Tony Kelly resident Diabetes expert
As a fortnightly contributor to Caribdirect.com I am using this medium to help in getting the all-important message out since there seems to be very little news as if Covid has vanished when that is certainly not the case. Not planning to use this article to scaremonger anyone except to say this awful virus is still with us and by all accounts staying for the foreseeable future. We have got to learn to live with it in a responsible way and not let our guard down.
Britain is heading into autumn after a long hot summer and with it the roll-out of the winter flu vaccination has begun in earnest. As a Black person with type 2 diabetes and therefore more susceptible to the winter flu I am due to have mine shortly and have done so without fail for the past 18 years. I am aware that some people I know with underlying health issues and other medical conditions and therefore in the high-risk groups including diabetes, choose not to take this free winter flu jab provided by the National Health Service. I would urge anyone in that situation to re-think their decision as having an auto-immune medical condition of which there are too many to mention here, one could end up being terribly affected if one become sick from the winter flu. On average 25,000 people in England and Wales die each winter from the winter flu. Therefore, my view remains that it is better to be safe than sorry.
That leads me to the Covid booster which I alluded to at the start of this article. The more vulnerable and older generation have already been offered another booster and some are indeed on to their third. The normal reaction from some people whom I speak with at diabetes awareness events is that they are getting fed up and tired of having these drugs put in their body and do not plan to have the booster. Vaccine fatigue has indeed come to the fore and we have become somewhat complacent in our approach. There has not been enough news coverage to alert people to these latest developments so I am using my fortnightly column in this online publication to raise the awareness of the importance of having the booster vaccine.
Hesitancy and reluctance remain evident in many communities and must be addressed. I accept that it boils down to client self determination as to whether or not to have the booster since to use a proverbial saying, “one can carry a horse to water but cannot make it drink.” I surely don’t need to remind anyone how the Black community suffered far worse from the coronavirus more than any other ethnic group in terms of hospitalization in intensive care units and an alarming death rate.
Wearing my community and diabetes hat as well as being a public patient involvement representative (PPI) I have been a member of the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium (UK-CIC) led by Professor Paul Moss, OBE, of Birmingham University in conjunction with the British Society of Immunology (BSI) alongside some eminent professors, consultants, academics and scientific researchers throughout most of the Covid- 19 crisis. This has enabled me to contribute and also receive first hand reliable information with proven scientific evidence being clearly explained in relation to the virus, its mutation and the various vaccines available. That august body has since evolved in to the National Core Studies Immunity (NCSi) of which I am a member.
With that in mind I am urging readers of this article to join a free public webinar via Zoom on Tuesday 27th September at 6.00 pm. British Standard Time for a ‘Covid-19 vaccines, boosters and immunity’ update co-hosted by myself and Dr. Erika Aquino of the BSI. Presentations will be given by Professor Paul Moss and Professor Rosemary Boyton of Imperial College, London to provide the community with factual information as to where things are now.
So, let us join in large numbers and not rely on the false/fake/phony information often distributed via social media and other unreliable sources. Knowledge equates to power and the greatest thing is to know.
Please register via the link and also share with your other contacts. https://www.immunology.org/events/covid-19-vaccines-boosters-and-immunity
London born Tony Kelly of Jamaican parents grew up in Jamaica and returned to live in Birmingham in 1979.
He is a graduate of Mico Teachers’ College and taught in Kingston high schools prior to working for 30+ years as a middle manager in central and local government with an emphasis on equity, equality, diversity and inclusion. He has a masters’ degree in socio-legal studies from the university of Birmingham.
For over a decade Tony has volunteered as a diabetes ambassador firstly for Diabetes UK and now for the National Health Service - Birmingham and Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group. A multi-award winner doing a yearly average of 150 health and well-being events, locally, nationally and internationally focusing on type 2 diabetes. He was diagnosed with this medical condition 18 years ago. However with a combination of physical activity and diet he has never taken medication thus proving with the right mindset and discipline it can be achieved.
As a diabetes advocate/activist Tony will continue delivering the message of healthy options to readers of CaribDirect.com .
