William Shakespere is dead ~ British Press reports with responsibility !

There are lot of colonial vestiges including the Governance, political system and more .. .. Western media generally speaks ill of India and other countries, glorifies whatever they do, belittle others . .. .. yet there are occasions where they behave responsibly, support their Govt, stand by National interests !  .. one hopes that this happens here too at least a % of what it is !!!

Covid 19 has shaken the World, no doubt people have been affected – many have been affected and there have been deaths too .. .. After actor Vivek passed away,  actor Mansur Ali Khan unleashed a barrage of criticism. One of his comments was that using masks leads to breathing in exhaled carbon dioxide !  Soon after this, numerous comments and statements were made on social media on similar lines. Some sections of the Press and social media too voiced concern on vaccination. First it was hue and cry that vaccines were not available – but when they are available and a good% gets wasted too, they cry of partial allocation, vaccines not available at places and more ! – strange are the ways of people.

The sudden demise of Tamil actor Vivek left his fans, friends and colleagues shocked. He passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest. The actor was hospitalised on Friday after a cardiac arrest and died next day. The private hospital in Chennai, where Vivek, 59, was admitted said he suffered “an acute coronary syndrome with cardiogenic shock.  The 59-year-old actor made headlines  a day earlier  promoting the importance of vaccination to fight the coronavirus. He chose to get vaccinated at a government hospital to spread awareness instead of going to a private hospital.  He was vaccinated.  He died of cardiac arrest.  Should have two different sentences with full stop separating, but some media put a comma instead !!  - sad are the ways of reporting !

Several questions have been raised after some reports emerged with claims that people are testing Covid-19 positive even after being administered both doses of a vaccine.  As  India scales up its Covid-19 vaccination drive, there have been reports of people testing positive for the virus even after being administered both doses of a vaccine. These cases are called "breakthrough" infections. However, there is no reason to panic. Such incidents of "breakthrough" infections are very low and even if they occur, people have shown less severe Covid-19 symptoms. Experts have said such incidents do not indicate that there is something wrong with Covid-19 vaccines or how they are administered. In simple terms, if one contracts Covid-19 after being fully vaccinated, it is known as a breakthrough infection. This indicates that an individual has had a lower immune response from the vaccine. However, such infections are mostly mild or asymptomatic. Breakthrough infections exist for all types of vaccines.

Secondly, protective levels of antibodies generally develop after two-three weeks of receiving the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Thus, one may get infected during this period. Thirdly, vaccines are shown to prevent the disease, but maybe not infection. In simple terms, disease is showing symptoms while infection is testing positive for the virus (it can be asymptomatic). Covid-19 vaccines are effective in preventing mild symptoms, severe disease, and hospitalisations. But it is still possible for a fully vaccinated person to get infected if exposed to the virus, said infectious disease specialist Dr Amitabha Nandy.  (India Today)

British Olympics chiefs were today adamant Team GB would still attend the Tokyo Olympics despite US advice not to travel to Japan and growing demands to cancel the event as a fourth Covid wave ravages the country. The US State Department yesterday issued its highest Level 4 travel warning for Japan, which is in the grip of a month-long state of emergency with cases at 120 per 100,000 people and just 5.23 per cent of the population vaccinated. The British government today said its advice not to travel to Japan remained unchanged despite the escalation by the US.  The British Olympics Association (BOA), which oversees Team GB, today said it was fully behind the Games, despite the US announcement and 80 per cent of Japanese people calling for the July event to be called off or delayed.

However, Professor Gabriel Scally, Visiting Professor of Public Health at the University of Bristol and a member of Independent Sage, this afternoon led calls for the Olympics to be cancelled, saying it 'was not feasible'.  Professor Scally told MailOnline: 'We haven't had an Olympics in years when there are world wars on, and the world is currently fighting a battle against an extremely dangerous disease. You can't have an armistice to call a halt to this pandemic. 'Exempting athletes from quarantine strikes me as completely amazing. The creation of a big melting pot of people from across the world who haven't gone through isolation seems to be a recipe for a potential outbreak of some magnitude. 'They are all going to be fit and healthy people but nonetheless it is still a problem. As well as living in close proximity many will also be engaging in contact sports. They need to postpone the Olympics or not have it.'   

The important news is in fact the reaction of British Press.  William Shakespeare, the first man in the world to have an approved Covid jab, has died in hospital aged 81 after a long battle with an unrelated illness. Bill, as he was known, made global headlines on so-called V-Day on December 8 when he received the Pfizer/BioNTech jab at the University Hospital Coventry. The former Rolls Royce employee and parish councillor passed away last Thursday after a period of illness at the same hospital where he famously received his vaccine. He leaves behind his wife Joy, their two adult sons and grandchildren. At the time, much was played on the fact that he was called William Shakespeare and was from Warwickshire, but the pensioner was a fiercely proud Coventrian according to his friends.

When he received the Pfizer jab last year he had been an in-patient at the hospital's frailty ward. He said after getting the historic drug that it was 'wonderful'. Mr Shakespeare was the second person to get an approved vaccine after Margaret Keenan, 91, got hers at the same hospital moments earlier. Both received the American-made Pfizer vaccine, which became the first jab candidate to seal approval for mass use by regulators in the UK in December.   

The poignant image of him dressed in festive slippers with his hospital gown became a symbol of home amid the dark days of lockdown.  His sad death was being mourned not only by his family but the many people he came into contact with today as news of his passing was revealed.   He leaves behind his wife Joy, two sons, one also called William but known as Will, as well as Julian. He was also a proud grandfather. Funeral details have yet to be arranged.

~ the underlying is – no Press has tried to create any hype relating his death to his taking vaccines.  He had the vaccine and has now passed away due to his illness. That is the simple fact of life ! 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
25^th May 2021.