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    Coronavirus - 19th November 2021

    Kitkat
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    Coronavirus - 19th November 2021 Empty Coronavirus - 19th November 2021

    Post by Kitkat Fri 19 Nov 2021, 12:04

    Summary for Friday, 19th November

    • Austria has announced it will enter a full lockdown from Monday, lasting at least 10 days, in a bid to avoid a "fifth wave" of Covid. Covid vaccinations will also become mandatory from 1 February

    • Several European countries, including Germany and Greece, are imposing tighter controls on the unvaccinated

    • Meanwhile a report finds the UK government was not fully prepared for the wide-ranging impacts of Covid-19 on society

    • Covid booster and other third dose jabs can now be added to the NHS Covid pass for travel, the government says

    • In Northern Ireland, those who worked from home during the first wave of the pandemic are told they should do so again

    • Clothing sales in the UK have also reached their highest level since the start of the pandemic, according to the ONS

    • Travellers from England who have had an extra booster jab will be able to display their vaccination status on the NHS Covid pass from midday today, the Department for Health and Social Care has said. The feature will enable those who have had their third dose to travel to countries including Israel, Croatia and Austria, where there is a time limit for a vaccine to be valid to avoid quarantine.

    • Ministers in the UK were not “fully prepared” for the “wide-ranging impacts” that Covid-19 had on society, the economy and essential public services in the UK, and lacked detailed plans on shielding, job support schemes and school disruption, a report from the National Audit Office has found.

    • Austria will go into its third nationwide lockdown for at least 10 days from Monday, and has announced it will make vaccinations mandatory across society from February next year. The new national lockdown is set to last until 12 December but could be reevaluated after 10 days if the pandemic situation has improved. Lockdown rules would end for those vaccinated from 12 December but would stay in place for those who have decline to take the jab.

    • Austria’s chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said: “Despite months of persuasion, we have not succeeded in convincing enough people to get vaccinated.” He blamed those refusing to be vaccinated for an “attack on the health system”.

    • Hungary reported 11,289 new Covid-19 infections on Friday, its highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic. Viktor Orbán’s government has been reluctant to impose any restrictions, but from Saturday masks will have to be worn in all enclosed spaces except offices and sports halls, and public events with more than 500 people can only be attended with a Covid certificate.

    • Germany’s Lothar Wieler, head of the Robert Koch Institute, told reporters that with record-breaking infection levels, the nationwide curbs on the unvaccinated were insufficient. As cases have topped 300 per 100,000 people, the rules for public spaces “are no longer enough in the current situation,” he said, calling it an “absolute emergency”.

    • Germany’s acting health minister Jens Spahn has told a news conference this morning “We are in a national emergency”. Saxony, the German region hit hardest by the country’s fourth wave of coronavirus, is considering a partial lockdown.

    • France will not follow its European neighbours imposing Covid lockdowns on unvaccinated people because of the success of its health pass in curbing the virus’s spread, president Emmanuel Macron has said.

    • Russia on Friday confirmed 37,156 new Covid-19 infections and a new record of 1,254 deaths. There have been over 1,000 deaths officially recorded every day since 20 October.

    • Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida announced a record $490bn stimulus for the world’s third-largest economy today as he looks to shore up the country’s patchy pandemic recovery.

    • The first known patient to become ill with Covid-19 was a vendor in a Wuhan animal market, a scientist has claimed in a report published on Thursday. Dr Michael Worobey, a leading expert in tracing the evolution of viruses at the University of Arizona, believes the World Health Organization inquiry was incorrect in its early chronology of the pandemic.

