A flock of free-range hens from a commercial premises near Gretna has tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1.
In order to limit the further spread of disease, appropriate restrictions have been imposed on the premises and any identified contact premises, plus the area of the Surveillance Zone, which overlaps into other regions.
The remaining birds at the premises will be humanely culled and a 3km Protection Zone and 10km Surveillance Zone have been declared around the infected premises – taking effect 00:01 on 04 December – to limit the risk of spread of the disease.
Within these zones, a range of different controls are now in place. These include restrictions on the movement of poultry, carcasses, eggs, used poultry litter and manure, and restrictions on bird gatherings.
Producers and bird keepers are reminded to comply with the Order to house birds, which came in to effect on 29 November, or to ensure their birds are kept separate from wild birds. Bird keepers must ensure they follow biosecurity procedures.
The additional housing measures build on the strengthened biosecurity regulations that were brought in across Great Britain as part of the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) on 3 November 2021 and in and Northern Ireland on 17 November 2021.
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “With the recent disease confirmations in wild and captive birds across the UK, it is not unexpected for avian influenza to be found in birds here in Scotland.
“We ask that the public remain vigilant and report any findings of dead wild birds to Defra’s national telephone helpline. Do not touch or pick up any dead or sick birds that you find.”
Scotland’s Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas said: “We have already made clear that all bird keepers – whether major businesses or small keepers with just a few birds – must ensure that their biosecurity is up to scratch to protect their birds from disease and prevent any contact between their birds and wild birds.
“Keepers who are concerned about the health or welfare of their flock should seek veterinary advice immediately. Your private vet, or your local Animal and Plant Health Agency office, will also be able to provide practical advice on keeping your birds safe from infection.
“Any dead wild swans, geese, ducks or birds of prey, or five or more dead wild birds of other species (including gulls) in the same location at the same time, should be reported to Defra’s national telephone helpline.
“Public health advice is that the risk to human health from the virus is very low and food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers, and it does not affect the consumption of poultry products including eggs.”
Senior NHSGGC clinicians write to First Minister and Cabinet Secretary over ‘unfounded criticism’ by politicians and in media
Senior clinicians from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf, to express their disappointment and frustration about the way in which their work and integrity have been portrayed in the Scottish Parliament and the media in recent days.
Here is the full text of that letter:
Dear First Minister and Cabinet Secretary,
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital/Royal Hospital for Children
As NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde clinicians and clinical leaders, we write to express our immense disappointment and frustration about the way in which our hospitals, our colleagues and the treatment of our patients is being portrayed in the press and the chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
Our highly specialist services care for, treat and support some of the most vulnerable adults, young people and children in the country. Our sole aim is to deliver high quality, person centred care to our patients and focus on what matters most to them; fundamental to this is the strong working relationship between our clinical teams and infection control teams to keep our patients safe.
We have been, and remain, fully committed to being completely open and transparent in all that we do and we are dismayed that the integrity of our staff has been repeatedly called into question. Do we always get everything right when we discuss issues with families? Perhaps not. Do we ever wilfully withhold information from them? Absolutely not.
We have grave concerns that the continued undermining nature of the current negative headlines will result in an erosion of trust between clinical staff and patients and their families. Indeed, we have already seen evidence of the impact this is having on individual patients and carers, with staff reporting that families are very anxious about the safety of their relative while in our care.
We are particularly disappointed that individual patients are being discussed in Parliament without the knowledge of the families concerned, causing untold distress to families already grieving the loss of their loved one.
This unfounded criticism of our clinical teams and staff as well as the safety of our hospitals, is also hugely detrimental to staff morale at a time when so much is being asked of them.
Our staff across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, including the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus, provide professional, dedicated care to their patients and as we prepare for a challenging winter, this sustained criticism of our staff is undoubtedly causing them distress and worry.
We are proud of all of our teams, many of which include leading specialists, but we fear that such negativity will have an enormous impact on our ability to recruit and retain such skilled individuals in the future as well as those of wider clinical, nursing and support staff. We will always treat our patients with integrity, dignity, respect and honesty and this should never be in doubt.
We accept that there will always be improvements we can make and learning we can implement, but at the heart of all that we do, is the commitment from every clinician working within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to provide the best quality of care for all of our patients and to be open and honest with them and their loved ones about their diagnosis and treatment.
Anything less would undermine the professional code of practice each of us sign up to at the start of our careers and adhere to throughout.
