Links with rare serious thrombotic events,6 though not yet proved to be causally related, have only added to the AstraZeneca vaccine’s woes,7 now also shared by the Johnson & Johnson vaccine 8 Speculation on the mechanism has led some royal colleges to issue guidance on how to manage patients who are concerned about symptoms after receiving the vaccine 7910 Vaccines are a key to preventing further lockdowns, and vaccine passports may eventually play a role, if properly designed 11 But just as important are traditional public health measures to control transmission, especially preventing airborne spread 12 Clarity on the importance of aerosols comes too late for the key workers who have died or developed post-covid illness as a result of inadequate ventilation and personal protective equipment [ ]it should bring new urgency to calls for an independent inquiry into the UK’s handling of the pandemic 1314 There is much that can and must be done now to provide safe workspaces, schools, and healthcare facilities, to establish proper systems of test, trace, isolate, and support, and to prevent covid-19 becoming entrenched as a disease of poverty 15 Worldwide, preventing the next pandemic will require a properly governed and financed virus surveillance system 16 So, yes, it’s still covid, covid, covid in The BMJ [ ]other articles continue to remind us all that medicine must manage other conditions too: urinary tract infection,17 otitis externa,18 polycystic ovary syndrome,19 and chronic pain 20 More than 4 5 million people missed out on hospital treatment in England last year,21 a sobering reminder of the need to restore routine care 1 Beaumont P Covid pandemic still growing exponentially, WHO says
Covid-19: Vaccine woes highlight vital role of traditional public health