    • Rightwing extremists in the UK are using Covid controversies and online gaming as a way of recruiting young people, as data shows half of the most serious cases of suspected radicalisation reported by schools and colleges now involve far-right activity.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 19 Nov 2021, 12:15

    Boosters can be added to NHS Covid Pass for travel

    Travellers who have had a booster or a third dose will be able to demonstrate their vaccine status through the NHS Covid Pass from today, the government has announced.
    It will enable those who have had their booster or third dose to travel to countries including Israel, Croatia and Austria, who have already introduced a time limit for the Covid-19 vaccine to be valid for quarantine-free travel
    From today, travellers who have had a booster vaccine or third dose will be able to show that through the NHS Covid Pass.
    The government says booster and third doses will not be added to the domestic Covid pass because people in the UK are not currently required to receive booster doses to qualify as fully vaccinated.
    It will also not be necessary to show evidence of a booster for travel into England at this time, the government says.
    Health Secretary Sajid Javid says: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to show their vaccine status if they are travelling abroad.
    “This update to the NHS Covid Pass will mean people can have their complete medical picture at their fingertips if they are going on holiday or seeing loved ones overseas."

    Breaking News 

    Austria announces full national lockdown

    Austria will go into national lockdown from Monday as the country grapples with record coronavirus cases.
    Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg is telling a news conference the rules will last for a maximum of 20 days.
    Lockdown rules already apply for some two million unvaccinated people.
    Austria's national lockdown will be assessed after 10 days, the chancellor says.
    "We don't want a fifth wave," Alexander Schallenberg tells a news conference after meeting the governors of the country's nine provinces at a resort in western Austria.
    He is also announcing that Covid vaccinations will become mandatory from 1 February.

    Austria first country in western Europe to reimpose autumn lockdown

    Austria has become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full Covid-19 lockdown this autumn to tackle a new wave of infections.
    It comes days after some two million people who are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 were placed under lockdown rules as the country faces a surge in cases.
    "We are not taking this step lightly, but unfortunately it is necessary," Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said at the time.
    Currently, unvaccinated people are only be allowed to leave home for limited reasons, such as working or buying food.
    These rules will apply to the whole population from Monday.
    Austria has recorded more than 15,000 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to the World Health Organization.


    Japan approves record Covid stimulus package

    The Japanese government has approved a record Covid stimulus package of almost $500bn - including direct cash handouts to households.
    A stimulus plan was promised by the country's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his election campaign last month, but this is larger than many had predicted.
    Most households with children under 18 are expected to receive around $900 per child.
    There's also thought to be support for businesses hard hit by the pandemic, more money for hospitals, and wage rises for nurses and care workers.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 19 Nov 2021, 12:19

    Germany in national emergency, health minister says

    Germany is facing a "national emergency", the country's health minister has said, as a fourth wave of the pandemic grips the country.
    Jens Spahn has been telling a news conference this morning that the situation is more serious now than it was a week ago.
    "We are in a national emergency," Spahn says.
    On Thursday, Germany's daily cases hit another record high of 65,371.
    Asked about the possibility of a national lockdown for everyone, Spahn says nothing can be ruled out.

    Covid cases rising sharply in many European nations

    Many European countries are now seeing steep rises in coronavirus cases, with some bringing back tougher Covid restrictions.
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    Which other European countries are re-imposing restrictions?

    As we've been reporting, Austria has today announced it will impose a full national lockdown - days after imposing one on people who are unvaccinated.
    Amid surging cases across much of the continent, a number of European countries are also re-imposing restrictions.

    • Latvia announced a month-long full lockdown late last month
    • Slovakia's Prime Minister Eduard Heger has announced that a lockdown for the unvaccinated will start on Monday
    • The Czech government is also limiting access to a variety of services for people who are unvaccinated
    • German leaders have agreed to introduce restrictions for unvaccinated people in areas with high Covid hospital admissions, affecting 12 of Germany's 16 states
    • Belgium has said that, from Saturday, people will largely be required to work from home, with only one day in the office
    • Greece has said that, from Monday, unvaccinated people will be largely barred from indoor spaces, including restaurants, cinemas and gyms
    • In the Irish Republic, hospitality curfews and work-from-home guidance have been reintroduced
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 19 Nov 2021, 12:24

    Which nations have made vaccinations compulsory?

    As we've been reporting, Austria is set to make Covid vaccinations compulsory, as well as enter a full lockdown from Monday. However, details on who will be exempt from the vaccine mandate are still to be worked out.
    While a number of countries have made vaccinations compulsory for healthworkers and some other employees, so far only three nations have made them mandatory for all adults.

