fact checking the Status of Covid-19 HCID
#wakeup
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Q. Was COVID-19 downgraded from being a high-consequence infectious disease?
A. yes cos i only post the #Facts
and the Factcheckers agree
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Posted on 1 December 2020 by FactCheckNI
CLAIM: The UK Government downgraded COVID-19 from being classified as a high-consequence infectious disease (HCID).
CONCLUSION: ACCURATE WITH CONSIDERATION. COVID-19 was downgraded by the UK Government on 19 March 2020 because it was deemed to be better understood, testing was available, and clinical awareness had risen.
COVID-19 was first classified as a High-Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) in the UK on 16 January 2020, when it was referred to as the “Wuhan novel coronavirus WN-CoV”. It was then downgraded from HCID status by the UK government on 19 March 2020.
However, important context is missing from this simple-sounding statement.
In the UK, an HCID is defined according to the following criteria:
acute infectious disease;
typically has a high case-fatality rate;
may not have effective prophylaxis or treatment;
often difficult to recognise and detect rapidly;
ability to spread in the community and within healthcare settings; and
requires an enhanced individual, population and system response to ensure it is managed effectively, efficiently and safely.
The UK government explained:
“Now that more is known about COVID-19, the public health bodies in the UK have reviewed the most up to date information about COVID-19 against the UK HCID criteria. They have determined that several features have now changed; in particular, more information is available about mortality rates (low overall), and there is now greater clinical awareness and a specific and sensitive laboratory test, the availability of which continues to increase.”
The government also stated that cases of COVID-19 were no longer only managed by high consequence infectious disease treatment centres.
This fact check was part of FactCheckNI’s investigation into multiple claims made in a leaflet distributed in parts of Lagan Valley constituency.