Yours sincerely
Dr Jennifer Armstrong, Medical Director Dr Margaret McGuire, Nurse Director Dr Scott Davidson, Deputy Medical Director (Acute) Angela O’Neill, Deputy Nurse Director (Acute) Dr Chris Deighan, Deputy Medical Director (Corporate) Dr Kerri Neylon, Deputy Medical Director, Primary Care Mr Wesley Stuart, Chief of Medicine, South Sector Dr Claire Harrow, Chief of Medicine, Clyde Sector Ann-Marie Selby, Interim Associate Chief Nurse Clyde Sector Hon. Professor Colin McKay, Chief of Medicine, North Sector John Carson, Chief Nurse, North Sector Hon. Professor Alistair Leanord, Chief of Medicine, Diagnostics Dr Alan Mathers, Chief of Medicine, Women and Children’s Services Morag Gardner, Chief Nurse, South Sector Mandy Meechan, Interim Chief Nurse, Women and Children’s (designate) Patricia Friel, Interim Chief Nurse, Women and Children Services Dr David Dodds, Chief of Medicine, Regional Services Lorna Loudon, Interim Chief Nurse, Regional Services Dr Martin Culshaw, Associate Medical Director, Mental Health Gail Caldwell, Director of Pharmacy Fiona Smith, AHP Director Evelyn Frame, Chief Midwife Margaret Connelly, Assistant Chief Nurse, Governance and Regulation Lesley Rousselet, Chair, Area Clinical Forum
This monoclonal antibody – the second to be authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency – is for people with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk of developing severe disease.
Another COVID-19 treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab), has today been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after it was found to be safe and effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death in people with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection who are at an increased risk of developing severe disease.
This follows a rigorous review of its safety, quality and effectiveness by the UK regulator and the government’s independent expert scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines, making it the second monoclonal antibody therapeutic to be approved following Ronapreve.
Developed by GSK and Vir Biotechnology, sotrovimab is a single monoclonal antibody. The drug works by binding to the spike protein on the outside of the COVID-19 virus. This in turn prevents the virus from attaching to and entering human cells, so that it cannot replicate in the body.
In a clinical trial, a single dose of the monoclonal antibody was found to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death by 79% in high-risk adults with symptomatic COVID-19 infection.
Based on the clinical trial data, sotrovimab is most effective when taken during the early stages of infection and so the MHRA recommends its use as soon as possible and within five days of symptom onset.
Like molnupiravir, it has been authorised for use in people who have mild to moderate COVID-19 infection and at least one risk factor for developing severe illness. Such risk factors include obesity, older age (>60 years), diabetes mellitus, or heart disease.
Unlike molnupiravir, sotrovimab is administered by intravenous infusion over 30 minutes. It is approved for individuals aged 12 and above who weigh more than 40kg.
It is too early to know whether the omicron variant has any impact on sotrovimab’s effectiveness but the MHRA will work with the company to establish this.
Dr June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive said: “I am pleased to say that we now have another safe and effective COVID-19 treatment, Xevudy (sotrovimab), for those at risk of developing severe illness.
“This is yet another therapeutic that has been shown to be effective at protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19, and signals another significant step forward in our fight against this devastating disease.
“With no compromises on quality, safety and effectiveness, the public can trust that the MHRA have conducted a robust and thorough assessment of all the available data.”
Professor Sir Munir Pirmohamed, Chair of the Commission on Human Medicines, said: “The Commission on Human Medicines and its COVID-19 Therapeutics Expert Working Group has independently reviewed the data and agrees with the MHRA’s regulatory approval of Xevudy (sotrovimab).
“When administered in the early stages of infection, sotrovimab was found to be effective at reducing the risk of hospitalisation and death in high-risk individuals with symptomatic COVID-19. Based on the data reviewed by the Commission and its expert group, it is clear sotrovimab is another safe and effective treatment to help us in our fight against COVID-19.”
Sotrovimab is not intended to be used as a substitute for vaccination against COVID-19.
The government and the NHS will confirm how this COVID-19 treatment will be deployed to patients in due course.
New transparent face masks, made in Scotland, have been approved for use in health and social care settings.
The new transparent masks, which feature a clear front panel to enable lip reading, will make communication easier and help reduce the challenges the pandemic has created for those with communication needs.
NHS National Services Scotland began distributing the masks to Health Boards in November, and they will be in use from early December onwards.
The product has been designed and made by Scottish PPE supplier, Alpha Solway, based in Dumfries and Galloway, and is the result of close collaboration with NHS National Services Scotland.
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Humza Yousaf said: “Although face masks are essential to reduce the spread of coronavirus, it can cause difficulties for people who rely on lip reading, or have other communication needs.
“Patients and staff have rightly been calling for an alternative to the usual surgical face masks in clinical settings, so I am pleased NHS Scotland is rolling out these new, innovative transparent masks.
