Here we are again. In these unprecedented times (as we so like to call them now), we find ourselves on the brink of a second national lockdown, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. I now find it hard to remember a time when my Editorials were not about the ongoing pandemic. I am sure you must all be feeling the ever-increasing strain on your workload and your personal circumstances; in recent weeks I have been speaking to a few of our readers and contributors and I know that as the winter season ramps up, the demand you face grows with it. Once again, I continue to be humbled by the work you do.
As of today, there are 1 034 918 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK, with 46 717 deaths currently recorded (World Health Organization, 2020); a frightening figure that is hoped to be lowered with the help of the new government measures. With these numbers not relenting, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2020a) continues to publish new rapid guidelines to aid healthcare workers through the current crisis, aiming to maintain the overall care of your day-to-day practices. The systems we have in place and the strategies we once used may be altering, but these guidelines are there to ensure that you can maintain your role in the safest way possible. For example, one of the most recently published rapid guidelines (3 November 2020) details antibiotics for pneumonia in adults in hospital (NICE, 2020b). The key component of all of these guidelines is to minimise further risk to you and your patients, but also to consider what alterations you should consider when treating during the pandemic. In this example, NICE (2020b) notes that because COVID-19 pneumonia is caused by a virus, antibiotics are ineffective unless there is a bacterial co-infection.
I hope you can take away from this that the work goes on. No matter the circumstance, healthcare continues to find new ways to provide the best service possible. I have no doubt you feel overwhelmed at times, but the resilience and motivation shown to keep going is gratifying. I hope you can also see this in The Journal of Prescribing Practice. Yes, you will notice there is research on COVID-19 within the journal, as there should be. But we continue to have papers submitted on a numerous array of clinical research topics, writers continue to offer their insights into better practice, and you, the reader, continue to engage with our in-journal programs, such as our continued professional development section. The engagement of both writer and reader is a testament to everyone pushing through and carrying on.
Keep doing what you're doing, and I am sure we will speak again soon.