COVID climbs again as UK Govt slashes ZOE surveillance

This week Tim shares some disappointing news about the ZOE COVID Study funding, though we're committed to still running the study and are grateful to our parent company ZOE for agreeing to continue supporting us with both COVID surveillance and exploring other health conditions like cancer, heart disease and dementia. Tim explores some research linking COVID to some of these conditions, and shares an update on the new health profiles launched last week.

NB: The weight change graph at 15:05 shows average weight reduction from 2020 to 2022, so those in the 75+ age group have lost the most weight, and those in the youngest age group have gained weight.

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If you need subtitles, please click the option for subtitles at the bottom right of the video

[paulineburney]

This government underfunds and undermines science, experts, and anything factual but rewards friends, businessmen, and questionable wealthy foreigners.
Thank you for doing what you do

[MattBee]

Hardly surprising considering they point blank refused to acknowledge your symptoms lists for the whole 2 years. Good luck to you all, I've found your app and the data you provide fantastic and invaluable in how we adjusted our lives to get through this mess.

[MarieArndt]

I have written to Dr Harris and expressed my disgust with the ending of funding, but in the most polite words. ZOE has been my most trusted source of COVID information. Keep going Tim and the team

[Parianparlay]

What a travesty! How short sighted of the government yet again. Zoe has been my lifeline throughout the last two years. Always calming and so helpful. Boosting me and helping to level facts up against all the ‘fearmongering’ in the media. I shall be supporting Zoe in any way I can. Thank you so much for all you are doing, Zoe MUST carry on, it’s the way forward!

Unfortunately, this was not unexpected; thank you for everything you've done and continue to do; we'll do everything we can to help Zoe.

[BobPage]

The government is short term but Zoe is for now and the future, please keep up your work as we need it more than ever. Yours and a few others give us reality. Good luck with the funding.

[janestoate]

The government will always take a short term perspective and therefore miss the value of studies such as Zoe. I'm sorry this has happened. For as long as Zoe is around and continues to both be simple to complete and provide data back out to us, I will continue to support Zoe with my health data! You have helped me more than you can know through this pandemic and I look forward to helping with other health studies in the future!

[suedentten]

Tim, I don't know what I would have done without your measured, reliable and trustworthy updates from the beginning of the pandemic. Your research and reassurance has, I'm sure, been a huge help to the millions of us who have logged our symptoms every day. I fail to understand how the Government can be so blinkered - firstly by ignoring the change in symptoms and now by refusing your funding. I'm sure I speak for many in telling you that I will continue with my daily log-ins and will do all I can to support you, your team and Zoe's brilliant work. Let's hope the Government sees sense and changes their mind. ❤

[ruthm]

What a terrible decision to remove funding. Considering how any government work, whatever party, there is rarely any forward thinking, just as and when something happens reaction. I hope you all can continue your very valuable work. I know you will do all in your power to do so. Thank you all at Zoe for what you have done.

[tubelartigue]

Get a campaign on the government website for us to sign and be heard in parliament - You get my vote and I know there will be 100, 000 others to get your case heard!!!

[drdel]

“We can’t, and we won’t, give this up”. Superb commitment and determination Tim. You can see from the comments that you will continue to have our support for the ZOE research. The government’s attitude beggars belief.

[jacquelineheath]

Three members of my family would have carried on working whilst having covid if you hadn’t made us aware of the many symptoms you can experience. One is a teacher, one works in social care and one is a student. They had lateral flow tests, which all came up negative. They all did another one the next day as they still had many symptoms which you continually highlight. They all tested positive this time. I think this speaks for itself.

[DannyRandomz]

Throughout the pandemic ZOE has been my go to for the most accurate up to date information and a way to avoid a lot of the fear mongering and clickbait headlines, and deliberately out of date symptoms information. I would often try to encourage my family to use the app and follow your updates. I have ASD and had only come off depression medication 6 months before the first lockdown. I'll never forget the sheer terror I felt and how low I became in the first couple of months, the COVID Symptom Study was literally my lifeline in the first lockdown and ever since has remained my go to source for trustworthy information. The prevalence maps provided a source of reassurance as well as caution. I will continue to submit my symptoms and have signed up to take part in several of your studies for my family has a history of diabetes, arthritis, dementia and MS so knowing how to reduce the chance of myself or my loved ones developing these conditions or finding out how those who already have them could manage them or slow their progress is important to me. If my small addition goes towards helping many others then all the better 😊

[andrewhallam]

Long term plan, put a donate button on the app. Many people who log into it every day have seen the many benefits it offers and would be more than willing to help to keep it running. Why don't you put a question on the app to see if it would be popular. If our own government is too narrow minded to see the long term benefits of the zoe app, we certainly are not and do see the benefits.

[nicolaoffert]

Devastating news but not surprising. It appears the voice of reason, truth and balance no longer has a place and must be silenced. What a travesty. We've been with Zoe since the beginning and have no intention of stopping reporting. As well as Covid, the wider health of the UK is so important and Zoe is playing an important part in that. What a shortsighted decision to make. We support you all at Zoe and will continue to for as long as required ! 🤗

[velisvideos]

This really was very disappointing. Many of us here in Finland have admired the excellent data gathering and analysis in the UK. Zoe in particular is so innovative and cost effective, that one can only wonder the basis for this funding decision. Thanks for your great work anyway.

[Kev_Partner]

Totally reckless behaviour by this government. No surprise there. Hope you're able to continue as this research is invaluable.

[magsb]

Sad to hear that thee UK Government are stopping your funding and it only adds to the list of health decision errors they have made during this pandemic.I will stay and as others have already said, I would be happy to make a contribution to move this ground breaking research ahead. There are only a few places the public can go for honest, up to date information and we need to keep them available for the future.

[judyvigurs]

Well, I'll continue to support these amazing initiatives if I can. We really need this work. The government must be blind if it can't see that!

[carolinepearson]

Information on Zoe app and Tim’s weekly updates have been the only sources of information I have trusted since the start of the pandemic. We will continue to log in and offer any support we can.