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Covid-19 to cast 'long shadow' on mental health

Chris Whitty, England's Chief Medical Officer has said the pandemic will have an impact on mental health for a considerable period to come. 

Speaking at the Royal College of Psychiatrists international congress, The CMO acknowledged the pandemic may have caused a lot of fear and anxiety as well as affecting people's social support and finances. 

Whilst Chris Whitty is optimistic that the end of the pandemic is in sight, he believes there will still continue to be some difficulties, now and in the future. 

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Source: BMJ, 28 June 2021

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COVID-19 saw spike in new mothers seeking help with mental health

Mental health consultations among new mothers were 30% higher during the COVID-19 pandemic than before it, particularly during the first three months after birth, suggests Canadian research.

Study authors noted that postpartum mental illness, including postnatal depression, usually affected as many as one in five mothers and could have long-term effects on children and families if it becomes chronic.

They looked at mental health consultations by 137,609 people in Ontario during the postpartum period – from date of birth to 365 days later – from March to November 2020.

They found mental health visits to both primary care and psychiatrists were higher than before the pandemic, especially among those with anxiety, depression, and alcohol or substance use disorders.

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Source: The Nursing Times, 7 June 2021

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COVID-19 rehab centre takes first patients

The first hospital dedicated to helping coronavirus patients recover from the long-term effects of the illness has received its first patients.

Surrey's NHS Seacole Centre opened this month at Headley Court, a former rehab centre for injured soldiers.

COVID-19 patients can be left with tracheostomy wounds from having a tube inserted in the windpipe or need heart, lung or muscle therapy, the NHS said.

Others who have survived the virus may need psychological or social care.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: "While our country is now emerging from the initial peak of coronavirus, we're now seeing a substantial new need for rehab and aftercare."

He said while patients had survived life-threatening complications, many would see a longer-lasting impact on their health.

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Source: BBC News, 29 May 2020

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COVID-19 patients may have prolonged gut infection, study finds

COVID-19 patients have active and prolonged gut viral infection, even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms, scientists in Hong Kong showed.

The coronavirus may continue to infect and replicate in the digestive tract after clearing in the airways, researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said in a statement Monday. The findings, published in the medical journal GUT, have implications for identifying and treating cases, they said.

SARS-CoV-2 spreads mainly through respiratory droplets -- spatters of virus-laden discharge from the mouth and nose, according to the World Health Organization. Since the first weeks of the pandemic, however, scientists in China have said infectious virus in the stool of patients may also play a role in transmission.

The finding “highlights the importance of long-term coronavirus and health surveillance and the threat of potential fecal-oral viral transmissions,” Siew Chien Ng, associate director of the university’s Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, said in the statement.

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Source: Bloomberg, 7 September 2020

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COVID-19 mental health support programme made free for all

SilverCloud, a digital mental health platform, has launched a new COVID-19 support programme – ‘Space from COVID-19’ – which it has made free and available to everyone in the UK over the age of 18 years, indefinitely.

The company hopes to improve access to digital mental health services during the pandemic and beyond, to help shoulder some of the demand that now faces health services in the UK and across the globe. 

SilverCloud’s new programme brings together a suite of digital resources and support that will assist users in managing and improving their mental health and wellbeing, specifically in regard to the impact of COVID-19. Crucially, it removes potential barriers by being open to all, with or without a clinical referral, and is fee-free for everyone.

Dr Lloyd Humphreys, Clinical Psychologist and Head of Europe for SilverCloud, told HTN: “For us, what is really important is to support people during this difficult time. Everyone is talking about the mental health impact of COVID-19, everyone is talking about the problem, but no-one is really offering a solution."

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Source: Health Tech Newspaper, 8 April 2021

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COVID-19 may cause brain complications in some, say doctors

Brain complications, including stroke and psychosis, have been linked to COVID-19 in a study that raises concerns about the potentially extensive impact of the disease in some patients.

The study, published in Lancet Psychiatry, is small and based on doctors’ observations, so cannot provide a clear overall picture about the rate of such complications. However, medical experts say the findings highlight the need to investigate the possible effects of COVID-19 in the brain and studies to explore potential treatments.

“There have been growing reports of an association between COVID-19 infection and possible neurological or psychiatric complications, but until now these have typically been limited to studies of 10 patients or fewer,” said Benedict Michael, the lead author of the study, from the University of Liverpool. “Ours is the first nationwide study of neurological complications associated with Covid-19, but it is important to note that it is focused on cases that are severe enough to require hospitalisation.”

