saved 11,700 deaths in those aged 60 and older from December up to April. Not the lockdown, then, Boris?
“Every Brit ‘needs to drink 124 pints’ to save the nation’s pubs after lockdown” – Brits have a lot of drinking to do, the Star suggests, if the industry is to get back to pre-pandemic income levels – although, mercifully, that’s 124 pints in the next 12 months
“Will our vaccines stop the Indian variant?” – In the Spectator, Ross Clark points to some evidence which suggests that while the Indian variant “has some ability to sidestep vaccines, the high level of vaccination in Britain should still prevent a new wave of serious disease here”
“Lockdown was a choice” – “Agree with the policy if you like,” says Tom Moran in the Critic, “but you can’t argue Lockdown harms were caused by Covid”
“Covid sceptics aren’t as stupid as we thought, say experts” – Gawain Towler looks into the MIT researchers who were taken aback by the data literacy of lockdown and mask sceptics in the U.S. for the Conservative Woman. Noah Carl covered it for Lockdown Sceptics here
“Vaccination, thalidomide and the lessons unlearned” – Kate Dunlop tells the story of thalidomide, “the disaster was meant to change our relationship with new medicines for ever”, in the Conservative Woman
“The Return of our Swedish Doctor, explaining it all!” – Sebastian Rushworth MD appears on Ivor Cummins’s Fat Emperor podcast to talk about his new book and the latest developments in Sweden
“Nonsense on stilts” – Nick Stokes is this week’s guest on the Telegraph‘s Planet Normal podcast. His wife Joy died a few weeks ago after signs of her cancer were missed as she was repeatedly refused a face-to-face appointment
“James and Laura’s Chinwag #20” – James Delingpole and Laura Perrins are at it again, giving “it both barrels on the subject of the lockdown and Boris Johnson’s useless regime”
“Our moment of liberty is coming to an end” – “Things are not going to get back to normal,” says Dan Hannan, “the political and psychological changes wrought by COVID-19 will last long after the virus has faded”
“French MPs take a swing at Covid-easing as sex clubs allowed to reopen but nightclubs remain closed” – Euronews reports that the country’s swingers’ clubs will be permitted to reopen on May 19th but its nightclubs are likely to remain shut until July. Go figure!
“German police warn of fake Covid vaccine passport problem” – Police in Germany have said that criminals have begun selling illicit proof of vaccination, Deutsche Welle reports, after the country lifted some lockdown requirements for those who have been jabbed. Who could have predicted that?
“Canadian Doctors Are Being Censored” – The AIER’s Ethan Yang highlights Canada’s growing enthusiasm for censoring doctors, including on edict from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario which warns doctors they have a “professional responsibility to not communicate anti-vaccine, anti-masking, anti-distancing and anti-lockdown statements”
“Ohio Lottery to Give five People $1 Million Each to Encourage Vaccination” – Aiming to bolster slumping demand for the vaccine, the state of Ohio will use federal coronavirus relief funds to make millionaires out of five vaccine lottery winners, the New York Times reports. But will launching a state-wide “vaccine lottery” really reassure people the vaccines are safe?
“Bill de Blasio pitches free burgers, fries with COVID-19 shot” – The mayor of New York City has teamed up with the fast food chain Shake Shack to offer a greasy treat to get people to take the vaccine, the Washington Times reports
“Let’s demand a recount… of Covid deaths” – “America has inflated the death rate due to SARS-CoV-2,” writes Dr. Thomas T. Siler M.D. in the American Thinker and “this dishonesty undermines public confidence in how the pandemic was managed”
“American Kids Can Wait” – Writing in the Atlantic, Tracy Beth Hoeg, Vinay Prasad and Monica Gandhi argue that America should hold off vaccinating its children and allow the doses to be deployed in hard hit regions overseas
“Made in Vietnam: why Hanoi wants to make its own vaccine” – One of the only nations in the region to effectively rebuff Chinese vaccine diplomacy, Vietnam is, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, developing not just one vaccine but four
“Gov. DeSantis grants clemency to Florida business owners arrested for not enforcing masks” – Watch the next President of the United States announce on Fox’s The Ingraham Angle that he is going to grant pardons “for any Floridian that may have outstanding infractions for things like masks and social distancing”
“There was a religious belief that lockdowns and facemasks work” – Professor Sunetra Gupta is pleased that there is to be an inquiry and hopes that “it will finally plant in people’s head the notion that there are very big questions surrounding some of these mitigation strategies

Epidemiologist Prof Sunetra Gupta welcomes news that an independent inquiry will examine the government’s handling of the pandemic.

