On this day in 2020...30th May

Extract from the upcoming book,

‘Coronavirus – 2020 Vision

A complete diary and events of the COVID-19 pandemic.’

- Keith Wright.

?KeithWright2021

SATURDAY 30th MAY 2020

Facts and figures.

38,376 deaths in total.

215 deaths reported yesterday.

4,171,408 tests have been completed in the UK.

272,826 of these have tested as positive with the disease.

127,722 tests were done or dispatched yesterday.

2,445 of these were new cases.

7,945 people are currently in hospital with COVID-19.

 Daily news.

Simmer down.

Some concerns have been expressed by scientists around the easing of lockdown. Professor John Edmunds and Sir Jeremy Farrar, who are both members of SAGE, are notable dissenters. Professor Peter Horby, another SAGE member, agreed, and Professor Calum Semple said,

‘We’re lifting the lid on a boiling pan, and it’s just going to bubble over. We need to get it to simmer before we take the lid off, and it’s too early.’

The ONS figures showing 54,000 new cases a week, which is 8,000 a day, has fuelled concerns. Bearing in mind, these are figures in the community only and do not include hospitals and care homes.

For balance, it might be worth mentioning that there are around 50 members of the SAGE advisers, not just the four expressing doubts. I suppose this concern is inevitable, and I think there is an air of worry in some quarters of society, because of the high prevalence of infections coupled with the closeness of r to 1. It seems obvious.

Other countries are going further than us, such as France, Italy, and Spain, but they had the outbreak around two weeks earlier. We should have caught up, but we haven’t.

A school of thought.

Although the government has announced a reopening of schools. This now seems in doubt. I had an email from my daughter’s school stating that the local council and unions have said not to open and that this was ‘sad.’

News is out today that my local Council, Nottingham City Council, has said it does not ‘feel the time is right to bring children back to schools on Monday.’ It has advised schools not to open. Leicester City Council said it was advising the same, as well as many more, no doubt.

Part of me is pleased about this because of my daughter, but stepping back, it does show the amount of chaos and ill-discipline there is in the political system in this country, both with devolved governments, civil servants, and local councils.

WHO is this guy?

As previously mentioned, President Trump has followed through on his suggestion of pulling funding from the WHO. He has announced that the US will be ‘terminating its relationship’ with the World Health Organisation. He stated that China has total control over the organisation.

The US is the most significant single contributor to the WHO, giving $450 million a year. Mr Trump said that China contributes only around $40 million.

No cough – no job.

I mentioned earlier in the diary that a woman who worked at a railway station was spat at by an angry customer. She went on to contact and sadly die from COVID-19.

The police investigated this and recently announced that the customer would not be charged with any offence.

Looking behind the statement, it turns out that CCTV shows that the passenger did not spit, as alleged, nor cough or anything that might infect the lady, and an antibody test also showed he has never had COVID-19.

4 pm Press Briefing – Secretary of State for Culture and Sport – Oliver Dowden.

First past the post.

Mr Dowden announces that Live Sport can start behind closed doors from Monday, beginning with Horse Racing.

There are specific guidelines to the activity including:

• Screening processes.
• One-way systems.
• Dressing room protocols.
• Social distancing.

A third of all Premier League matches will be free to view.

‘Grassroots’ sports can restart from Monday with up to 5 members from other households so long as they socially distance.

Controversy.

Professor Jonathan Van Tam, who is the scientist supporting the briefing today, said that this ‘is a very dangerous moment.’

Despite this, he goes on to say that with the changes on Monday, with good compliance and Test and Tracing, it is likely that r will stay below 1. There is a ‘high degree of confidence.’

When questioned about you know who; Dominic Cummings, Professor Van Tam made it known that the measures are clear and for all to adhere to.

It seemed clear that Professor Van Tam’s emphasis meant it included Mr Cummings too.

Don’t tear your pants.

When referring to the easing of measures, he urges people to be cautious and not ‘tear the pants out of it,’ by seeing five people in the morning, five in the afternoon, and five at night.

 Family life.

Presents or Else.

