30 FEATURE
10 JUNE 2021
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From the front line…
Congratulations to Dame Kate Bingham ~ Doyenne of Delivery
BY JACQUELINE CURZON Congratulations to Kate Bingham, chairman of the UK Vaccines Taskforce, who is to be made a well deserved Dame in the imminent Queen’s Honours List. Her position as chairman is unpaid, and regardless, she has coordinated vaccine deployment for over 40 million Brits. Her brief was to ‘stop people from dying’ and she sourced six different vaccines in this task. Bingham was born in London in 1965, attended St Paul’s Girls School, gained a first in biochemistry at Oxford before going to Harvard Business School. Criticisms of the venture capitalist included her bringing onboard a team of eight full time PR consultants, costing the taxpayers £670,000. None could however begrudge that expense in the scheme of things, for whatever her tactics, she got the job done. Meanwhile the government, via Mr Hancock, has stated it is open to delaying the freedom timetable, which means all bets are off, Boris’ word means ‘not a lot,’ and 1-10 daily deaths from covid is still considered too excessive (1:5,700,000) in a country seeking the sanctity of zero covid numbers. This is rather at odds with Boris who indicated just last week there were ‘no substantial grounds’ or evidence for delaying, not whilst vaccine uptake is being accelerated. If I was a betting individual, I’d put money on further delays and the probability of remaining handcuffed to continued social restrictions. The scientists are in favour of a further 2 week extension - taking us to mid July - largely due to the emergence of the Delta variant, which is reported to be 40% more transmissible. NHS staff have however shown a lack of confidence in the scientific modelling, which has thus far proven to be largely scaremongering, and wildly inaccurate. The status in the UK {England and Wales} is that roughly 80% are vaccinated, with 75% of this cohort having a second dose. True, the Delta variant is of huge concern in India, alongside the rising prevalence of mucormycosis, which I mentioned a few weeks ago. This is a flesh eating black fungus which seems to attack recovering covid patients, causing destruction of the sinuses, jaw and brain, and affected patients are having to undergo devastating surgery, losing parts of the jaw, nose and eyes, just to preserve life. Doctors say early detection with blood glucose monitoring can make a huge difference, but in a country with such high levels of poverty, this is a somewhat tall order. In Maharashtra doctors warn that mucormycosis has exploded mainly since the discovery of the Delta variant. The head of the ENT department at Mumbai’s Sir JJ Hospital said he had seen 45 patients in his life, but now 66 in just one month. The country has around 100,000 new cases a day, with total covid related deaths passing 300,000. Elsewhere in India, eight lions have tested positive for
Jacqueline Curzon PHOTO: LARA MINSKY PHOTOGRAPHY
coronavirus, with one lioness dying from the virus at Vandalur Zoo. The lions were heard coughing - a classic symptom - and Neela died just one day after her positive result. In other interesting news, Moscow has developed a vaccine for animals: Carnivac-Cov is the only registered coronavirus vaccine for animals in the world. Nepal has enjoyed a bumper season of tourists, intent on reaching the highest peak in the world. Last year's total shutdown, which paralysed the industry, has resulted in record numbers of climbers taking to one of the most dangerous mountains. Over 400 permits were granted, generating around £3million for the industry. Unfortunately the influx of foreigners has brought with it rising cases of covid, partly through lack of testing and follow-up after arrival, and partly exacerbated by the rising cases in India. It’s believed that around 9,000 daily cases are affecting Nepal, which has manifested in climbers testing positive on their ascent. The indigenous Sherpa community - feted for their high altitude fitness and stamina, were not previously exposed to the virus, which looks like it might be the worst of the combined variants. Pictures in the press show a conveyor belt of colourfully clad climbers, queuing to reach the top of Everest, and take their statutory souvenir selfies. Lesser known, and in a remote location near the border of Ukraine and Russia, lies a brutal detention facility, even though to all extents and purposes it doesn’t actually exist. Welcome to Izolyatsia, in Donetsk. Tetyana Katrychenko, of the Kyev based Media Initiative for Human Rights, has interviewed more than 25 former prisoners and established that the elaborate torture which goes on there makes a regular detention center look like paradise. At least 90 people have complained about torture, but there may be hundreds more undocumented victims according to Roman Tsyb, in the Ukraine Prosecutor’s Office, who is in charge of prosecuting crimes at illegal prisons. Several victims have lodged lawsuits at the European Court of Human Rights, which could unfortunately still take years to come to the top of the list. Some may find justice through the