    • Indonesia made vaccinations mandatory in February. Anyone who refuses the jab could be fined or denied social assistance or government services
    • Micronesia, a small South Pacific island nation, mandated in July that its adult population be inoculated
    • Turkmenistan has made vaccination mandatory for all residents who are 18 and over


    Northern Ireland's health minister calls for more home working

    Meanwhile, back in the UK, Northern Ireland's health minister says the decision to relax guidance around working from home should be reversed.
    Robin Swann says people who were working from home in Northern Ireland during the first wave of the pandemic "should be working from home" again, in a document issued to the country's devolved government.
    It comes after the Department of Health warned on Wednesday that more restrictions before Christmas were possible unless transmission of the virus drops significantly.
    Read more here.

    Breaking News 

    Hungary reports another record day of infections

    Hungary has reported 11,289 new Covid-19 infections today - its highest ever daily tally.
    The previous high was 11,265, which was during the country's third wave.
    Hungary, a country of 10 million people, has a vaccination rate that lags behind the European Union average - with 60% fully jabbed, compared to 66% across the EU.
    It imposed some new restrictions on Thursday.
    As we've been reporting, its neighbour Austria will enter a national lockdown from Monday, and has announced adults will be required to get the Covid vaccine, in an attempt to stem a surge in cases, from 1 February.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 19 Nov 2021, 12:33

    France will not impose Covid lockdowns on unvaccinated people

    France will not follow its European neighbours imposing Covid lockdowns on unvaccinated people because of the success of its health pass in curbing the virus’s spread, president Emmanuel Macron has said.
    Europe has again found itself at the centre of the pandemic, prompting some countries including Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to reintroduce restrictions in the run-up to Christmas. Debate has also been ignited over whether vaccines alone are enough to tame Covid.
    “Those countries locking down the non-vaccinated are those which have not put in place the [health] pass. Therefore this step is not necessary in France,” Macron told La Voix du Nord newspaper in an interview published on Thursday.
    In France, proof of vaccination or a recent negative test is required for entry into restaurants, cafes and cinemas and for other activities such as taking long-distance trains.

    Germany not ruling out lockdown, even for the vaccinated

    More news from Germany, where the coronavirus situation is now so grave that a lockdown, including people who have been vaccinated, cannot be ruled out, the health minister has said.
    It comes as neighbouring Austria said it would go back into full lockdown from Monday [see 10am.].
    “We are now in a situation - even if this produces a news alert - where we can’t rule anything out,” Jens Spahn told a news conference. He said Germany was now in a “national emergency”.
    Markets reeled on the prospect of a possible German lockdown, with bond yields turning negative, and the euro and stock markets falling sharply.
    Austria will become the first country in western Europe to reimpose a full lockdown this autumn to tackle a new wave of infections, and will require its whole population to be vaccinated as of February.
    Germany reported a further 52,970 coronavirus cases and 201 deaths on Friday, bringing total deaths to 98,739.
    Earlier in the week, the outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel called the situation “dramatic”, saying the fourth wave was “hitting our country with full force”, while the head of Germany’s disease control agency, Lothar Wieler, said the country is heading for a “very bad Christmas season” if drastic measures are not taken to stem the spread of the virus.
    On Thursday Merkel said that, in areas where hospitals are becoming dangerously full of patients with Covid, large parts of public life would be restricted to those who have either been vaccinated or have recovered from the illness.
    Germany’s upper house of parliament is expected to pass the new coronavirus measures on Friday.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 19 Nov 2021, 14:15

    Welsh cinema told to close for defying Covid pass law

    A cinema has been told to shut down after its owner refused to ask for Covid passes.
    Earlier this week, Anna Redfern, owner of Cinema & Co in Swansea, said she would not be complying with the Welsh government rules.
    Notices were pinned outside the premises, stating the business had not carried out a Covid risk assessment.
    The owner confirmed to the BBC she has been told to close by Swansea council, but would not comment further.
    The Welsh government says the scheme, which requires proof of being fully vaccinated or having had a negative lateral flow test within 48 hours, played a key role in keeping people safe from the virus.
    The Covid pass scheme, which applies to anyone over the age of 18, has been in place since 11 October for nightclubs and large-scale events, but now also applies to theatres, concert halls and cinemas.