Jackie’s son, Ashley, and his wife April came around to see us in the garden. It was a lovely hot day. They brought little baby Elsie, it was great to see her but frustrating that we could not pick her up or hold her. She kept crawling towards us but had to be pulled back. It was Ashley’s birthday, so we threw his card and present at him!

Working from home.

The group ‘Take That’ did a ‘virtual concert’ last night on YouTube. It was good and weird to see individual performers in their own homes, singing independently and then when conjoined to give a great sound. Maybe I need to get out more.

Our Lily.

I had a picnic in the park with my daughter Lily, and sons Harry and Chris. Social distancing was involved, along with hand sanitiser. Frisbee, football, boules, and picnic which was great fun.

It was a gloriously sunny day – apparently, this has been the hottest Spring since records began. It was lovely to be able to cuddle and kiss our Lily. I have missed seeing her so much.

Strange that I can cuddle my daughter but not my granddaughter because we are not in the same bubble.

Quote of the day:

‘I would like to see anyone, prophet, king or God, convince a thousand cats to do the same thing at the same time.’ – Neil Gaiman.

 ?KeithWright2021

‘Coronavirus – 2020 Vision

A complete diary and events of the COVID-19 pandemic.’

- Keith Wright.

This day-by-day factual and complete account of events throughout the coronavirus pandemic, written as it happened, gives incredible insight into what life was like during this tragic and historic pandemic in the United Kingdom and worldwide.

It includes facts and figures, government initiatives, news events, moving individual accounts, and the horrific consequences, as they happened each day.

There is also a daily, personal slant on what life was like for the author and his family during what threatened to be an apocalyptic event.

It reveals all humanity in its idiocy, compassion and brilliance; the key elements, significant dates, statistics, human stories, tragedies, government strategies, the twists and turns, the humour and the obtuse.

The coronavirus will define this generation and identify these times, like other rare global historical events such as the bubonic plague and the World Wars.

This book is something to show your children and grandchildren when they ask you what it was like during such a frightening time. It can also be used as a point of reference for historians, commentators, and educators. It is also merely for posterity.

Were you alive? Do you recall it? Do you remember our Prime Minister almost died with Covid-19? Remember, the Queen saying ‘we’ll meet again’ during lockdown? Surely you recollect the EU conducting ‘an act of hostility’ towards the UK to get their hands on our vaccines? The thirty police officers fined for having a haircut, or the first man in the world to be vaccinated being called William Shakespeare from Stratford Upon Avon!

The whole world was plunged into chaos, with death, suffering and economic disaster. How did we cope? How did all of this happen? According to Keith’s wife, Jackie, it was ‘all because a man ate a bat.’

Keith Wright previously worked leading Corporate Investigations for a global pharmacy retailer. He has worked on major Crisis Management Incidents alongside senior executives impacting across the world of pharmaceutical product management.

Critically acclaimed crime novelist, and former CID detective, Wright moves from fiction to a factual account of arguably the most historic natural event to blight humanity in modern times.

He has four children and lives in Nottingham, England, with his wife, Jackie.

 All rights reserved ?Keith Wright 2021

Copyright?KeithWright 2021

 If you are affected by any issues raised in the book contact:

The Samaritans or check local charities.

 All information believed correct at the time of writing.

 Diary entries gathered from an array of publicly available visual, audio and written sources and merged to give a holistic and creative editorial view.

 Glossary and source lists are available at the end of the book.

This book is dedicated to those who have lost their lives and the extraordinary bravery of front-line NHS staff, key workers, carers, and everyone who, in their own way, have contributed to help others. We are grateful, and we thank you, wholeheartedly.

 Author’s note.

My mother's first husband was killed in World War 2. His name was Arthur Smith. When I spoke with her about it, which, with hindsight, was too infrequently, she said he wasn't a fighter; he was a gentle, kind man, thrown into a hell with which he would struggle to adapt. He was an infantryman who died doing his duty for others, near Geel in Belgium, pushing through from the D-Day landings in 1944.