Scientists said the findings were an important snapshot of potential complications, but should be treated with caution as it is not possible to draw any conclusions from the data about the prevalence of such complications.

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Source: The Guardian, 26 June 2020

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COVID-19 is no worse in immunocompromised children, says NICE

Doctors should reassure parents and carers of children who are immunocompromised that immunosuppression does not seem to increase the risk of severe COVID-19, the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises in a rapid guideline.

“Covid-19 usually causes a mild, self-limiting illness in children and young people, even in those who are immunocompromised,” NICE says.

Children and teenagers who are immunocompromised and their carers may be feeling particularly anxious and fearful about covid-19, so it is important they are involved in decision making as much as possible, NICE advises. Doctors should also support patients’ and carers’ mental wellbeing through communication and by signposting to charities and support groups.

The guideline says that patients should not avoid their usual appointments unless they have been told to and should continue with their usual treatment. However, face-to-face contact should be reduced where safely possible and alternative approaches such as telephone, video, or email consultations used instead.

When deciding whether to start treatments that affect the immune system, doctors should discuss the risks and benefits with the patient and their carers. If it is safe to delay treatment then watchful waiting should be undertaken.

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Source: BMJ, 1 May 2020

 

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COVID-19 health management service to care for patients at home

NHS England is commissioning a “COVID-19 home treatment service” of primary and community healthcare for self-secluding patients.

It is introducing “urgent primary care services to patients diagnosed with COVID-19” who are self-secluded at home. The service will care for patients’ symptoms relating to COVID-19 as well as other conditions until they are discharged from home isolation and referred back to their GP.

“There is likely to be a gradual handover of patients to CHMS providers as they come onstream to provide the service,” according to a letter from NHSE’s primary care directors sent to GPs today.

“As soon as the new service is up and running in your area, your clinical commissioning group will be able to tell you who will be providing care for patients in your locality.”

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Source: HSJ, 11 March 2020

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COVID-19 has not led to an increase in stillbirths, data confirms

Coronavirus has not caused an increase in stillbirths despite fears it could do so, Government data suggests.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published data on Monday showing that the stillbirth rate decreased from 4.0 stillbirths per 1,000 total births in 2019, to 3.9 in the first three quarters (January to September) of 2020, in line with the long-term trend.

The data comes amid fears that coronavirus can impact pregnancy and the stillbirth rate.

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Source: The Telegraph, 8 December 2020

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COVID-19 disruption could erase decade’s worth of global vaccine coverage for childhood diseases, Unicef warns

Global efforts to vaccinate children against fatal diseases such as measles and polio could be set back a decade due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Unicef has warned.

Immunisation campaigns and routine vaccine services have been suspended across the world to limit the transmission of COVID-19, leaving countries with weak health systems susceptible to a resurgence in preventable illnesses once lockdown restrictions are lifted and societies reopen.

More than 25 vulnerable countries have placed their immunisation programmes for measles on hold, while the delivery of Ebola vaccinations across central Africa, in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR), has similarly been suspended or curtailed.

“Our immediate concern is with disruption to currently available vaccines,” Dr Robin Nandy, global chief of immunisation at Unicef, told The Independent. “We expect to go back maybe five to 10 years. The longer the disruptions continue, the more concerned we are as it builds the number of susceptible kids in populations.

“What we’re trying to avoid is countries recovering from the current Covid pandemic then being hit by another outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease.”

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Source: The Independent, 18 May 2020

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COVID-19 could widen mental health inequalities for a generation, warns charity

The COVID-19 pandemic could entrench and exacerbate inequalities in mental health for a generation unless action is taken, the Centre for Mental Health has warned.

In a report published on Thursday, the charity warned that the lockdown would put greater pressure on groups whose mental health was already poor beforeCOVID-19 hit, such as women and children experiencing violence and abuse, and ethnic minority communities.

The pandemic will leave an “unequal legacy of complicated bereavement, trauma, and economic repercussions which will push more people towards financial insecurity and poverty, significant risk factors for poor mental health,” the report said.

“Unequal experiences of grief, loss, trauma, injustice, and abandonment all add to the psychological damage caused by COVID-19.”

The report, backed by 12 mental health charities and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said that the government must prioritise race equality and support “trauma informed” approaches for all people whose lives had been affected by COVID-19.

