People Who Get COVID Are Vulnerable as More Rounds of Strikes Hit Britain

People Who Get COVID Are Vulnerable as More Rounds of Strikes Hit Britain

"As nurses staged their biggest walkout in decades, paramedics went on strike in countless regions, & public transport came to a standstill due to the train and bus workers strikes. Virtually all forms of travel have been affected in some way, or are expected to be affected. And on top of this, the public have been urged to only call ambulances if they absolutely need to" [1]

 

These strikes are planned to continue on in 2023, as "virtually all pay disputes seem far from resolved - stoking fears that 2023 will be one of mass disruption"[1]. And this means that catching COVID-19 amid this turmoil, can put people in an extremely vulnerable position - be they older people, individuals with health conditions, pregnant women, unvaccinated, and so on. To that end, it is imperative to wear a premium quality high efficiency filtrationFFP2 NR protective face mask & regularly self-test with an NHS-Approved & MHRA-Approved Rapid Lateral Flow Antigen test kit, so that if you do test positive, you can warn & protect your family, friends, colleagues & others

 

What Happens If Someone Has Severe COVID Symptoms & Needs Immediate Attention?

 

"The reality is, every day, nurses across the UK are walking into understaffed hospitals. And Health Secretary Steve Barclay, told the Daily Telegraph that ambulance workers have “taken a conscious choice to inflict harm on patients” [1]

 

So for COVID victims, this can mean:

 

• Not being able to get an ambulance (and even when ambulance workers are not striking, the wait time can be substantial)
• Not being able to get public transport due to the COVID victim's location
• Having severe difficulty getting a taxi (due to the train and bus strikes, which has meant a huge demand for more taxis, which cannot be fulfilled)
• Finding it very difficult to drive, or be driven from A to B (due to increased traffic volume due to the train and bus strikes)
• Not being helped at the hospital (due to industrial action or shortage of medical staff)

 

And if the COVID victim does not have an anti-COVID face mask, they could spread the virus on to others on their way to the hospital.

 

Public Transport Can No Longer Be Relied Upon in a COVID Emergency

 

"Bus drivers in London planned a series of strikes, & disruptive railway strikes have been raging for several months & frequently dominate front pages in the UK. The RMT union, which mostly represents guards, ticket examiners & maintenance staff, has called a series of walkouts. ASLEF, which represents train drivers, has also planned action in 2023"[1]

 

Every workforce has grievances specific to its sector, and these have brought them to the picket line, thereby leaving an uncertain future for calm, stability, and the expected optimum functioning of public services. In its106-year history, the UK’s largest nursing union had never called upon its members to stage a walkout [1].

 

The State of the NHS Impacts Patents With COVID-19

 

"The NHS have been pushed to the brink with skyrocketing waiting lists leaving hospitals & wards crammed full of patients, & staff becoming exhausted. The reality is, every day, nurses across the UK are walking into understaffed hospitals & people must now wait an average of one hour for an ambulance if they’ve reported a serious issue [as such not being able to breath due to COVID], despite an 18-minute national target.  Conditions do not always improve while a patient arrives in hospital, where waiting times are at record levels" [1]

 

Protecting Yourself, Your Family, Loved Ones & Fellow Employees

 

 "Health minister Will Quince suggested on BBC Radio that people should avoid “risky activity” while ambulance services are disrupted, comments that were roundly criticized as flippant" [1]

 

This 'risky activity' includes not taking proper precautions to protect ourselves against contracting COVID-19. According to the IDSA (Infectious Disease Society of America), there are a number of factors which can lower or raise our risk of transmitting or acquiring the virus. These include: wearing a high quality protective masks [buying an economy pack of Omnitex FFP2 High Efficiency 5 layer filtration masks is recommended]; frequent hand washing, how close we are to other people, and how long we remain in close to them; how many contacts we see outside our household, indoor ventilation quality, and the dimensions of an indoor space (e.g., an office) [2].