I use this as a loose analogy for our NHS heroes in the front line. These people are not emergency workers such as the police who are used to conflict and danger, nor are they like firefighters physically battling a fire and saving lives. These are people who have a caring disposition. (Not that the police and firefighters, don't care, bearing in mind that they risk their lives on a daily basis, but you see the point I am making).

 NHS front-line workers are sensitive to the human condition and understand the nuances of helping another human being survive illness and injury. They are also people who have now seen the effects of COVID-19 and the nightmare conditions it engenders. Every fibre of their being is focussed on kindness and caring. Yet they have to find peculiar courage. The courage to risk their own lives and possibly even their families lives to treat others every day. Not only do they have to wear a surgical mask, but they have to display the mask of quiet reassurance, professionalism, and positivity, despite their fears. They have to fight with decisions like holding a hand of an infected dying patient when your COVID instinct dictates you surely must not do this.

Dear reader, this is real courage. I hope they are well looked after once this is all resolved, and they receive counselling to help them recover from this incredibly traumatic time.

BEFORE WE START THE DIARY. WHAT WAS IT ALL ABOUT?

 As I commence this diary, this is what is known; our knowledge will grow over the months and years.

 Coronavirus is a respiratory virus discovered in 2019. In lay-person terms, it causes the lungs to clog up, inhibiting the oxygen supply to the blood, and eventually causing organ failure. Its potency is in how virulently contagious it is. Coronavirus is the virus that leads to the disease COVID-19.

It is believed to be a zoonotic illness, meaning it jumped species to infect humans. Researchers believe the most likely source is the Rhinolophus sinicus, otherwise known as the horseshoe bat which was consumed having been purchased from a ‘wet market’ in Hubei Province, China.

COVID-19 was originally known as 2019-nCoV. It stood for the year of its discovery - 2019, the fact that it was a new (novel) virus (n), and it came from the Corona Virus family (CoV).

 The name was changed to COVID-19 when it became a pandemic. The World Health Organisation had to allocate a name for the disease that did not relate to a person; a group of persons, an animal, a geographic location, was pronounceable, and relatable. Beyond this, the formal name for the virus given by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses called it the 'severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2' or SARS-CoV-2, because it is related to the virus that caused the outbreak of SARS in 2003. For the avoidance of doubt, it will be referred to by the name everyone uses; COVID-19 or ‘Covid.’

Early analysis of the virus suggests that two main strains exist, designated L and S. The L strain appears to be more prevalent (70% of cases); however, it is the S strain that is the ancestral version. L strain appears to be the most aggressive and spreads quickly. It should be noted that this is a new virus to humanity, and we are starting from absolute scratch in our understanding of it. Even as knowledge grows, the chances of mutation are possible, if not probable, and suddenly all bets can be off.

 The coronavirus is transferable by hand to mouth from surfaces or contact and close proximity with someone affected. As with all such viruses, it is also spread by droplets, contact, or airborne particles. It causes a continual dry cough, breathing difficulties, and some aches and pains. Latterly we discovered a loss of taste and smell was also a major symptom. It is a mild to moderate condition for 80 per cent of those who catch it. However, older people and those with underlying illnesses are at a much higher risk of death. As the disease progresses, we see more and more younger able-bodied people in intensive care and dying because of the virus. The World Health Organisation state that 3% of those contracting it will die. There is no cure and no vaccine.

The virus uses its outer prongs to lock on to a living cell. It then inserts its genetic material (RNA – Ribonucleicacid) into the cell. Once inside, it hijacks the machinery of the nucleus of the cell to make numerous copies of itself. It then destroys the cell, and the copies burst out and spread, to do the same thing to multiple other living cells and so the cycle continues, with the virus growing and multiplying exponentially.

The incubation period in a human can be anything from 0-15 days. Some people are asymptomatic and are oblivious to having caught it. Most people's immune system mounts an appropriate response, and they begin to feel better after around 5-7 days after a debilitating flu-like illness. In some people, the immune system goes into overdrive and starts attacking the lungs and other organs and the coronavirus. Infection can cause pneumonia, breathing difficulties, and further organ damage. In others, the immune system cannot cope, and they die. Some can appear to have overcome it and then deteriorate rapidly and die in a day, often with hypoxia – lack of oxygen. Some have been in a coma for 60 plus days, yet still, survive, but forever scarred and impaired.

