Covid day of reflection 2025: Share your memories of lockdown
Towns and cities across the UK are holding a day of reflection on Sunday with 2025 marking five years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.Health trusts and councils are among the groups organising events being held in hospitals, parks and town halls.There will also be a procession along the Covid-19 memorial wall in London, which runs beside the River Thames, that ends with a ceremony outside Lambeth Palace.By late October 2023, there had been at least 232,000 deaths in the UK related to the coronavirus, according to the World Health Organisation.
The day of reflection was announced in December by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who said the events would be organised locally so people could mark the occasion in the way they felt most appropriate."The pandemic impacted us all in different ways, with many sadly losing loved ones and others making great sacrifices in their lives," she said. "This Covid-19 Day of Reflection will allow people the space and time to reflect and I would encourage everyone to take part in a way that feels right for them."The memorial wall was created in 2021 when a man, whose father died after contracting Covid-19, painted a red heart on the South Bank.There are now more than 200,000 hearts painted on the wall, covering a stretch of a third of a mile (500m). Many have names and dates written inside.The memorial is maintained by a group of volunteers who rely on public donations. They want it to be recognised as a permanent installation by the government so it can be legally protected.
Sunday's procession will be followed by a ceremony and a minute's silence, as well as flowers being thrown from Lambeth Bridge.One of the people participating in the procession is Dr Phil Banfield, chairman of the British Medical Association council (BMA).He said: "The emphasis of the day will rightly be one of solemnity and heartfelt reflection, as each of us remembers just how the effects of the pandemic forever changed us personally, professionally and as a society."Other events include a special prayer service at Manchester Cathedral, an outdoor event at Glasgow Green including a piper, choir and minute's silence, and a remembrance concert with music, poems and readings in Belfast.The day of reflection was one of the recommendations made by the UK commission on Covid commemoration, which was tasked by the government to find the best ways of marking this period.Baroness Morgan of Cotes, who heads the commission, said when the day of reflection was first announced: "As each year passes since the height of the pandemic it can feel as if Covid is more and more of a distant memory."And yet I know from the conversations the UK Covid commemoration commissioners had, that those who lost loved ones appreciate a day when many others will also remember those who lost their lives with them."A public inquiry into the government's response to the pandemic is under way with hearings taking place now on the procurement of personal protective equipment for the NHS.
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The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
What travelers should know about needle spiking in Europe
However, the scale of the incident and its potential to produce similar ones this summer is a "shock" and a cause for caution, according to Colin Mackie, founder of Spike Aware UK, a non-profit that raises awareness about spiking. This recent attack highlights the need for travelers to be aware of spiking risks while partying abroad. It's important to be prepared and know what to do if it happens to you. What is needle spiking? Needle spiking involves people being unwantingly jabbed, typically in the arm or leg, by an attacker via a hypodermic needle, Mackie said. Victims may see a bruise or small red mark at the injection site and, if injected with an unknown substance, report blurry vision, nausea, or feeling woozy, dizzy, and even loss of consciousness, according to Spike Aware UK's website. Needle spiking can happen anywhere to anyone: Cases have been reported mostly at public places such as festivals, bars and clubs, according to 2023 data from the U.K. government. While women made up 74% of reported incidents, a YouGov poll from December 2022 reported 10% of women and 5% of men had been spiked. While varied, the injected substances are typically cheap and easy for perpetrators to access, Mackie said. A report by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee found the types of substances people are injected with vary and include prescription drugs, tranquillizers, amphetamines or GHB (also called liquid ecstasy). There's no consensus on a predominant substance type injected, according to a spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) in the U.K. "Spiking is a complex offense