 

Due to the resurgence of COVID-19 in the UK, and the colder weather which has been shown to favour the survival of the virus, wearing a mask is recommended for the following low, medium and high risk activities:

 

Low Risk

 

• Going grocery shopping (when the store is not crowded)
• Going for a walk or jog or cycle
• Sitting on a beach (with several people)
• Playing non-contact sports (such as tennis or golf)
• Taking a holiday in a rural area which does not have too many people
• Camping at a campsite which implements physical distancing
• Having a barbecue in the garden (with under 10 people) while implementing physical distancing
• Collecting a take-away from a restaurant [2].

 

Medium Risk

 

• Train travel
• Air travel
• Bus Travel
• Working at the office
• Going to school, college or university
• Shopping in a mall
• Going to the hairdresser or barber
• Going to a library
• Paying a trip to a museum or art gallery
• Visiting an amusement park
• Taking a holiday in a busy/urban area
• Taking children to play in a playground
• Swimming at a public swimming pool which implements physical distancing
• Taking part in low-contact sports (such as basket ball or volleyball)
• Attending an outdoor party with family and friends
• Going to a dinner at someone's house (with under 10 people) and implementing physical distancing
• Eating outside a restaurant with implements sufficient physical distancing
• Going to a church service with a small number of people, and appropriate social distancing. (Note the COVID risk is lower when there's no singing) [2].

 

High Risk

• Going to the gym
• Going to a beach which is full of people
• Taking a cruise
• Having a meal inside a restaurant
• Going to an amusement arcade or casino
• Playing full-contact or high-contact sports (such as netball, football, or rugby)
• Attending a place of worship or service. (Note: the risk shoots up with larger crowds and/or with chanting and singing)
• Attending a large concert venue
• Attending a wedding or other celebratory party at a venue with many people
• Going to see an event at a sports stadium
• Choosing food from, or eating at a buffet
• Going to a pub or bar
• Visiting the cinema [2].

 

Getting in a Supply of Discounted UK Government Approved COVID-19 Antigen Tests

 

During these unprecedented times of strikes by medical staff and ambulances, it is crucial to regularly self-test for COVID-19. This can easily be done if you have an economy pack of an NHS-Approved & Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency MHRA-Approved Rapid Lateral Flow Antigen test kits. CovidTestsUK offer two leading brand state-of-the-art products: FlowFlex Covid self-test kits and Healgen lateral flow Covid self-test kits.

 

FlowFlex & Healgen Self-Test Kits Highlights

 

• The swab which is used for collecting the sample, can be administered either on the throat, or the nose, thus making it flexible for those who do not like having a nasal swab; and ideal for users who only have minimal throat or nasal fluid
• These user-friendly CovidTestsUK give results within minutes, thereby allowing anyone who tests positive, to inform others to isolate without the delay that waiting for a lab result would cause

 

These highly convenient, easy-to-use, accurate, rapid COVID self-testing kits, are designed to give people peace of mind in these tumultuous times. They can be used at home, in the workplace, in schools, collages and universities, or in any other suitable environment. The result, which only takes 15 minutes, is shown very clearly, so that there is no doubt as to whether the user is COVID positive or COVID negative.

 

There is an excellent choice of 1, 5, 20, and 25 test kit packs, to suit everyone's requirements. They are very light weight, and hardly take up any space in a bag or pocket. Each one is individually wrapped for hygiene purposes.

 

To take advantage of the reasonably priced and economy pack lateral flow test prices, make an order for either of the 2 rapid antigen kits today, at UK authorised distributors CovidTests UK

And if you would like guidance as to your company or organisation's specific needs, then do not hesitate to contact our highly knowledgeable professionally trained, customer service team, who help both individuals and small, medium and large companies and organisations across the length and breath of the UK and Southern Ireland.

 

 

References

 

[1]. Picheta, R. (2022). "Britons urged to avoid risky activity as paramedics join strikes. How did things get so bad?" CNN.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/21/uk/uk-strikes-explainer-ambulance-nurses-railways-gbr-intl/index.html

 

[2]. ISDA (2022). "What the Experts Say About COVID-19 Risks."

https://www.idsociety.org/globalassets/idsa/public-health/covid-19/activity-risk.pdf