International Criminal Court in The Hague, under the category of war crimes, but some may just wish to remain out of the spotlight when they finally escape. One can only then guess at the brutality inflicted on individuals such as Alexei Navalny and Roman Protasevich in such regimes where liberty is fragile and the right to protest is held as a crime. Navalny (45) has recently testified by video link to a court in the town of Petushki, appealing over his detention conditions. He has been returned to the harsh penal colony in Pokrov, after receiving hospital treatment. Here at home, Sherish Osman, an English teacher, says in her blog for the TES, that the terms ‘top set’ and ‘bottom set’ in schools should be dropped, as it dents pupils' self esteem. I know someone presently teaching in a top state school, and picture him laughing as he told me that even the bottom set of A level students were all predicted to get A*s. [imagine the talent of the top set!] So plainly, context is everything. The world is not a flat pancake of opportunity for all, but a pyramid of constant measure and attainment, and only a few will make the top - in any field. Prestigious universities have reported a wave of online cheating, with tutors being offered thousands of pounds to write important assignments. The agency Tutor Hunt reported its tutors being contacted to complete online exams etc, despite this being in direct contravention of their rules. With the advent and fixation for online learning over the past few years, this trick should not cause much surprise. In London it has been announced that Rachel Fink, Headteacher of JFS, has stepped down from her post following a recent Ofsted. Mrs Fink took up the position at JFS three years ago, following seven years of outstanding headship at Hasmonean Girls School. Having one daughter who journeyed through those Hasmo years, I recall her professionalism, positivity and the passion for learning she brought to the school. Sir Michael Wilshaw (74), former head of Ofsted will be taking over at JFS on an interim basis, supported by Dame Joan McVittie, a safeguarding expert and senior Ofsted inspector. No reasons were given by the governors for Mrs Finks departure, and the school declined to comment. Several pupil suicides have likely contributed to significant concerns; in a joint letter issued by 10 schools back in March 2021, headteachers referred to the ever present dangers of social media, which are inextricably linked to bullying, and creating mental health challenges. We are all living in dangerous times, with the attendant risks of inappropriate and excessive use of technology. Over in Hollywood, baby Sussex has arrived: Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. Given her parents' propensity for secrecy, it is forecast that a picture of Lilibet’s blanketed left hand will be released in the next week. Those without access to Royal Instagram or Twitter should wait for the next publication
of Hello, where for a handsome donation you can find out more. Their choice of baby’s name is of course a tribute to both Harry’s mother and grandmother, although the more cautious would have perhaps refrained from adopting the private, pet name of the Queen, especially given the shocking interview the couple held some months back. Rumour has it that Queen Elizabeth pronounced her name as Lilibet at a young age, because she couldn’t articulate it correctly, another view is that her younger sister Margaret called her that, for similar reasons. The inclusion of Diana is not exactly unique, as William's daughter Charlotte has Diana as a middle name. I was a teeny bit amused to read that the Sussexes intend to take a few months ‘parental leave’ to care for the baby. Leave from what, I have to ask? Now, if you are in search of a very special painting for your home, you might be interested in a replica of Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting, which is going on sale in Paris, and is expected to fetch up to £257,813. Thought to have been created by a follower of da Vinci in the early 17th Century, the replica is widely known as the Mona Lisa Hekking after ex-owner Raymond Hekking. Hekking, who acquired the canvas in the 1950s from an art dealer in Nice, cast doubt on the authenticity of the original masterpiece, which is now at the Louvre. The early replica will be sold at Christie's auction house in Paris. Now from Paris to Pakistan, Protests and Preston. The Millat Express, a train running from Karachi to Sargodha derailed, and split across neighbouring tracks, only for the oncoming Sir Syed Express, from Rawalpindi to Karachi, to plough into the derailed carriages. Devastation was so bad the military had to bring in specialist lifting gear, to hunt for survivors and the dead, whose numbers currently stand around 45. Imran Khan, former cricket player, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister was ‘shocked’ by the accident, although he as a westerner, must have well appreciated the deplorable state of their national railways, trains and infrastructure, as well as the custom of overloading trains with passengers hanging on to the outside of carriages. In Hartlepool a statue of a monkey, representing part of the local folklore, is to have an explanation of the legend attached, in case visitors consider the town ‘unfriendly’ to foreigners, following BLM protests. In Preston a statue has been commissioned, honouring Nick Price’s famous comedy characters, Wallace and Gromit. It will represent a scene from The Wrong Trousers, with the characters hopefully left undisturbed and undamaged on their bench for many years. Otherwise it may need to be renamed Grimace and Wallet. Love Jacqueline x
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