“There was a religious belief that lockdowns and facemasks work. Let’s look at the costs of these strategies."@JuliaHB1 | @SunetraGupta pic.twitter.com/4UaYCfZfBz
— talkRADIO (@talkRADIO) May 13, 2021

By Jonathan Barr / 14 May 2021 • 02.01

News Round-Up

38 comments

The Latest Covid Scare Story: Virus Can Cause Erectile Dysfunction

Vaccine uptake among men must have been particularly low recently… The risk of developing erectile dysfunction is the latest reason that we should all do our best to avoid catching Covid, according to a medical student working on a new study of just four men (all over the age of 65). Sky News has the story.

A scientific research paper published in the World Journal of Men’s Health observed the difference in tissue composition between men who had contracted the disease and men who had not.
Covid can cause damage to blood vessels, which in turn can damage parts of the body the vessels supply, including the sponge-like tissue in the penis.
Ranjith Ramasamy, Associate Professor and Director of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Reproductive Urology Programme, led the study.
He said that erectile dysfunction “could be an adverse effect of the virus”.
The study focused on four men who were having penile prosthesis surgery for erectile dysfunction.
Two had suffered with Covid, and two had not. They were all aged between 65 and 71 and of Hispanic ethnicity.
The pair who had the coronavirus were infected six and eight months before the observations, with one hospitalised for the virus and the other not.
Neither had a history of erectile dysfunction.
Remnants of the virus were observed in the penis tissue of the two Covid-positive men…
Dr Ramasamy said: … “Our research shows that Covid can cause widespread endothelial dysfunction in organ systems beyond the lungs and kidneys.
“The underlying endothelial dysfunction that happens because of Covid can enter the endothelial cells and affect many organs, including the penis.”
Eliyahu Kresch, a medical student working with Dr Ramasamy, said: “These latest findings are yet another reason that we should all do our best to avoid Covid.”

Cue more Covid-safe sex advice from the BBC!

New sex advice includes:

🍆: Avoiding kissing
🍑: Wearing a face covering
🍒: Choosing positions that aren't face-to-face during sexhttps://t.co/JkBCXqkslF
— BBC Newsbeat (@BBCNewsbeat) August 11, 2020

The Sky News report is worth reading in full.

Stop Press: “The scaremongers are trolling us now,” says Toby.

https://twitter.com/toadmeister/status/1392944300737060864

By Michael Curzon / 13 May 2021 • 22.38

scaremonger

51 comments

CDC Says Americans Can Stop Wearing Face Masks Inside – but Only if They’re Fully Vaccinated

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that Americans can stop wearing face masks inside. The loosening of restrictions comes, as always, with a range of caveats – not least the fact that they only apply to those who are fully vaccinated against Covid. The New York Times has the story.

The advice from the CDC comes as welcome news to [fully vaccinated] Americans who have tired of restrictions and marks a watershed moment in the pandemic. Masks ignited controversy in communities across the United States, symbolising a bitter partisan divide over approaches to the pandemic and a badge of political affiliation...
The new advice comes with caveats. Even vaccinated individuals must cover their faces and physically distance when going to doctors, hospitals or long-term care facilities like nursing homes; when travelling by bus, plane, train or other modes of public transportation, or while in transportation hubs like airports and bus stations; and when in prisons, jails or homeless shelters.
In deference to local authorities, the CDC said vaccinated Americans must continue to abide by existing state, local, or tribal laws and regulations, and follow local rules for businesses and workplaces. Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot or the second dose of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series…
The CDC has been under fire recently for moving too gingerly to lift restrictions on public activities for those who are vaccinated. Some critics have said the Agency’s caution may suggest to Americans that officials lack confidence in the vaccines…
Only half of Americans said that they had a “great deal” of trust in the CDC, according to a new survey conducted in February and March by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Officials are worried that herd immunity may not be reached in the U.S., partly due to the decline of daily vaccination rates.

As of Wednesday, about 154 million people have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, but only about one-third of the nation, some 117.6 million people, have been fully vaccinated.
But the pace has slowed: Providers are administering about 2.16 million doses per day on average, about a 36% decrease from the peak of 3.38 million reported in mid-April.