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Source: BMJ, 19 June 2020

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COVID-19 bereaved families group hopes PM will 'take us seriously' at meeting

The co-founder of a coronavirus bereaved families group has said he hopes Boris Johnson will "at long last... take us seriously" when he meets them at Number 10 today.

Matt Fowler said it is vital the prime minister understand the need to start a public inquiry as soon as possible.

Mr Johnson will meet members of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group today - more than a year after promising to meet people whose loved ones had died.

They will share how their family members caught the disease and died, and repeat calls for a public inquiry to get priority.

The group plans to raise issues with the PM such as the disproportionate effect of COVID on some ethnic groups, transmission of the disease on public transport and in the workplace, the impact of late lockdowns, and failures to learn from the first wave.

Boris Johnson previously said the inquiry would start in spring 2022.

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Source: Sky News, 28 September 2021

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Covid-19 'unmasked' existing problems in Irish healthcare

The Irish health services did “relatively well” during Covid-19 but, as in other countries, the pandemic unmasked existing problems, a renowned patient safety expert has said.

Peter Lachman of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI), was one of nine international experts who consulted on a new World Health Organization (WHO) report on the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for patient safety.

Dr Lachman said the impact is only starting to be understood.

“Ireland did very well early on [in the pandemic], then opened up over Christmas [2020] which led to our numbers going sky-high, then we clamped down again,” he said.

"We did well on some things and not so well on others. We have done relatively well when compared with other countries." 

“Covid-19 was an event which around the world unmasked problems which were there already rather than creating them necessarily,” he said.

“The findings start with safety problems — we’ve had safety problems in Ireland but things are getting better.  There is a good strategy coming on. I’ve worked with hospitals around the country on this. It’s no worse than other countries.”

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Source: The Irish Examiner, 12 August 2022

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COVID-19 'sheds light on health inequalities in North East'

A leading doctor has called on the government to address regional health inequalities surrounding coronavirus.

Dr George Rae, the British Medical Association's regional chairman for the North East, has written an open letter saying the area is "suffering disproportionately". He said it was "time to ask why" and wanted action to "close the gap".

A government spokesman said it was working "incredibly hard" to protect the nation's public health.

"This is gravely disconcerting," Dr Rae wrote.

"Not only does this mean that we're suffering from a disproportionate amount of serious cases and deaths but also that, as a consequence, gradual lockdown measures may be affected - prolonging the hurt caused to our local economy. Covid-19 has shone a light on the health inequalities in the North East".

"What we need now is action from the government to close this gap and reduce the vulnerability of people in the North East to many medical conditions and, indeed, any future viruses."

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Source: BBC News, 5 May 2020

 

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Covid XEC: What are the symptoms of new virus strain?

A new strain of Covid emerging in the UK is spreading as cases increase at a high rate, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.at a high rate, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.

Called XEC, the strain is a combination of the KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 variants. Figures from the UKHSA show that the admission rate for patients testing positive for the new strain rose to 4.5 per 100,000 people in the week to October 6. This was up from 3.7 a week earlier.

It is thought the XEC strain is more transmissible due to its numerous mutations, and presents symptoms similar to those of other Covid variants including tiredness, headaches, a sore throat and high temperatures.

Although self-isolation is no longer a legal requirement in the UK, the NHS has advised anyone who tests positive for Covid to avoid contact with others for at least five days. It is also recommended that contact with more vulnerable people be avoided for 10 days, to reduce the risk to them. As a general rule, it is advised anyone with symptoms at least wait for them to subside before returning to normal activities.

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Source: The Independent, 17 October 2024

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Covid vaccines should be available to buy privately in UK, scientists say

Covid vaccines should be made available for people to buy privately in Britain, leading scientists have urged, amid concerns over a new wave of the virus which could worsen in autumn and winter.

Unlike flu jabs, which individuals or employers can buy for about £15 from high street pharmacies, Covid jabs are only available on the NHS in the UK.

This month the UK government announced that the Covid autumn booster programme would cover a smaller pool of the population than earlier vaccination drives. The age limit has been raised from 50 to 65 and above, with some younger vulnerable groups also eligible.

Covid is on the rise, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Experts raised concerns the wave could continue to grow and add to winter pressures on the NHS.

Prof Adam Finn, of the University of Bristol, a member of the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said Covid jabs should be available commercially. Some employers might want to offer the vaccines to their staff, he added.

