On March 19, multiple people tweeted this at me. The status of COVID-19 had been downgraded. It was no longer a 'high consequence infectious disease'. I didn't retweet it. There has to be some explanation, I thought.

And there was...

From the @bmj: 'On 19 March, the status of covid-19 was downgraded from level 4, the highest threat level, to level 3...

This enabled the required standard of PPE to be lowered for staff in hospitals and to nurse patients in non-infectious settings'

The threat level was downgraded because of 'information available about mortality rates (low overall)'

The guidance hasn't been updated since March 21.

55,000 deaths later it still doesn't fit the category of a 'high consequence infectious disease'. Definition below

SARS, MERS, Ebola...these are all HCIDs in Britain. But not COVID-19.

SARS, MERS, Ebola..require 'specific infection prevention and control (IPC) measures for suspected and confirmed HCID cases, in all healthcare settings (specialist and non-specialist)"

COVID-19 does not

Why hasn't this guidance been changed? It's not just absurd to claim 'low mortality rates' at this point. It's Orwellian.

And it's killing NHS & social care staff.