to investigate as drugs can pass through the system quickly and there is often a lack of evidential opportunities, which is why quick reporting and early evidence gathering, including forensic testing, is key," the NPCC spokesperson said to USA TODAY via email. Interestingly, the motive behind needle attacks is largely not sexual assault, robbery, or other obvious crimes, according to Mackie. They almost seem like "pranks," he said, making it even harder to find justice under the law. Even if you're feeling well, you should take any sensation of a needle prick seriously and seek medical attention, Mackie advised. This is important because serious diseases can be transmitted through intravenous exposure. Additionally, it would be wise to consider getting travel insurance beforehand, as this can help cover the costs of any medications that doctors may prescribe to prevent related illnesses. "It can be quite a long course of drugs to protect (victims) from HIV and hepatitis," Mackie said. "They don't know what was in the needle or where the needle's been." A longstanding issue with incremental progress Needle spiking isn't a new phenomenon overseas. Attacks surged in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to social media campaigns and boycotts across Europe and the U.K. as partygoers advocated for better reporting protocols and safety measures at venues. According to Mackie, activism has led to a relative slowdown in incidents in recent years, and the U.K. is at the forefront of policy reform in response. The advocate, whose son died in a spiking-related incident in 2017, is currently lobbying the U.K. parliament to strengthen a proposed law that would make spiking a stand-alone crime. This would give law enforcement "clear procedures" for these cases, Mackie said, and lead to more actual prosecutions. "Police are certainly more active and engaging with victims," Mackie said. Venues have stepped up measures, too, implementing surveillance cameras and extensive security checks at the door. What you can do to protect yourself (and still have fun) Travelers should heed extra caution if heading into large party crowds this summer. A few simple steps can look like: Make a plan. If in a foreign country, make sure your group's phones have cellular data set up abroad so you can always reach one another. Pick a meeting point for the night in case you get separated -- but prioritize the buddy system (even if you have to walk away from the music for a bit). Research and save the nearest hospital and local police contact information in your phone. If in a foreign country, make sure your group's phones have cellular data set up abroad so you can always reach one another. Pick a meeting point for the night in case you get separated -- but prioritize the buddy system (even if you have to walk away from the music for a bit). Research and save the nearest hospital and local police contact information in your phone. Report right away. If you feel a jab-like sensation, go to a trusted person and tell them (in case you pass out and they need to step in). Don't let strangers help you -- they may be the person who injected you. If you're able, alert venue staff and security personnel, Mackie said. The event may have medical staff on site you can go to, but if not, it's important to transit to a hospital as soon as possible. If you feel a jab-like sensation, go to a trusted person and tell them (in case you pass out and they need to step in). Don't let strangers help you -- they may be the person who injected you. If you're able, alert venue staff and security personnel, Mackie said. The event may have medical staff on site you can go to, but if not, it's important to transit to a hospital as soon as possible. Your drink is still the biggest risk. It's easy to feel carefree this time of year, but Mackie says drink spiking is still by far the biggest threat. Take the coaster or napkin a bartender gives you and put it over your drink when not sipping. If headed to the bathroom, don't leave your drink unattended. And make sure to watch your drink being made: If a stranger offers to buy you one, go with them to the bar and ensure a professional is mixing the beverage. This story was updated to fix a typo.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Doctor who led British Medical Association's opposition to kids' puberty blocker ban elected as its new leader