    Warrant for tourists who vanished after positive tests

    Anna Holligan - BBC News Hague correspondent
    An international warrant has reportedly been issued for a group of 14 Dutch holidaymakers, who allegedly ran off after some of them tested positive for Covid-19.
    The local mayor of the Spanish village where they were staying has described their apparent flight as a "surreal crime".
    The Dutch tourists were supposed to quarantine in their accommodation, after five of them contracted the virus.
    The day after they were diagnosed, the Spanish health authorities reportedly discovered they had left isolation and vanished from the country house they'd been renting in the village of Navas del Madrono.
    The local authorities are understood to have issued an international warrant for their detainment.
    The Dutch ministry of foreign affairs is aware of the media reports, but a representative tells the BBC they have not been contacted for consular assistance.

    Analysis: Is Europe heading for lockdown?

    James Gallagher - Health and science correspondent, BBC News
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    Austria will go into a national lockdown on Monday

    It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
    There are only two ways for countries to slow the spread of Covid - build up enough immunity or limit contact between other people.
    That wall of immunity – from a year of vaccination – is facing its first real test as winter rolls in across Europe.
    It is already clear some countries – Austria being the most notable - have not vaccinated enough and feel the “need” to go back to restrictions that nobody “wants”.
    But it does not mean that every country is doomed to a winter lockdown.
    Those that have vaccinated more, given boosters to more and protected more of the vulnerable and elderly (who are the most likely to need hospital care) have the best shot at a manageable winter.
    The impact of the UK having high levels of Covid through autumn, which will have topped up immunity levels, will be closely watched too.
    However, it is still only November. There are many dark months to get through before the weather improves and makes it harder for Covid to spread.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 19 Nov 2021, 16:36

    Bavaria cancels Christmas markets and will impose local lockdowns

    This is from Tom Nuttall, The Economist’s Berlin bureau chief.
    https://twitter.com/tom_nuttall/status/1461671497332842503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1461671497332842503%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2Flive%2F2021%2Fnov%2F19%2Fcovid-news-live-macron-says-locking-down-frances-unvaccinated-not-necessary

    The southern German state of Bavaria has cancelled all Christmas markets and imposed a lockdown on all districts that have a seven-day Covid incidence rate of over 1,000 per 100,000 people, Deutsche Welle reports.
    In those places, bars, clubs and restaurants, as well as cultural and sport venues will be closed, said the state premier Markus Söder after a meeting of his Cabinet in the state capital, Munich. Schools and kindergartens, however, will continue to remain open.
    Bavaria is grappling with one of the country’s highest infection rates amid a ferocious fourth wave of the pandemic.
    The state had a weekly incidence rate of 625.3 recorded infections per 100,000 people on Friday, according to the Robert Koch Institute infectious disease centre, well above the nationwide figure of 340.7 - an all-time high for the country.
    “The situation is very, very serious and difficult,” Söder said. “We have a clear goal: fighting corona, protecting people and protecting the healthcare system.”
    The premier said there will be a “de facto lockdown” for unvaccinated people by implementing the “2G” rule across the state — referring to the shorthand in Germany for a rule that allows freedoms like access to restaurants and hotels only to those who are either vaccinated or have recovered from Covid.
    About 90% of patients in hospitals with Covid are unvaccinated, Söder pointed out. “Being unvaccinated is a real risk,” he emphasised, noting that the vaccination rate in the south of the country is historically lower than in the north.
    As per the new rules, the unvaccinated will lose access to even places like hairdressers, universities or adult education centres.
    There will also be contact restrictions for the unvaccinated, Söder said, noting that they will be allowed to meet with a maximum of five people from two households.
    He called for mandatory Covid vaccination beginning next year, arguing that it will become an “endless cycle” otherwise.
    At present, eight districts in Bavaria have incidence rates of over 1,000. Even in areas with incidence rates lower than 1,000, there will be restrictions.
    For sports and cultural events, the number of spectators will be limited to 25% of the venue’s total capacity. In addition, the “2G+” rule will apply — meaning even the vaccinated and recovered people will be required to produce an additional negative Covid test result.
    Retail stores will remain open but with a limit on the number of customers allowed inside: one customer per 10 square meters (108 square feet). All retail outlets and restaurants will also have to shut by 10pm.
    The state legislature is expected to approve the new measures on Tuesday and they will likely be in effect until 15 December.
    Munich became the first major German city to cancel its world-famous Christmas market, which usually draws three million visitors, on Tuesday, blaming the “dramatic” coronavirus resurgence.
    The mayor Dieter Reiter called the cancellation of its market “bitter news” for the city’s residents and stallholders, but said it would be irresponsible for the event to go ahead.
    The chancellor Angela Merkel and the leaders of Germany’s 16 states agreed on Thursday to shut the unvaccinated out of restaurants, sporting events and cultural shows after new cases soared to an all-time daily high of more than 65,000.
    However, the director of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, told reporters on Friday that with the exponential rise in infection levels, the curbs would be insufficient to contain the latest surge.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 19 Nov 2021, 16:40