“These masks mean staff and patients can communicate clearly while staying safe.
“It is also great news that the masks are being made right here in Scotland. Businesses across Scotland worked hard to set up a new Scottish PPE supply chain at the start of the pandemic.
“This was an important part of our response to the coronavirus and this new and innovative product illustrates the long term benefits a domestic PPE supply chain can bring.”
Mary Morgan, Chief Executive for National Service Scotland said: “Patient care is of the utmost priority and clear communications is critical to delivering the best possible experience for patients.
“Our procurement team have been working hard to distribute transparent masks to health boards across Scotland in time for December. This is a key step in improving communications with patients and staff as we continue through the pandemic.”
More than £11 million has been awarded to two drugs projects to enable them to expand their residential rehabilitation service as part of a commitment to increase the number of beds in Scotland by 50% to 650 by 2026.
River Garden Auchincruive in South Ayrshire will use the funding over the next five years to increase capacity from seven to 56 residents and build a unit to meet the specific needs of women.
NHS Lothian will receive around £5 million to create capacity to support around 600 additional placements over five years at Lothian and Edinburgh Abstinence Programme (LEAP) and increase capacity at the Ritson detoxification clinic from eight beds to 12. This will enable the board to develop a pathway to rehab for those using complex polysubstances and illicit benzodiazepines.
The funding is part of the additional £100 million announced as part of the National Mission to improve access to residential rehabilitation.
In a statement to Parliament on progress with Residential Rehabilitation, Minister for Drugs Policy Angela Constance outlined plans to ensure that by 2026, at least 1000 people are publically funded to go to rehab every year – a 300% increase on the number prior to the launch of the National Mission.
Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance said: “While there is much to be done to address our drug deaths crisis we are making changes to support people to access the treatment and recovery that is right for them.
“Our commitment to increase the number of publically funded places by 300% and the number of beds by 50% will provide options for those who can safely access and who want to access residential rehab.
“The funding announced for these latest projects comes from the additional £100 million we are investing in residential rehabilitation over the next five and we are determined every penny of that will make a difference.”
General Manager of Royal Edinburgh Hospital and Associated Services David Pickering-Gummer said: “The grant will allow the LEAP service to increase capacity by 40% and increase bed numbers in the Ritson Clinic by 50%, to allow for stabilisation and detoxification prior to transfer to LEAP.
“There will be a greater focus on vulnerable groups and we will employ peers with lived experience to act as ‘bridges’ between community services and rehab. We will also focus on strengthening aftercare provision.
“The team are particularly thrilled to see the ‘Peer Bridge Project’ being funded, which will open the doors a bit more widely to vulnerable groups in keeping with Scottish Government priorities.
“We are grateful to the Scottish Government and to the local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships for having the vision to fund plans which will make a real difference to the lives of patients and their families who are struggling with addiction.”
River Garden Chair William Smith said: “All at River Garden are enormously grateful for the funding support from the Residential Rehabilitation Rapid Capacity Programme.
“This funding will enable the significant expansion of our residential capacity to create additional space for residents, and new staffing resource and facilities that specifically meet the needs of women.
“Existing residents come from across Scotland and we very much look forward to having the opportunity to help many more people sustainably recover from addiction in the beautiful setting and community of River Garden Auchincruive.”
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has raised concerns about the number of people waiting on key diagnostic tests in NHS Lothian.
Diagnostic tests give doctors more information about a patient, so that they can confirm or rule out conditions and diseases. Key diagnostic tests include endoscopy and radiology. Endoscopy is where a long flexible tube with a light and camera shows images of a patients organs on a television screen. Radiology is the science of x-rays for taking images to diagnose a patient.
The eight key tests and investigation are upper endoscopy, lower endoscopy (excl. colonoscopy), colonoscopy, cystoscopy, CT scan, MRI scan, barium studies and non-obstetric ultrasound.
In NHS Lothian a record 17,432 patients were waiting to be seen for a key diagnostic test at the end of September 2021. This is an increase of 790 from the end of June 2021 when 16,631 patients were waiting, an increase of 4.75%.
The number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test in NHS Lothian has risen by 2,989 in the last year from 14,443 at the end of September 2020, an increase of 21%.
Over the last two years the number of patients waiting for a diagnostic test has risen from 10,657 at the end of September 2019 by 6,775 patients, 64%.
Across Scotland 125,557 patients were waiting to be seen for the eight key diagnostic tests, an increase of 8.9% (+10,304) from 30 June 2021 and 22.2% higher than at 30 September 2020.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“We are seeing a very concerning increase in the number of patients waiting for a key diagnostic test in NHS Lothian over the last two years.
