The covid-19 pandemic has drawn our collective attention to the vulnerabilities of healthcare workers (HCWs). Currently, these vulnerabilities are largely couched in proximal terms of long working hours and shortages […]
Guest writers
Covid-19 and the problem of employee silence in healthcare
Healthcare professionals during covid-19 have had to cope with an extra burden beyond providing care. There is evidence that they have been instructed to keep silent about the lack of […]
Malta’s response to covid-19—following the UK public health handbook
UEMO, the union of European General Practitioners, held its general assembly on a virtual platform recently. Despite the distances that now stretch between us, it is still possible to talk […]
How can “shielding” be safely lowered as lockdown is eased?
Those who have been self-shielding or on the NHS shielding list fear their support will vanish, leaving them at heightened risk for a second peak […]
Covid-19: Male disadvantage highlights the importance of sex-disaggregated data
Although covid-19 is a new and emerging disease, it could be one of the best understood in terms of its sex-disaggregated outcomes. [1] This may sound surprising. Sex-disaggregated data (separated for […]
Judging the value of serology tests for covid-19—caution is required in interpreting results
Testing for covid-19 is critically important for the management of disease and prevention of spread. There has been understandable concern about the need to develop good tests and ensure that […]
The hidden burden of laughing gas
The frequent presence of silver canisters, or “whippits,” on our streets (even during the covid-19 lockdown) is a visible mark of the increasing incidence of nitrous oxide (N2O) or laughing […]
Raj Bhopal: Delaying part of PHE’s report on covid-19 and ethnic minorities turned a potential triumph into a PR disaster
The covid-19 pandemic has brutally exposed inequality in societies worldwide. Older age, male sex, socio-economic deprivation and ethnicity are all risk factors for morbidity and mortality from covid-19. This provides […]
Covid-19 will be followed by a deconditioning pandemic
Months of isolation and reduced levels of activity at home will have an immense deconditioning effect on millions of people, say Muir Gray and William Bird […]
Volunteer activity by medical students during the initial phases of covid-19
The covid-19 pandemic has changed almost all aspects of our world, necessitating rapid and flexible adaptation. Medical schools are having to deal with the pandemic as organizations responsible for teaching […]