International evidence indicating possible link with SARS-Cov-2 infection to child hepatitis & variants of concern coming our way with dismantled testing & sequencing. What could possibly go wrong?

 My piece in today's Indo👇

https://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/given-child-hepatitis-deaths-and-ominous-omicron-warnings-are-we-not-flying-blind-41664435.html

Extract::

I’m not religious but I lit a candle for the child that died from acute hepatitis in Ireland last week. It was partly a bid to cling onto my empathy and resist the systematic minimisation of harm endured by children throughout the pandemic. 

"Vaccines have been categorically ruled out as most children were not eligible for vaccination. Lockdowns have also been dismissed; a theory German virologist Professor Isabella Eckerle lambasted as not being supported by “a single piece of scientific evidence”. Covid vaccines have also been categorically ruled out as most of the children with unexplained hepatitis were too young to receive a COVID-19 vaccine".

"On 12 May, ECDC reclassified Omicron sub-lineages BA.4 and BA.5 (first detected in South Africa in early 2022) to variants of concern. Their growth advantage is attributed to their ability to evade immune protection induced by prior infection and/or vaccination, which wanes. Both BA.4 and BA.5 are capable of escaping immune protection induced by previous infection with BA.1 in unvaccinated people. ECDC warns that the presence of these variants could cause “a significant overall increase in COVID-19 cases in Europe in the coming weeks and months. Countries are encouraged to remain vigilant for BA.4 and BA.5 emergence. “Early variant detection critically relies on representative testing and genomic surveillance, with timely sequence reporting”.

Kristian Andersen, immunologist at Scripps Research, recently warned that new variants will “continue to be more capable of immune escape,” possibly leading to lower protection against not just infection, but also against severe disease. He said, “Simply letting the virus continue to infect us, likely several times a year—just isn’t an option in my playbook.”

With our Chief Medical Officer’s integrity compromised, who is responsible for updating public health measures in response to the incoming threat of new, vaccine escaping variants of concern? Who will alert the public to the recent large US study concluding that Omicron is just as severe as previous variants? Only 23% of 5-11 years olds are vaccinated. Where’s the parental engagement? At what point will scientifically proven non pharmaceutical public health protections, such as distancing and masking in schools and indoor public indoor spaces be reinstated to suppress transmission? When will ventilation legislation be implemented? The evidence suggests that a perfect storm is heading our way. With testing and surveillance systems dismantled, we’re flying blind without parachutes".