As demand for the vaccine continues to wane, some states are requesting small fractions of their allotted doses from the Federal Government to save them from having to throw unused doses away. It is hoped that the change in mask-wearing guidelines for the vaccinated will push those who haven’t yet been vaccinated to get a move on.

The New York Times report is worth reading in full.

Stop Press: “The rule is now simple,” says Joe Biden: “Get vaccinated or wear a mask.”

The rule is now simple: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do.

The choice is yours.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 13, 2021

By Michael Curzon / 13 May 2021 • 19.25

America CDC Face Masks Joe biden

32 comments

27% Of Adults in the E.U. Unlikely to Accept a Covid Vaccine, According to a New Survey

More than a quarter of adults in the E.U. are either “very unlikely” or “rather unlikely” to accept a Covid vaccine, according to the results of a new survey conducted by the E.U. agency Eurofound. Here are the key findings.

The stated intention to get vaccinated varies considerably among Member States, with an important east-west divide discernible across the Union. With the notable exception of Austria and France, the intention to get vaccinated is over 60% for all western Member States – with Nordic and Mediterranean countries, Denmark and Ireland having even higher rates – while among eastern Member States the rate is dramatically lower, ranging from 59% in Romania to 33% in Bulgaria.
The report notes that people in the prime age group (aged 35-49 years) are more sceptical about vaccines (29%) than younger and older age groups (26% and 27%, respectively). Unemployed people (39%), those with a long-term illness or disability (39%) and full-time homemakers (33%) are more vaccine hesitant than people in employment (26%) or people who are retired (23%). The least vaccine averse are students (13%).

According to the survey, fielded in February and March 2021, the main reason for vaccine hesitancy is a lack of trust in the safety of the vaccine. Almost half of those who are unlikely to accept a Covid vaccine believe that the risks associated with the virus are exaggerated. Eight per cent believe that Covid doesn’t exist at all.

Trust in the news media, pharmaceutical companies, national government and national healthcare system is lower among the hesitant than the non-hesitant. Use of social media as a primary source of news and information is identified by the survey’s authors as bearing a “strong association [with] vaccine hesitancy”, despite the fact that the non-hesitant report as being more trustworthy of social media (albeit only marginally).

The survey does not distinguish between different Covid vaccines, though it is likely that hesitancy rates are greater for the AstraZeneca vaccine because of fears over its relationship with blood clotting. In Denmark, where the AstraZeneca vaccine has been dropped from the national rollout, a recent survey found that far more Danes would decline to get an AZ Covid vaccine (33%) than would refuse to get a Covid jab altogether (7%).

The results from the Eurofound survey are worth reading in full.

By Michael Curzon / 13 May 2021 • 16.12

eu Europe Vaccine

49 comments

Boris Confirms “Nothing” is Ruled Out in Responding to Indian Variant. How Worried Should We Be?

Boris Johnson confirmed today that “nothing” is ruled out in responding to the Indian variant. Asked if local lockdowns are possible, the Prime Minister told reporters:

There are a range of things we could do, we want to make sure we grip it. Obviously there’s surge testing, there’s surge tracing. If we have to do other things, then of course the public would want us to rule nothing out. We have always been clear we would be led by the data. At the moment, I can see nothing that dissuades me from thinking we will be able to go ahead on Monday and indeed on June 21st, everywhere, but there may be things we have to do locally and we will not hesitate to do them if that is the advice we get.

Meanwhile, Professor James Naismith, from the University of Oxford, told BBC Radio 4 that local lockdowns will be ineffective at containing the variant and it should be viewed as a national problem.

I think we should view it as a countrywide problem. It will get everywhere. We keep learning this lesson, but we know that this will be the case. When we tried locally having different restrictions in different regions that didn’t really make any difference. So I don’t think thinking about a localised strategy for containment will really work.

An emergency meeting of Government scientific advisory group SAGE was convened this morning to address the rapid spread of the variant. One member reportedly warned that a delay to the June 21st lifting of restrictions is “possible”.

Is the Indian variant really something we should be afraid of? No doubt India is currently experiencing a surge in which the variant plays the dominant role. But that doesn’t mean the variant will pull the same trick everywhere – viruses aren’t as simple as that. There are all kinds of reasons one variant might come to dominate, and it isn’t necessarily accompanied by a surge in infections.

Italy is the European country currently most dominated by the Indian variant, having seen it quickly grow in the past few weeks (Indian variant in green).