    1 in 65 in England had Covid last week as infections dip in most of UK

    Covid-19 infections have fallen in most parts of the UK, though levels remain high, latest figures suggest.
    PA Media reports that about one in 65 people in private households in England had Covid in the week to 13 November, down from one in 60 the previous week, according to the latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
    One in 65 is the equivalent of about 824,900 people.
    The proportion of people in England who were estimated to have coronavirus at the peak of the second wave in early January was one in 50.
    Wales has also reported a drop, with one in 55 people estimated to have had Covid in the week to 13 November, down from one in 45 the previous week.
    Infection levels there hit one in 40 people in late October, the highest since estimates began in summer 2020.
    The ONS described the trend in Northern Ireland as “uncertain”, with an estimate of one in 65 people in the most recent week - up from one in 75, but below the record high of one in 40 in mid-August.
    For Scotland, the latest estimate is one in 95 people, down from one in 85 the previous week and below September’s peak of one in 45.
    All figures are for people in private households and do not include hospitals, care homes and other settings.
    When estimating the level of infections among different age ranges in England, the ONS said rates have fallen for those in school years 7 to 11 and school year 12 to age 24, along with 35- to 49-year-olds and people aged 70 and over.
    In all other age groups, including from age two to school year 6, the trend in the most recent week was uncertain.
    Rates remained highest for those in school years 7 to 11, at 3.6%.
    Across the regions of England, the percentage of people testing positive is estimated to have dropped in the north-west, south-west, West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber.
    In all other regions the trend was uncertain.
    In the East Midlands, about one in 50 people was likely to test positive in the week to 13 November - the highest proportion for any region.
    London had the lowest proportion, at about one in 80.
    The number of infections in the UK, which is estimated every week by the ONS, is not the same as the number of new Covid cases which are reported every day by the UK government.
    The number of infections provides a snapshot of the prevalence of coronavirus within the entire community population of the UK, and estimates the percentage of people who are likely to test positive for the virus at any one point in time – regardless of when they caught the virus, how long they have had it, and whether they have symptoms.
    It is based on a sample of swab tests collected from households across the UK.
    By contrast, the number of cases reported each day by the UK government includes only those people who have newly tested positive for the virus, and is therefore affected by how many people are coming forward for tests, or who are taking a test because they know they have coronavirus symptoms.
    The average number of new cases in the UK has been on a slight upwards trend in recent days, but it is too early for this to show up in the ONS data, which runs only to 13 November.
    Any change in the long-term trend for infections could become clearer in future weeks.

