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Let’s just zoom in on that… The key words are “WHOLLY or PARTLY”. If a virus is known to be even PARTLY spread via the airborne route, then airborne infection control measures like FFP masks MUST be considered. The word ‘PREDOMINANTLY’ doesn’t even feature. /11

What really matters is that EVERY scientific expert now agrees that airborne is a SIGNIFICANT component of transmission. Here’s both Prof Chris Whitty (CMO) and Dame Prof Jenny Harries (UKHSA Chief Exec) confirming this fact. /12

It is NOT Dr Lisa Ritchie’s job to decide the mode of transmission. This is not her area of expertise. As she explained at the Covid Inquiry, her job is to translate scientific evidence & advice into practical IPC guidance. And, to put it bluntly, she’s NOT doing her job. /13

Dr Ritchie knows all too well that fluid resistant surgical masks (FRSMs) do NOT provide adequate protection for an AIRBORNE virus. She states it loud and clear under oath during her testimony at the Covid Inquiry... /14

Dr Ritchie even co-authored a paper which explains that surgical masks “DO NOT provide protection against airborne (aerosol) particles”. “FFP3 is the only FFP class acceptable to HSE for use against infectious aerosols in healthcare in the UK”. journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-… /15

This paper was raised at the Covid Inquiry where a different part of the paper was discussed… …the part where it states that SARS-1 is airborne & requires use of FFP3 masks. It’s well worth watching. Baroness Hallett makes a very astute observation towards the end… 🎯 /16

But it’s not just masks… Until the importance of airborne transmission of Covid is acknowledged in NHS IPC guidance, no priority will be given to ventilation & filtration. The WHO advise a MINIMUM ventilation rate of 12 ACH for hospital rooms under airborne precautions… /17

…but, as Prof Beggs pointed out at the Covid Inquiry, many hospitals were built to a standard of just 2.5 air changes per hour… …and many hospital wards with infectious Covid patients are achieving far less than that, often not even 1 air change per hour. /18

It’s easy to get caught up in the semantics of airborne vs droplets… …whether it’s predominantly one or the other. But the bottom line is that lives are on the line here. The current infection control guidance is simply NOT good enough. People are dying because of it. /19

In Dec, a number of Core Participants to the Covid Inquiry wrote to the Inquiry Chair stating: “There is an ongoing & immediate risk of harm to healthcare workers & patients arising from inadequate IPC guidance.” They urged her to make urgent interim recommendations. /20

So that brings me back to the letter from Andrew Gwynne… I strongly suspect he did not write it himself. So who did write it? Who is advising him? Who checked & signed it off? Could it have been Dr Ritchie herself? Or perhaps a close colleague of hers? /21

It seems clear that Mr Gwynne is being given very poor advice in this matter by someone who is determined to defend Lisa Ritchie to the hilt. But Mr Gwynne is also at fault here. He should not be blindly accepting the advice of his advisors. He should be challenging it. /22

This is not some social media conspiracy, as the author of the letter rather obnoxiously implies. This is evidence directly from key witnesses at the Covid Inquiry. It’s time for Mr Gwynne to challenge the ‘groupthink’ of those who are only interested in saving face. /23

Mind you, I’m not surprised that Dr Ritchie & her associates are fairly enraged by ‘social media discussions’. A thread of shocking clips from Dr Ritchie’s Covid Inquiry testimony has now had over 1.1 MILLION views. ⬇️ That’s gotta hurt… /24

Here’s an unrolled version of the thread, in case you want to share off X/Twitter: threadreaderapp.com/thread/1884950… /end

We are incredibly grateful to the ACP-UK for all of the hard work put into producing this important report into the mental health of immunocompromised patients at continued risk of COVID-19 acpuk.org.uk/still-shieldin…

How do the immunocompromised cope when the world has moved on?

Forgotten Lives Uk ACP-UK Thanks 2 4GLUK 4 continuing the fight, helps to know UR are not alone + this report is significant in demonstrating the impact on us of the systemic failure of Gov 2 deal with the ongoing crises we all seem left helpless and left to endure still saying no 2 Kavigale a scandal 🤬

This is an excellent report. Read at least the main recommendations if you can.

Forgotten Lives Uk ACP-UK Such an important report showing how much suffering 😢still continues after 5 years. Thank you.