The doctor who spearheaded the British Medical Association's opposition to the UK's puberty blocker ban has been elected as its new leader. Dr Tom Dolphin tabled the motion that led to the union controversially lobbying against the findings of the Cass Review into children's gender services. The BMA's governing council sparked fury in July last year when it voted to 'critique' the work, without consulting wider members. This set the BMA apart from the NHS, government and other leading medical organisations who universally backed the study, which took four years to complete and reviewed data from 113,000 children. Key among the recommendations was a ban on prescribing sex hormones to trans-identifying children outside of clinical trials. Critics described the BMA meeting where the vote took place as 'secretive and opaque'. The same council, consisting of 69 members, this week voted to oust sitting chair Professor Phil Banfield and replace him with Dr Dolphin. A source said: 'This shows the dominant ideological forces currently at play within the BMA. In order to get on, you have to embrace this way of thinking.' The BMA set up a rival 'task and finish group' to evaluate the methodology used by Cass and write a critique which they said would be completed by January. However, the report has still not been produced six months after the initial deadline and more than 1,000 members have now signed a letter calling on the union to 'abandon the pointless exercise'. Critics say the BMA is ill-equipped to match the rigour of the Cass review, which was published in April 2024, and describe the union's efforts as a 'waste of money and staff time'. Senior doctors warn that the BMA - which represents 190,000 doctors - has alienated itself, is 'no longer a democratic organisation' and has made itself 'irrelevant' after being taken over by 'ideologues and interest groups'. They highlight that the BMA leadership has consistently failed to select motions relating to the Cass Review at annual conferences, including that held in Liverpool this week, meaning gender-critical members are silenced. Meanwhile, topics including the Israel-Gaza conflict and climate change have been prioritised for debate. Fiona McAnena, director of campaigns at human rights charity Sex Matters, said Dr Dolphin's election as chair 'shows how gender ideology breaks previously respectable organisations'. She added: 'The Cass Review is a comprehensive, evidence-based report on so- called gender medicine for children by an independent paediatrician with impeccable credentials. 'Creating doubt around it without robust evidence is irresponsible, misleading, and not in the best interests of patients. 'We've said before that the transactivist doctors at the BMA are an embarrassment to their profession. 'Their false assertions about biology can be disproven with primary school science. 'Giving them this level of credibility could have serious consequences for the health and wellbeing of vulnerable children and young adults.' Dr Dolphin is a Labour activist who previously boasted of charging the NHS £1,870 for a single shift. He made the extortionate sum covering for picketing colleagues during previous industrial action and donated it to the BMA's strike fund. Writing on X at the time, he said the war chest 'supports people to strike, meaning the strike is stronger and the win will come sooner'. Dr Dolphin has campaigned alongside hard-left MP John McDonnell and been the election agent for Dawn Butler during previous general elections. He also finds time to promote woke cases, including trans issues and veganism. Writing on social media in 2019, Dr Dolphin said: 'This election has really got our membership engaged and working together to bring in a new, different, Labour government.' In July 2022, he posted photos of himself at a Trans Pride march, adding: 'About to set off to let London know that trans rights are human rights!' He has described Brexit as a 'failure' and 'one of the worst foreign policy decisions by the UK in decades'. The union this week passed a motion at its annual conference urging members to offer patients 'identity-based care', despite warnings this risks going against the law on single sex spaces. It follows the Supreme Court ruling in April that the terms woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. Dr Dolphin is an anaesthetic consultant, who has been a member of BMA council since 2012 and lives in London with his husband. He vowed to continue the union's fight for higher pay rises for doctors and said: 'I will empower BMA members so that everywhere that doctors work and medical students study, they know that they are stronger together, and the exploitation and erosion of our profession is stopped.' Commenting on delays to the union's Cass 'critique', a BMA spokeswoman said: 'The original draft Terms of Reference (ToR) that were shared with Council suggested that the Task and Finish Group would report back in January. 'This was removed whilst the ToR were still in draft and has therefore not been an objective for the project, but the Group's chair has continued to give updates to Council. 'This is an extremely complex report to undertake. 'We want to be as sure as we can be that data collection and analysis processes are as rigorous and robust as possible; this requires time, rather than be rushed.'
Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Telegraph
How the BMA became a vessel for Middle East politics
There is slightly more to the Hippocratic Oath than many non-medical professionals realise. The full text contains all the well-known bits – do no harm, don't administer poison, maintain the confidentiality of your patients – but over the course of more than 300 words, there are also pledges about pessaries, kidney stones and dietary regimes. It is a broad, ancient expression of ethics for an industry that has to adapt and modernise all the time. The role of a medical professional, of course, touches on almost all aspects of life, so recent renderings of the oath might tinker with the translation a bit. Yet, what no version touches on, so far as we can tell, is anything to do with solving the conflict in the Middle East, a call to political activism, or prolonged discussions about Zionism. Attendees at the annual conference of the British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors' trade union, could have been forgiven for thinking otherwise this week. Meeting in Liverpool for three days to establish policies and priorities for the industry in the coming year – of which, given the state of the NHS, there would have been lots to discuss – members instead found that 43 motions, around 10 per cent of the total, related to Israel, Gaza, Palestine, anti-Semitism or Zionism. One claimed that Israel is establishing a 'system of apartheid', another called for a boycott of Israeli medical institutions and universities. A third called on the BMA to support doctors who refuse to pay taxes because the UK is 'complicit in genocide'. The slew of motions prompted the Jewish Medical Association (JMA) to warn that Jewish members attending the conference felt 'intimidated, unsafe and excluded'. Speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, several other BMA members The Telegraph has spoken to were, at best, perplexed and exasperated so much attention was being paid to global politics ahead of matters relating to British medicine. Others saw it as typical of a union they view as 'institutionally anti-Semitic ', and now 'overtaken by Left-wing entryists'. 'It was a disappointing conference in lots of ways, especially in relation to how much time was given to talking about Gaza,' says one doctor and longstanding BMA member, after returning from Liverpool. 'There are so many other conflicts around the world where doctors and healthcare professionals are involved, so it seems a shame we didn't think about them as well. 'Also, because it was spoken about at such length, it stopped us getting on with some of the work I hoped we might have done as a trade union. And then there's the question of how welcome our Jewish colleagues might have felt, when there's so much emphasis given to a subject like that.' The answer to that final question can be given by Prof David Katz, professor of immunopathology at University College London, and executive chairman of the JMA, who also attended. 'In Liverpool, there was a hostility in the atmosphere,' Prof Katz says. 'How could it be otherwise with these motions? [With] the depth of venom that has been allowed to evolve?' Established in 1832, the BMA represents some 190,000 doctors and medical students across the UK, and lists its mission simply: 'We look after doctors so they can look after you'. Over its long history, it has occasionally taken stances on overseas conflicts, usually advocating for the safety of healthcare workers. Given the Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza, plus the reels of social media footage taken from inside those institutions, often by doctors, the conflict there is an understandably distressing one for BMA members – and has included acts the union would be expected to condemn. Critics, though, believe its interest is now neither balanced nor proportionate. 'When it [the union] used to stray into international issues, it did so with an equal hand,' says one retired GP, who was a BMA member for 45 years. '[But] it doesn't involve itself much now in Ukraine, or Sudan, or with the Uyghurs, or any other oppressed minority. It doesn't comment on US aid cuts. No, it is absolutely obsessed with the Palestinian cause.' It is, he alleges, a situation that has developed 'rapidly in the last four or five years, when the junior doctors committee [now known as the resident doctors committee] started to become very radical, and those making policy were very Left-wing. This was roughly at the end of the Corbyn years, when that sort of politics was becoming very mainstream.' Though it's often characterised as 'student politics' largely conducted online, the retired GP stresses that 'many of the very Left-wing older members are fully signed-up as well'. Just last week, the BMA was accused of a 'cover-up' when it dropped an investigation into its president, the highly experienced GP Dr Mary McCarthy, for social media posts about the Middle East conflict. Having initially decided there was a case for McCarthy to answer, after an independent review into a complaint by Labour Against Antisemitism, the BMA decided not to take it further because the issue had not been raised by a member or employee of the union. She is one of several BMA leaders who have had their online posts scrutinised. In 2023, Dr Martin Whyte, a paediatrician and then deputy co-chair of the BMA's junior doctors' committee, was suspended after joking online about 'gas[sing] the Jews', the 'holohoax', and writing that people should boycott Israel 'out of spite'. One London-based consultant – who was a BMA member until a year ago, when he was one of several doctors to resign his membership after the union published a controversial open letter to the Foreign Secretary urging the Government to call for an 'immediate ceasefire' in Gaza – claims the union is now practically run by its far-Left members. 