    Dutch healthcare officials said on Friday they have begun delaying operations for some cancer and heart patients to free up space in intensive care units during a record wave of Covid infections.
    “These are cancer patients that should actually be operated on within six weeks of diagnosis, and that won’t be met in all cases. It’s also heart patients,” a spokesperson for LCPS, the national organisation that allocates hospital resources, told Reuters. “It’s horrible, of course, for the patients.”
    The National Institute for Health (RIVM) reported a record of more than 23,000 new cases in the previous 24 hours on Thursday, compared with the previous daily high of around 13,000 reached in December 2020.
    With 85% of the adult population vaccinated, both hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates have so far remained lower than they were at the height of the initial wave in April 2020, although there is a delay between the date of infection and the date of admission to hospital.
    With fewer than 200 beds remaining in Dutch ICU as of Thursday, hospitals are scrambling to add more capacity.
    The government at the start of November reintroduced mask-wearing in stores, and last weekend it reimposed a partial lockdown, including closing bars and restaurants after 8pm.
    But the impact of those measures has yet to be seen in the daily case numbers.
    Parliament is divided over a plan proposed by the prime minister Mark Rutte’s government to limit access to indoor public venues to people who have a “corona pass”, which shows they have been vaccinated or already recovered from an infection. Critics say the move would be divisive and discriminatory.
    Schools remain open, and virologists on Thursday proposed extending Christmas holidays to slow infections, which are rising most rapidly among children.
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 19 Nov 2021, 16:46

    UK reports another 44,242 cases and 157 deaths

    The UK has recorded a further 44,242 Covid cases and 157 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data from the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
    That compares to 46,807 infections and 199 fatalities in the 24 hours prior.

    Man City's De Bruyne to miss games after positive test

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    In the world of football, Manchester City playmaker Kevin de Bruyne will miss two games after testing positive for Covid-19 on his return from international duty.
    The 30-year-old will isolate for 10 days, meaning he will miss Sunday's Premier League match at home to Everton and Wednesday's Champions League game against Paris St-Germain.
    De Bruyne, who is vaccinated, scored for Belgium in their World Cup qualifying draw with Wales on Tuesday.
    "The symptoms will be minor hopefully," says City manager Pep Guardiola.
    "As soon as possible, he can come back. We do not worry about what we are going to miss. The person is more important. We have to help him and hope it goes well while he's isolated."
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    Post by Kitkat Fri 19 Nov 2021, 16:56

    ‘Storm clouds’ over Europe – but UK Covid rates remain high
    Jon Henley - The Guardian
    As Covid infection rates surged again across Europe, Boris Johnson spoke this week of “storm clouds gathering” over parts of the continent and said it was unclear when or how badly the latest wave would “wash up on our shores”.
    The situation in some EU member states, particularly those with low vaccination rates, is indeed dramatic. In central and eastern Europe in particular, but also Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, case numbers are rocketing.
    But missing from the prime minister’s remarks, and from much of the media coverage of them, was the fact that Britain’s rolling seven-day average of daily new coronavirus cases is still higher than the average of the EU27, and has been since June.
    According to figures from OurWorldInData, the EU’s average has quadrupled in recent weeks, from just over 110 daily new cases per million people on 1 October to 446 on Thursday.
    The UK began that same period with a daily infection rate of 505 per million people, nearly five times the EU27 average. After peaking at nearly 700 in late October the rate fell to 495 on 10 November, but for the past week it has been climbing sharply again.
    Read the full analysis from the Guardian’s Europe correspondent here.

    Widow calls for Sturgeon to act over husband's death

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    The widow of a Scottish government official who died after contracting Covid is calling on the first minister to take immediate action against the hospital where he was being treated.
    Andrew Slorance, 49, went into Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for cancer treatment a year ago but died nearly six weeks into his stay - with the cause of death listed as Covid pneumonia.
    His wife Louise believes he caught Covid and another infection there but that the details were concealed.
    She says she does not accept that the health board has been honest with her and has called on First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to step in to "stop these type of events happening in the future".
    Father-of-five Andrew was head of the Scottish government's response and communication unit, which was responsible for its handling of the Covid pandemic.
    After requesting a copy of his medical notes, Louise discovered her husband had also been treated for an infection caused by a fungus called aspergillus, which had not been discussed with either of them during his hospital stay.
    On Thursday, the first minister paid tribute to Andrew Slorance in the Scottish parliament and pledged to ensure his family would get the answers they are seeking.
    NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde says infection control procedures at QEUH are "rigorous and of the highest standard" and they are providing support to the Scottish hospitals public inquiry.
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