It is reported that the first case of the disease was presented by a 55-year-old man in Hubei Province, China, on 17th November 2019. It spread and was located in Wuhan Province, China, a month later, in December 2019.

Other theories have emerged around the virus' origins:

• The eating of a diseased bat (or Pangolin) at a wet market. (This seems initially to be the most likely. ‘Pangolin and chips please, no vinegar.’).
• A leak or intentional dispersal from the biological warfare lab situated in Wuhan, China.
• It began in a region south of Wuhan as early as September 2019. Cambridge scientists are exploring the September theory by tracing pathogens. This earlier outbreak could have been carried by humans well before it mutated into a more lethal form.
• Others suggest that traces of faeces in Italy’s sewerage show the virus earlier than it began in China in the summer of 2019. This was later corroborated by research into blood samples of cancer patients taken in early October 2019 which had COVID-19 antibodies present, which means they would have had the disease in September 2019.

Regardless of the exact trigger point, the coronavirus was initially thought to have arrived in the United Kingdom on 28th February 2020, and the first confirmed case being on 31st February 2020. In August 2020, samples by the University of Nottingham discovered that the earliest person to contract and then die with the virus was a 75-year-old woman from Nottinghamshire who tested positive on 21st February 2020.

It is now understood that a traveller returning from South Korea on 28th February 2020 most likely caught the virus in Nottingham rather than Korea as first assumed. Professor John Ball, one of the authors of the study, said ‘there was widespread community transmission of coronavirus’ in Nottingham in early February 2020.

In the UK, we have the National Health Service (NHS). This means that medical care is free at the point of need for all its citizens. The working population pay for this service through their taxes. Each country around the world has different healthcare systems, some insurance based. The NHS does not have any added complications around whether someone can afford to pay for their care through insurance coverage or otherwise.

Key players in the management of this crisis in the United Kingdom are:

Boris Johnson; Prime Minister,

Matt Hancock; the Health Secretary of State,

Dominic Raab; the Foreign & Commonwealth Secretary of State (deputising for the P.M.),

Rishi Sunak; The Chancellor of the Exchequer,

Professor Sir Patrick Vallance; the Chief Scientific Advisor and chair of SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies),

Professor Chris Whitty; the Chief Medical officer for Public Health England,

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam; Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Public Health England.

The virus has caused tens of millions of infections and millions of deaths worldwide, creating a global lock-down and an almost dystopian planet, of death and deserted streets, never before experienced in modern history. Some describe it as an apocalyptic disease. The fabric of society is changed with people told not to socialise and to stay at home. These changes have a massive effect on our way of life, the economy, and family interaction. What will life be like when we come blinking out of our homes in months or years ahead, assuming we survive, into a new world that is changed forever?

Our hope is for a vaccine, yet this is impossible for many months, probably years, if at all. Sadly, the world has been unable to develop a vaccine for any of the previous coronavirus such as SARS, (or even the common cold, which is part of the coronavirus family), so it would be remarkable if they manage to do so with this one.

Immunity after the disease is unclear. There is nothing to suggest that previous sufferers have immunity, nor for how long it will last if they do. There is even the danger of those recovering from COVID-19 gaining, something known as 'enhanced immunity.' This relatively unknown syndrome happens with Denghi fever, which means you get the disease far worse the second time.

I start this diary uncertain whether I will be alive to finish it or sustain it if I become one of the coronavirus victims. Will I be too ill to continue? Will I die? Things change day-to-day, and suddenly the future is more uncertain than ever before in my lifetime.

No one would have believed, a matter of a few short weeks ago, the changes that this vicious, dangerous pandemic would bring to our lives: the deaths, the uncertainty, the trauma, the separation, and the loss.

This book is intended to bear witness, record statistics, collate news articles, personal stories, front-line accounts, precis government briefings, and offer an intimate view of family life during this historic and tragic period in the year 2020 and beyond.

Release date July 2021.

?KeithWright2021