Covid-19: A risk assessment too far? A blog by David Osborn

Send us Fan MailSilent Sprint, Summer of Lies ( song ) What goes through the minds of public health folks when they lift all mitigations in the face of a rapidly spreading wave of new variants that are even more immune, evasive, and durable and cause ongoing issues with all that are infected?  https://youtu.be/Re9vYkHnLwU?si=ngKdnFbWsAt0xinfSummaryThis blog post discusses the dangers of using risk assessment during the Covid-19 pandemic. The author, a health and safety professional, argues that the "IPC Cell", a group responsible for infection control guidance, misused risk assessment, resulting in inadequate protection for healthcare workers (HCWs). He contends that the IPC Cell ignored expert advice about airborne transmission, leading to widespread infection and death among HCWs. He further criticises the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for not challenging the IPC Cell's flawed guidance, ultimately failing to uphold their legal duty to protect HCWs.https://www.pslhub.org/learn/coronavirus-covid19/questions-around-government-governance-on/covid-19-a-risk-assessment-too-far-a-blog-by-david-osborn-r12061/This is Heliox: Where Evidence Meets EmpathyIndependent, moderated, timely, deep, gentle, clinical, global, and community conversations about things that matter.  Breathe Easy, we go deep and lightly surface the big ideas. Support the showDisclosure: This podcast uses AI-generated synthetic voices for a material portion of the audio content, in line with Apple Podcasts guidelines. We make rigorous science accessible, accurate, and unforgettable.Produced by Michelle Bruecker and Scott Bleackley, it features reviews of emerging research and ideas from leading thinkers, curated under our creative direction with AI assistance for voice, imagery, and composition. Systemic voices and illustrative images of people are representative tools, not depictions of specific individuals.We dive deep into peer-reviewed research, pre-prints, and major scientific works—then bring them to life through the stories of the researchers themselves. Complex ideas become clear. Obscure discoveries become conversation starters. And you walk away understanding not just what scientists discovered, but why it matters and how they got there.Independent, moderated, timely, deep, gentle, clinical, global, and community conversations about things that matter.  Breathe Easy, we go deep and lightly surface the big ideas.Spoken word, short and sweet, with rhythm and a catchy beat.http://tinyurl.com/stonefolksongs