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Thanks John for posting the details of the cumulative infection rates. They are very illuminating. Where did you get them from? Vlod, I think you need to be clear in endorsing Rosco White's views what you are signing up to. He is not simply saying that rates in Southall are higher than the rest of the borough. His reference to 'identifiable groups' and then the constant insistence that Southall is responsible for Ealing Borough's high infection rates has to be taken by any reasonable person to imply that he thinks disregard for Covid-19 restrictions by Asian people is the main factor. He hasn't said this explicitly but the implication is pretty clear — any confusion could be removed by a categorical denial but when I and other people have called him out on it the response has been bluster. No balanced analysis of the data either nationally or locally would support his view. A London borough's with high Asian populations have not been uniformly badly hit. Some Southall MSOA's do have quite high cumulative levels of infection but not all and, as John's numbers show they have merely made Ealing's high overall rate worse rather than being the main cause. There are quite a number of factors that would explain why parts of Southall might have an elevated infection rate other than the irresponsibility of a particular ethnic group — the prevalence of HMOs, multi-generational households, a walk-in testing centre located in the borough, a higher proporiton of people working in high risk jobs such as at Ealing Hospital, bus drivers or minicab drivers. If you were to adjust for these factors it may turn out that Southall has a relative low level of infection. For instance I wouldn't be surprised that if the figures were presented by number of households with infections rather than individuals, a very different picture would emerge.

Gordon Southwell ● 1884d

Andy doesn't owe you an apology because he is right to call you out on your bogus and malicious interpretation of the data on Covid infections. It may annoy you to have this pointed out but your attempt to unfairly stigmatise one section of the community is malignant and such nonsense should always have the spotlight put on it. Eric's very useful and considered reports on Covid have tracked three MSOA areas to give an idea of the trend of the disease one of which is the Southall Park area. By picking the week that showed this area with the highest rate of infection out of the three, you have once again made a very selective use of data to try and claim something which isn't true is a fact. These three MSOA are just a small selection of the whole of the borough and can't be said to give a representative picture of what is going on. What the data shows us is that when Ealing borough was the worst affected in London this was not down to high rates in Southall. Rates were high across the borough and the very highest rates were in Northolt, Greenford and an area designated as Brent Valley. Right now the worst affected area in the borough is actually in Southall with the Southall North MSOA having the highest rate but that is the first time since I have been monitoring the data that I can recall a Southall MSOA being the borough's worst. At the moment it probably is the case that if you took the Southall area collectively it would be slightly above the borough average but not to such an extent that the overall number is significantly changed. What is surprising is that the Southall numbers are so low rather than that they are so high. The area has a much higher concentration of HMOs, multi-generational households, light industrial workplaces employing more than twenty people, more people working in high risk professions such as NHS staff and a walk in test centre that will inevitably boost the number of recorded positive tests. The only possible conclusion from the numbers is that, in fact, people in Southall are being more responsible that the population of the borough generally.