'I was very fond of the BMA. My father was a doctor, his obituary was published in the British Medical Journal [owned by the BMA], but it seems to have been hijacked in the last few years. It's probably been under the surface for a long time, but they seem to prioritise things that aren't health-related.' he says. 'I would consider myself left-of-centre, but I don't really have a home in the BMA any more, and I think a lot of Jewish doctors feel that. The whole situation in the Middle East is tragic, I have every sympathy with Palestinians, as I do with the victims of October 7. But it's far from the only conflict going on in the world where innocent people are being killed, yet the BMA seems to have an obsession with the Palestinian issue, such that they are alienating a lot of Jewish doctors. They will end up having an organisation with very few Jewish doctors. And maybe some people in the BMA want that, I don't know. 'I can't really say exactly why they're so focused on Israel and Gaza, but it's a bit like the way that Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party was. They just don't seem to have a neutral approach to it, which I find very sad, and it does smack of anti-Semitism, the way they seem to be quite obsessed with this particular issue. The fact is: the huge number of motions at the BMA conference [to do with Israel] means Jewish doctors don't feel that safe in the BMA. I'm talking to you anonymously, and I'm not even a member any more. It's just not a safe or friendly environment for Jewish doctors.' As it is, many Jewish members of the BMA are now resigning in protest. One letter, shared with The Telegraph, accuses the union of being 'institutionally anti-Semitic [and] unable to represent me fairly or safely' any more. 'As an adult and a professional, I expect to be represented by an organisation that engenders respect, and represents me with professionalism and gravitas in keeping with the serious responsibilities and obligations we as doctors have to our patients, our colleagues and the wider community,' the doctor writes. 'Being represented by a group of irresponsible militants playing dog whistle student politics, indulging in rank and toxic racism (in the form of Jew hatred) and infusing this old and venerable institution with both, is not something I am prepared to be associated with.' The BMA points out that one of the motions put forward in Liverpool this week specifically called for support for Jewish people, and was proposed by a Jewish medical student, who urged that members 'differentiate between pro-Palestinianism and anti-Semitism'. That said, quite how the BMA came to have its annual conference so dominated by geopolitics and activism – as one member put it, 'in the same week that Nato is meeting, has the BMA picked up the wrong agenda?' – is a question many members might recall asking last year, too. It was reported in 2024 that one in 10 motions put forward for the Belfast-hosted event had to be removed from debates on legal grounds because they related to the Israel and Palestine conflict, and 'risked being perceived as discriminatory, more specifically, anti-Semitic'. At the time, Prof Katz wrote to the BMA to say JMA members 'are deeply concerned that the meeting environment could become itself a vehicle for discrimination and Jew hatred.' A year on, members attending the BMA conference were met with not only another agenda with a heavy emphasis on the situation in the Middle East, but a protest staged by the activist group Health Workers 4 Palestine outside the venue in Liverpool. The demonstration featured 'old shoes' representing healthcare workers killed in Gaza – a visual statement synonymous with the shoes of Jewish people killed at concentration camps during the Holocaust, and considered anti-Semitic by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Inside, often hostile debates raged. Prof Katz, in attendance as ever, strode around attending as many as he could. A well-known figure at BMA conferences, he has never been shy to speak out about anti-Semitism in his profession, regardless of the crowd. One day this week, he says, he was having a quiet coffee when suddenly he had company. Sikh, Hindu and Christian colleagues in turn took seats next to him. 'We just wanted to make sure you didn't feel on your own here,' they told him. 'Under such circumstances,' Prof Katz says, 'small gestures count.' A BMA spokesperson said: 'We are totally clear that anti-Semitism is completely unacceptable. There is no place for it in the BMA, NHS, or wider society and we condemn anti-Semitism in the strongest possible terms, as we do with all discrimination based on race, religion, sexuality, gender or disability. 'The BMA's annual representative meeting is an inclusive space, where wellbeing of members and staff is our priority and we've put in place a number of measures and sources of support to ensure this. We are also confident that we are complying with all of our obligations under the Equality Act and our own EDI policies. 'The BMA has a long and proud history of advocating for human rights and access to healthcare around the world, and motions submitted to this year's conference by grassroots members from across the UK reflect the grave concerns doctors in the UK have about the Gaza conflict and the impact on civilians and healthcare. Resolutions passed at the conference made clear calls around the principles of medical neutrality and the need to respect international humanitarian law that are applicable to all conflicts. 'Motions were also submitted on the crises in Ukraine, Yemen, and Sudan, all of which the BMA has spoken out about and taken action on in recent years.'
