luchtschip schreef op 23 mei 2021 20:31:
De Engelse regering heeft data achtergehouden over een uitbraak van de Indiase variant,B.1.617.2, met name in Bolton, UK, bij schoolkinderen.
Number 10, Downing Street, ‘tried to block’ data on spread of new Covid variant in English schools
Scientists, unions and teachers concerned after data cut from Public Health England report ahead of shift on face masks
Downing Street leaned on Public Health England not to publish crucial data on the spread of the new Covid variant in schools, documents seen by the Observer have suggested. Scientists, union officials and teachers said that the lack of transparency was “deeply worrying”.
The focus of their anger concerns the pre-print of a PHE report that included a page of data on the spread of the India Covid-19 variant in schools. But when the report was published on Thursday 13 May, the page had been removed. It was the only one that had been removed from the pre-print.
Days later, the government went ahead with its decision to remove the mandate on face coverings in English schools.
Information seen by the Observer reveals that 164 cases of the new variant were linked to schools up to 12 May, or 7.8% of a total of 2,111 cases. Since then, the number of total cases of the new variant has increased to 3,424 cases, a rise of 62%. The number of cases now linked to schools is unknown.
Deepti Gurdasani, at Queen Mary University, London, said: “We know from media reports there are many outbreaks of the so-called ‘India variant’ in schools but there’s no systematic data. In Bolton, it’s risen fastest in school-age children and it looks like schools are contributing to the rapid spread of the virus … and yet at this crucial moment, the government has gone ahead and lifted mitigations. It’s incredibly worrying.
“This is a public health emergency and PHE is supposed to be an independent public health body. It is crucial that they have the public’s trust.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/22...