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How to stay out of lockdown: a personal view of the future

What does the future of healthcare’s response to pandemics look like? How can healthcare responses be changed, to avoid a repeat of the consequences experienced while trying to protect health services? Andrew Kemp considers the issues.

In this article it might be said that I am using the retrospectoscope (the most accurate and yet least valuable tool we all have) to complain about the way in which the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has been handled, but that is not the case. It will focus primarily on how we should avoid making the same mistakes that have been made during the current pandemic, ready for the next one. This pandemic prediction is based on epidemics/pandemics seen over the past 19 years. Starting with SARS-CoV-1 in 2002, society has endured an epidemic/pandemic approximately every three to four years –

bird and swine influenza, Ebola, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Regardless of R numbers or percentage death to illness rates, all previous pandemics fade into obscurity next to the economic consequences of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 disease in 2020. If that miserable prediction is a real look into our future, what can we do to avoid at least some of the economic consequences, as well as help to save lives?

                In essence, we are continually being told that the measures being taken are to “save lives” and “protect the NHS”. Both objectives are laudable, noble and I can’t imagine many having any objections to either. If the lockdown is intended to reduce the numbers of patients requiring NHS beds, the economic consequences of the lockdown significantly reduces the amount of money available to the government to fund those beds and those treatments. The option being chosen to deal with this by government, as we have seen in this pandemic, is to increase borrowing to a staggering level not seen since WW2.

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Upcoming Events

Pathology Horizons 2024

MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel, Bath
18-20 April, 2024

Diagnostics North East Conference 2024

The Catalyst, Newcastle upon Tyne
19 April, 2024

ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Fira Gran Via, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
27-30 April 2024

British Society for Microbial Technology Annual Microbiology Conference

UK Health Security Agency, Colindale, London
2 May 2024

EQA Reports: Interpreting Key Information & Troubleshooting Tips

ONLINE - Zoom
Thursday 16th May 2024

Participants’ Meeting: UK NEQAS Immunology, Immunochemistry & Allergy

Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Howard Street, Sheffield
24th May 2024

Access the latest issue of Pathology In Practice on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Pathology In Practice app from your device's App store

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