“The number of patients waiting over 6 weeks has more than tripled over the last two years.
“Diagnostic tests are vital for doctors to be able to diagnose and treat patient’s diseases.
“The quicker a patient’s illness is diagnosed the sooner they can get treatment, which improves their chance of recovery.
“The pandemic will inevitably have impacted diagnostic tests in NHS Lothian, however consistent underfunding for the health board by SNP Ministers had made diagnostic waiting times very long even before Covid-19.”
The British Dental Association Scotland has said new standard operating procedures for dentists published yesterday will NOT restore access to pre-COVID levels.
With high levels of COVID and other seasonal infections, and now the emergence of the Omicron variant, dentist leaders stress they will also do nothing to avert the potentially catastrophic impact of Scottish Government plans to pull away pandemic support from NHS practices.
Patients in Scotland will now be placed on one of two pathways, given the likelihood of them carrying a respiratory illness. It replaces what amounted to a ‘one size fits all’ approach that has been in place since the outset of the pandemic, which reduced capacity across the service.
Those on the non-respiratory pathway can be managed in line with pre-COVID standard infection control precautions for non-aerosol generating procedures.
However, for an aerosol-generating procedure, enhanced precautions will still be required for non-respiratory patients since pre-appointment PCR testing is not carried out in dentistry.
Any patient placed on the respiratory pathway and requiring urgent care will remain subject to enhanced precautions for all procedures, which will include maintaining ‘fallow time’ gaps of up to an hour between treatments.
The new model is unveiled on the day the Omicron variant was confirmed to be present in Scotland. Even setting aside any potential spike in COVID infection, large numbers of patients are likely to end up on the respiratory pathway given typical patterns with seasonal flu and the common cold.
It is anticipated a number of dentists may opt for a ‘safety first’ approach, and use flexibility within new protocols to maintain existing protective measures, particularly given the uncertain effectiveness of triage questions in identifying symptoms of the Omicron variant.
Over 3.5 million NHS dental appointments have been lost in Scotland since the first lockdown, driven by ongoing restrictions.
Cabinet Secretary Humza Yousaf wrote to all NHS dental teams last month stating that all emergency support will be withdrawn by 1 April 2022, as part of a new policy to return to the low margin and high volume system the service operated to pre-pandemic.
The move drew criticism from all opposition parties, given the unsustainable pressure it would place on practices. According to a BDA survey conducted at the time 80% of dentists estimate their practices are set to reduce their NHS commitment should the Scottish Government remove emergency support and return to pre-COVID models of care.
Yousaf told the Scottish Parliament on 3 November that “reform at this stage would be a disruption.” Governments in both Westminster and Cardiff Bay are taking through reforms to their NHS dental systems at this time.
NHS dental care free at the point of use remains a centrepiece SNP policy. BDA Scotland has said the Scottish Government must change course to achieve that goal, develop an interim funding package to support dentists and their teams as they work through the backlog, and begin work on a new, sustainable model for delivering care.
David McColl. Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said: “Since the spring we have been pressing for a plan to safely ease COVID restrictions, to help increase patient numbers.
“Sadly, these new guidelines will not magically restore services. They land as we head into winter when respiratory diseases are set to skyrocket. And with Omicron now present in Scotland many practices will understandably take a safety-first approach.
“We are still facing massive backlogs, saddled with a system that is unfit for purpose. New protocols will not soften the blow of plans to pull away emergency support at this challenging time for infections and try and return to a ‘business as usual’ model during a pandemic.
“Ministers say now is not the time for reform. Reform won’t wait for millions of patients in Scotland who need NHS dentistry to have a future.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s briefing from St Andrew’s House this morning:
Good morning,
I am joined here today as you can see by the Chief Medical Officer.
Now today’s full Covid statistics will be published later on today, so I’m not going to provide all of the detail of those right now.
I can though confirm that the overall situation in Scotland does remain stable at this stage.
We have in recent days been seeing cases declining slightly.
We knew, however, that the weeks ahead would present real risks to this stability.
Colder weather forcing us indoors. Festive socialising. And a deteriorating situation in many countries across Europe.
However, over the past few days a new risk has emerged in the form of the Omicron variant and it is that that we want to update you on today.
I am going to set out what we know so far about the new variant – though I stress there is still much that we and the rest of the world do not know about it.
I will also give the most up to date information we have on numbers of cases identified so far here in Scotland – though I expect that this will be a developing situation in the days ahead.
I will set out the actions we have considered it appropriate to take so far on a precautionary basis.
