A&E waiting times – is fall due to better air quality or virus fears?

From: Roger Backhouse, Orchard Road, Upper Poppleton, York.

LIKE Hilary Andrews, I find 
it interesting that fewer 
attended A&E during 
lockdown (The Yorkshire Post, May 20).

One factor is the absence of injuries from pub crawls 
by stag and hen parties, a common problem at York Hospital.

Also noticeable is that since the crisis began we’ve experienced cleaner air.

I’ve never known such a sustained period of clear air with excellent visibility.

This must be partly due to absence of aircraft and contrails, plus the drastic reduction in motor traffic.

Unpolluted air helps those with respiratory problems and perhaps others as well.

Before the crisis is over, we should look at reducing air pollution.

Minimising flights and road traffic would be an excellent start for health improvement.

From: Andrew Mercer, Guiseley.

WOULD people be willing to pay more for the NHS if a proportion of tax paid each year was ring-fenced for hospitals and social care? It’s a debate we need to have because Rishi Sunak can’t keep writing out blank cheques to cover one crisis after another.