Hello, and welcome to the May edition of the Journal of Prescribing Practice. This has been a month of progress and reflection here in the United Kingdom. As restrictions start to lift after many difficult months of lockdown, I'm sure, like me, you find yourselves having to adapt to a world where once again we are beginning to be allowed to interact face-to-face. It can be a daunting process, knowing that all the barriers we've put up since the start of the pandemic are now, finally, starting to come down. I'm sure for healthcare professionals like yourselves, this comes with an extra layer of anxiety, with people interacting in person again, there is sure to be concern about the spread of COVID-19. We're all having to place our faith in each other, relying on the common sense of the public to maintain safe practices outside of lockdown, and hope, when the offer comes, they will be willing to take one of the vaccines that are now progressively being distributed. Here in the UK, gov.uk (2021) stats tell us that 34 58 8600 have now had their first dose and 15 50 0949 have already had their second. People of the age of 42 are now starting to be offered vaccinations as the rollout continues. It's a stunning piece of progress that the rollout has gone this smoothly, one I have no doubt many of you reading this have participated in.
As I said at the start of this editorial, this is a time of reflection. It's important to focus on the fact that while our struggles have been hard, and many of us have had many personal setbacks over the course of the last year, we are now in a place where we can see an end to the pandemic. Looking at other countries, such as India, this is very much not the case. It has been reported that at present India has 20 million COVID-19 infections, with the number expected to be much higher because of a substantial testing dip (BBC News, 2021). I'm sure we all remember when our hospitals were overwhelmed and our limits were stretched. Right now, in India, a shortage of oxygen has shown no sign of abating and there are several hotspot cities that are simply struggling to provide treatment. The lax safety protocols and the continuation of massive public festivals and elections rallies have all contributed to India's healthcare system becoming overwhelmed. So far, just over 10% of India's 1.4 billion people have had one does of the vaccine and only about 2% have had both doses (BBC News, 2021). I hope those here in the United Kingdom, with a roadmap to normality in sight, can come to appreciate the hard work we've all put in to get to the place we are now, looking at those less fortunate countries like India, and both extend our sympathies as well as be grateful for the hard work every sector of healthcare has put into our fight against COVID-19.
Next year, the Journal of Prescribing Practice is aiming to put together a special issue in partnership with the Association of Prescribers, featuring articles across every sector of non-medical prescribing, celebrating all the work our readers do. If you think you'd be interested in contributing, I'd encourage you to get in touch with me by emailing prescribingpractice@markallengroup.com. As always, I'd be delighted to hear from you.
Stay safe and keep doing the amazing work you do.