Speaking in a personal capacity, Finn said: “I think it will be a good idea for vaccines to be made available to those that want them on the private market. I don’t really see any reason why that shouldn’t be happening.”

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Source: The Guardian, 17 August 2023

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Covid vaccines safe in pregnancy, data shows

The UK's Health Security Agency says its analysis of English data shows Covid vaccines are safe in pregnancy, reinforcing international evidence.

The agency found similar rates of stillbirths and preterm births for vaccinated and unvaccinated mothers.

Researchers say women should feel confident the jabs will help protect them and urge more to take them.

Their report shows just 22% of women who gave birth in August had had at least one jab.

Since mid-April, mothers-to-be have been offered the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna jab, with the second dose recommended eight weeks after the first. But women first eligible for vaccination were more likely to be older or have an underlying medical condition - putting them at higher risk of premature births, researchers say.

Meanwhile, studies suggest about one in five women admitted to hospital with the virus have their babies delivered early and some of these babies need special intensive care. And evidence suggests the risks of stillbirths are higher if a woman has Covid in pregnancy.

UKHSA immunisation head said the new information on safety was reassuring.

"Every pregnant woman who has not yet been vaccinated should feel confident to go and get the jab and that this will help to prevent the serious consequences of catching Covid in pregnancy," she said.

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Source: BBC News, 26 November 2021

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Covid vaccines have prevented 60,000 deaths in England - Jonathan Van-Tam

Prof Jonathan Van-Tam has said around 60,000 deaths have been prevented in England as a result of the Covid vaccine programme, with approximately 22 million cases having also been stopped, saying the likelihood of another lockdown was 'much lower' if a higher proportion of the population get the jab. 

Disputing a claim made to a newspaper by a senior minister regarding the drop in cases, he says, "I hope the worst is behind us but I think it's quite possible that we're going to have one or two bumpy periods in the autumn and in the winter, not only through Covid, but also through flu and other respiratory viruses as well."

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Source: BBC News, 29 July 2021

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Covid vaccines cut risk of serious illness by 80% in over-80s

A single shot of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid jab reduces the chance of needing hospital treatment by more than 80%, an analysis in England shows.

The Public Health England (PHE) data showed the effect kicked in three to four weeks after vaccination. It was based on people aged over 80 who were the first to receive the jab.

Government scientists hailed the result, but stressed that two doses were needed for the best protection.

It comes after similar findings were published by Scottish health authorities last week, which they hailed as "spectacular".

The PHE data, which has not been peer reviewed, also suggested the Pfizer vaccine, which started being rolled out a month before the AstraZeneca vaccine, leads to an 83% reduction in deaths from Covid. This was based on people over the age of 80 who had died.

The data also showed vaccination cuts the risk of people over 70 developing any Covid symptoms by around 60%, three weeks after an initial dose.

Prof Van-Tam, England's deputy chief medical officer, said the decision to give the AstraZeneca vaccine to older people was "clearly vindicated".

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Source: BBC News, 1 March 2021

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Covid vaccines cut global death toll by 20m in first year, study finds

Covid vaccines cut the global death toll by 20 million in the first year after they were available, according to the first major analysis.

The study, which modelled the spread of the disease in 185 countries and territories between December 2020 and December 2021, found that without Covid vaccines 31.4 million people would have died, and that 19.8 million of these deaths were avoided. The study is the first attempt to quantify the number of deaths prevented directly and indirectly as a result of Covid-19 vaccinations.

“We knew it was going to be a large number, but I did not think it would be as high as 20 million deaths during just the first year,” said Oliver Watson, of Imperial College London, who is a co-first author on the study carried out by scientists at the university.

Many more deaths could have been prevented if access to vaccines had been more equal worldwide. Nearly 600,000 additional deaths – one in five of the Covid deaths in low-income countries – could have been prevented if the World Health Organization’s global goal of vaccinating 40% of each country’s population by the end of 2021 had been met, the research found.

“Our findings show that millions of lives have likely been saved by making vaccines available to people everywhere, regardless of their wealth,” said Watson. “However, more could have been done.”

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Source: The Guardian, 24 June 2022

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Covid vaccines are ‘safe for pregnant women and cut stillbirth risk’, study says

Covid-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant women to take and can even reduce the risk of stillbirths, according to a new study.

