As I write this editorial the total number of COVID-19 global cases continue to rise (World Health Organization, 2020). The same source reveals that rates of infection in different countries are taking a differing pattern and the UK has gone to the seventh highest rate of infection in the world. In my June editorial I brought you fears from world experts of a second wave, and indeed we are starting to see new ‘spikes’ in infection rates leading to new lockdowns. These lockdowns have been on a more local that national level, such as those seen in Leicester, UK and Melbourne, Australia. The expert's predictions of ‘ominous weakening of the pubic resolve’ also seem to have come true. Within the UK we have seen mass gatherings, invasions of beaches, flouting of the social distancing and worries that the ease from lockdown has not been well controlled or communicated. We have lost the daily COVID briefings and for some this is signalling that the virus has lost its importance in society.
But there have been some positive aspects. My students are starting to email me asking when they can resume their non-medical prescribing (and other) studies. They report a slowing in practice and less numbers of patients causing pressure on the crucial intensive care systems. They also tell me that there are fewer of the sicker patients and staff who were deployed into critical care areas are now being moved back to their own areas. Clinics are opening up again (albeit as telephone consultations) suggesting some services are trying to return to pre-COVID practices. You will have seen that student nurses in training who opted in for deployment will likely be returning to their training programmes at the beginning of September, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council are moving to remove some of their emergency standards at the end of that same month. The advice around social distancing has been revised to one meter plus, shops and restaurants are opening again with strict measures in place to help minimise any viral spread, and football has returned (to some this is wonderful, to others not so much). But as the Prime Minister and governments chief medical advisor have recently stated, and been quoted by many media outlets, is that this pandemic is a long way from being gone and will be a feature of our lives for some time to come (ITV News, 2020), and that any flouting of the guidelines will expedite a second wave. While many members of the public are quickly moving to resume normality, those of a healthcare background are still cautious, still wary, and as always, still ready to respond to whatever is thrown our way.
As I said back in June and it appears to be still very much the case, we appear a long way from a vaccine or a cure, so prevention continues to be the best approach.
Keep on doing the worthwhile and amazing jobs you are all doing, keep staying safe and I hope to see all of you on the other side.