One ordinary man’s view in mid-July
Has the COVID-19 virus been beaten in the UK?
Do we need all these new Clinical Trials and Studies?
Forgive the somewhat crass heading but ,sitting at home and pondering life in general, I came to question whether ordinary people like us think further investigation and research needs to be done in the battle against Covid-19.
I ask because I wonder if the general populace has been confused by the mixed messages coming at us from government, mixed media and social websites. Is there no one clear message coming through stronger than all the dross? Has all the good advice been blurred to the point that ordinary people like us do not know what to think or believe?
I could bang on about my thoughts on people who disregard social distancing and seemingly do not care if they catch COVID-19 or even pass it on to someone else. But I will refrain and not comment on whether lockdown was lifted too early — other than to say that I am glad that I am not a politician having to consider our health and well-being while balancing that against the country’s economic survival.
What is concerning me is the apparent disregard for their own health and the health of others when people go out and ignore physical distancing — even partying in large groups. It is easy to blame youngsters and the twenty to thirty-year olds as they seem to form the largest antisocial group but thank goodness this does not apply to the vast majority of responsible people even in those age groups.
To answer the questions I posed, I give a big NO and a YES. Of course, COVID19 is still with us. It is perhaps more dangerous than ever if we treat it as something we have beaten and so ignore sensible health advice to protect ourselves. Let’s be honest, it may be a bit of a bore but compare that with some of the awful things that poor people in some countries have to contend with. In comparison, we are very fortunate and we should count our blessings.
Do we need further clinical trials and studies into COVID-19 with so many already taking place? I repeat YES! YES! YES! There are so many things that are not yet known about this completely new virus. You just have to read of some of the preliminary results from these studies to see that the researchers are finding more and more questions that they need answers to. The only way to get these answers is further research. It is vital to understand the virus fully to then be able to deal with it effectively.
One of the more pressing areas of research is the finding of a vaccine that will provide protection against COVID-19 and there may be treatments that will help mitigate the effects of this dreadful disease, improving outcome or shortening the stay in hospital. This will only come about by further research.
I take this opportunity to mention my admiration for all the work that everyone has done over recent weeks and months in the fight against this disease and to thank them on behalf of everyone for what they have done and are doing.
I hope you will not mind my directing your attention to our COVID studies page (here). There is a new volunteer card (here) and there is news of important new vaccine studies. Volunteers are being called for and if you would like to consider joining you can find more information on our COVID link page (here) If you cannot join yourself perhaps you would consider forwarding the message to your other friends, family or colleagues. It would be wonderful to know that you had an active role in the fight against Covid-19.