Gordon Southwell ● 1890d

Thanks 257 per 100,000. A 35% in crease since OctoberI am disgusted by the use of the Health Minister and Union flags when the Covid19 response in Ealing is controlled by Julian Bell. Oh and Anna BrydenAnna Bryden, Ealing’s Director of Public Health, claims to be an experienced Public Health professional with a positive and determined approach to collaborative working and experience at local, regional and national level but since March 10, 2020 she has done all she could to undermine those effective measures against the Coronavirus designed by Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Whitty.Far from being a skilled communicator, clarifying complex issues, Anna Bryden claimed in October 416 Ealing residents had died from Covid 19 when actually over 700 people had died. Anna Bryden repeated lied that the number of deaths was only slightly higher than the average for North West London which was 62 per 100,000 whereas in Ealing it was actually 200 per 100,000. Ealing has over 350,000 people, the 3rd largest borough by population in London, and the false figures she presents clearly assist Labour leaders like Julian Bell.Working from home Anna Bryden has ignored all published NHS data to fulfil her role as principal policy advisor to the Ealing Labour Party. Her focused pragmatic approach consists of refusing to promote the use of Vitamin C, Vitamin D and Zinc to strengthen immune systems that could have saved many Black and ethnic minority lives. Such misrepresentations of Covid 19 has allowed the Labour MP for Central Ealing & Acton Rupa Huq to promote Labour’s Critical Race Theory of health and social care. I have found nothing to support her claims to have strong interpersonal skills and a pragmatic approach to Public Health as indeed in October Anna Bryden told Ealing Council's Health and Adult Social Services Scrutiny Panel that 70% of cases nationally are followed up and in Ealing a similar percentage of people who test positive are receiving follow up calls like those people they have been in contact with. This is a blatant lie and no evidence to support this claim has been forthcoming from Ealing CEO Paul Najsarek.Anna Bryden does appear to be politically aware as demonstrated by her absurd claim that people from Ealing with Covid-19 are being sent to Dundee. Ms Bryden told the media: “In terms of general testing, it’s very hard to say the problem has gone away completely because we don't get all that data, but anecdotally we are not hearing stories that we were about people being sent to Dundee anymore.” The only trace of these tales is in Tweets from her friend Ealing Labour Councillor Dan Crawford.Anna Bryden claimed there is “an awful lot of capacity nationally” but demand for tests had risen. She claimed “There’s been a lot of anecdotal evidence nationally of young adults getting tested when they don’t have symptoms just so they can hold parties.” Again, she failed to provide any evidence or even explain who is providing these anecdotes she uses as evidence. The dishonesty of Anna Bryden is particularly clear in strategic commissioning that has reduced health and social services at the cost of people’s lives as well as a great deal of money. For example, Anna Bryden claimed central government told the NHS Services in Ealing to close testing sites. The actual problem was the faulty equipment supplied to the NHS by Ealing Labour Councillor Abdullah Gulaid through his company Labcare Diagnostics Ltd of Mumbai, India. Clearest proof of Anna Bryden’s failures is the recruitment of a new Consultant in Public Health on £89,148 a year to implement Ealing’s own misnamed Covid-19 Prevention and Outbreak Control Plan. The job advert was withdrawn after 1 week allowing Anna Bryden to announce that despite the weekly infection rate in Ealing declining Julian Bell had awarded contracts for local contact tracing to pick up Covid-19 cases missed by the NHS but she refuses to provide details except that Ealing would be “able to have some local staff who are trained to carry on those efforts.” How much this training will cost, how the trainers are to be recruited or who was awarded these lucrative contacts have not been revealed by Paul Najsarek. The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits in London is 170% higher in October 2020 than in 2019, amounting to 300,000 new claims. Past recruitment by Ealing means another Labour Party member will be seconded as the consultant, someone who will continue to spread the insidious lies of Julian Bell, Rupa Huq and Paul Najsarek and who will claim to get some of the $13bn Pfizer and BioNTech will make in sales diverted into their pockets. 

Martin Cain ● 1897d

That's just whinging and shows what this society has become. Weaker and easily manipulated.Those older people, those who are most at risk, are the last generation that had not one, but two years taken out of their adult youth.National Service. Did not matter whether you were in work, in an apprenticeship or studying, when you got called up that was it. Life stopped.  For many there was not much choice.Then, for a later generation, ( my one) there was 4 million unemployed and not a chance of a proper job. Closed shop unions and endless working for free to get a foot in the door at the lowest grade, even with a good degree. It took at least 2 to 3 years to get up and running.That same older generation were also the children of the war. not one, but 7 years of disrupted lives for everyone. Evacuations, mass bereavements, and 15 years of rationing and real austerity.1 or 2 years won't harm young people,or children there's so much that is possible now. In fact, it could very well be the making of them. National Service is still mandatory in many European countries in updated forms, not always military based.  Many have gap years and with a volunteer crisis locally caused by LTNs and those older volunteers limited by time maybe that's the answer.Theres things that Govt could do like defer or waive fees for a year and protect a student or trainees place. For a year out as long as something contributory is done.  Lots of students manned testing centres and if trained properly can do vaccinations and support tasks.  Making them feel part of the solution rather than the problem would be a good thing.I took a year out as a student simply because I was too immature to settle and apply myself.  Took an ordinary job for a year and that focused me and I grew up. I sailed through after that but graduated at the 4m unemployed point.It took a fair while for myself and all my friends to get established but in fairness, most have done really well having used that time unemployed well.But losing a grandparent, friend or parent to Covid? That will stay with you for life if non compliance caused it.Responsibility is with all of us, for all of us.

Raymond Havelock ● 1900d