Researchers at St George’s University of London and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists collated data from studies and trials involving over 115,000 vaccinated pregnant women.

They found that pregnant women – who are more likely to become serious ill if they catch Covid-19 – are 15% less at risk of stillbirth if vaccinated.

“We wanted to see if vaccination was safe or not for pregnant women,” said Asma Khalil, professor of obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine at London’s St George’s Hospital in London to The Guardian.

“It is safe, but what’s surprising, and it’s a positive finding, is that there was a reduction in stillbirths.”

“So far, most of the data on vaccines in pregnancy have been about protecting the pregnant woman herself from Covid. Now we have evidence that the vaccines protect the baby too,” she added.

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Source: The Independent, 10 May 2022

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Covid vaccine: UK woman becomes first in world to receive Pfizer jab

A 90-year-old woman has become the first patient in the world to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine after its approval in the UK, where the NHS has launched its biggest vaccine campaign.

Margaret Keenan received the jab at about 6.45am in Coventry, marking the start of a historic mass vaccination programme.

The vaccines will be administered at 50 hospital hubs around the country, with patients aged 80 and over who are either already attending hospital as an outpatient or are being discharged home after a hospital stay, being first in line.

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Source: The Guardian, 8 November 2020

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Covid vaccine: UK doctors criticise rescheduling of second doses

Plans to delay giving the second dose of a Covid vaccine to more than 500,000 people who have received the first jab have caused outcry among doctors who say cancelling appointments wastes time, causes confusion among patients and is potentially unethical.

On Wednesday the government announced a change to its Covid vaccination strategy, saying second doses of the newly approved Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the previously approved Pfizer/BioNTech jab would now be given up to 12 weeks after the first dose.

The move applies to people scheduled to have their second dose of the Pfizer jab after 4 January, as well as those yet to receive either jab. The government said it hoped the approach would mean as many people as possible soon have some protection against the disease.

However, the announcement caused controversy, with Pfizer and BioNTech warning that two doses of their vaccine were required for maximum protection against Covid and that they did not have evidence that the first dose alone offered protection after three weeks.

Now doctors have said cancelling appointments for the second dose will take huge amounts of time and could lead to confusion.

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Source: The Guardian, 31 December 2020

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Covid vaccine: tens of thousands of UK nurses yet to receive first dose

Tens of thousands of nurses across the UK have not had their first coronavirus vaccine, sparking fears that they could contract COVID-19 or infect patients.

A Royal College of Nursing (RCN) survey of 24,370 nurses found that 85% had had at least one dose, with the remaining 15% unvaccinated.

The findings show that the government is in danger of failing to deliver one of the main elements of its pledge that all 15 million Britons in the top four priority groups for immunisation – which includes all health and social care staff – should have been offered a first shot by next Monday, 15 February.

“It is extremely worrying that, as our survey suggests, many thousands of nursing staff have yet to be given their COVID-19 vaccine less than a week before the government’s deadline,” said Dame Donna Kinnair, the RCN’s chief executive and general secretary.

“With only days to go, every effort must be made to reach all nursing staff to ensure their protection and that of the patients and vulnerable people they care for.”

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Source: The Guardian, 9 February 2021

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Covid vaccine: Prioritise over 16s living with immunosuppressed adults, says JCVI

People aged 16 or over who live with immunosuppressed adults should be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination alongside priority group 6 (people aged 16 to 65 who have a clinical condition that puts them at higher risk), the UK government’s vaccine advisory committee has said.

This would include people living in households with an adult who has a weakened immune system, such as those with blood cancer or HIV, or people on immunosuppressive treatment, including chemotherapy, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said. These people are not only more likely to have poorer outcomes after SARS-CoV-2 infection but may not respond as well to the vaccine as others, recent evidence indicates, said the JCVI.

The committee said it had made the new recommendation after evidence emerged showing that the covid-19 vaccines may reduce transmission, meaning that vaccinating those around immunosuppressed individuals could help reduce their risk of infection.

The JCVI’s chair of COVID-19 immunisations, Wei Shen Lim, said, “The vaccination programme has so far seen high vaccine uptake and very encouraging results on infection rates, hospitalisations, and mortality. Yet we know that the vaccine isn’t as effective in those who are immunosuppressed. Our latest advice will help reduce the risk of infection in those who may not be able to fully benefit from being vaccinated themselves.”

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Source: BMJ, 29 March 2021

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