And of course I will remind everyone what we can all do – must do, in fact – to help contain the spread of the virus in general but this new variant in particular.
Firstly, what do we know at this stage?
And as I said a moment ago, the most important point to make – which was underlined in a briefing issued by the World Health Organisation last night – is that there is still a huge amount that we do not know about the variant.
The number of mutations that it has – and the nature of these – and some of the very early indications from Southern Africa have raised the concern that this variant might be more transmissible than Delta which of course is currently the dominant variant in Scotland and many other countries.
However, much more data and analysis is required to be certain of this and, if it is more transmissible, to understand by how much.
Further work is also needed to confirm what impact this variant might have on the effectiveness of vaccines and the risk of re-infection.
The WHO said yesterday that preliminary evidence suggests there might be an increased risk of re-infection but stressed that information at this stage is still limited.
It also said that there is currently no information to suggest that the symptoms from Omicron are any different to the symptoms from other variants.
In other words, although again more data is still required, there is no evidence at this stage to suggest that the disease caused by Omicron is more severe.
Now the days and weeks ahead will tell all of us much more about the nature of this variant and therefore its implications, if there are implications, for our response to the pandemic.
What we do know at this stage, though, confirms in my view that we should treat it seriously, and we should continue to act on a precautionary basis at this stage.
While we all hope that the emerging understanding of it will reduce rather than increase our level of concern, there is no doubt that this presents – potentially – the most challenging development in the course of the pandemic for quite some time.
Let me turn now to the situation in Scotland. We have stepped up our surveillance in recent days and I want to thank public health teams for the work they are doing to ensure that we are able to detect cases of this variant quickly.
As we confirmed earlier today, that enhanced surveillance has identified 6 cases of the Omicron variant in Scotland so far – 4 of these are in Lanarkshire and 2 in Greater Glasgow & Clyde.
Now it is important for me to stress that the contact tracing of these cases is still ongoing. However, at this stage, we know that not all of them have any recent travel history to, or known links with others who have travelled to, the countries in Southern Africa where the variant was originally detected.
This suggests that there might already be some community transmission of this variant in Scotland but again let me stress there is no evidence yet that this is sustained – nor any evidence from the enhanced surveillance that it is widespread at this stage.
However, evidence of even limited community transmission underlines the importance of all of us increasing our compliance with the protections that are in place.
And I will turn now to the actions we have taken.
We have already reintroduced some travel restrictions – even with evidence of community transmission locally, these travel measures are important and I will say more about them shortly – but given that Omicron is already present in Scotland, we also need to consider carefully what steps are necessary and proportionate to reduce transmission here.
Some protections that the UK Government has announced in recent days in relation to England – for example the requirement to wear face coverings in some settings – are of course already in place, and in fact more extensive already, here in Scotland.
So at this stage, we are asking people, everyone across the country, to significantly step up and increase compliance with all existing precautions – face coverings, hygiene like washing hands and surfaces, getting vaccinated and of course testing yourselves regularly with lateral flow devices and, from now on, testing yourself before mixing socially with people from other households.
We are also reminding people to work from home if possible. As of today, I’m asking employers to make sure they are maximising the potential of home working.
However, this may be, and is likely to be, a fast-moving situation – so our response will be kept under close review as we learn more about the risk Omicron poses, and the nature of transmission here in Scotland.
A key part of our initial response will be to continue to identify cases as quickly as we can and, where possible after that, break the chains of transmission.
To that end, additional testing will be undertaken in areas where cases have been identified.
Now, our local response will complement the UK-wide travel restrictions that aim to avoid importing new cases while we are trying to curb community transmission.
Even with cases already here, it is really important to do what we can to prevent new seeding of the variant from elsewhere.
So in line with the rest of the UK, we have reinstated the red list of countries, and to date 10 countries from southern Africa have been added to that red list.
Anybody travelling back to Scotland from those 10 countries must enter managed quarantine for 10 days on their arrival.
In addition, anyone arriving in Scotland from anywhere outside the common travel area, will be asked to take a PCR test on the second day after arrival, and self-isolate until they get the result of that test.
We know, however, that the incubation period for this virus is very often more than 2 days.
So our view is that it would be sensible on a precautionary basis for these travel rules to be tightened further.
That’s a view shared by the Welsh Government.
I had a called yesterday with First Minister Mark Drakeford and he and I have this written this morning a joint letter to the Prime Minister.
We are proposing a tougher four-nations approach to travel restrictions at this stage that would see people arriving in the UK from overseas asked to self-isolate for eight days. Under our proposal, they would take a PCR test on day eight of their arrival, as well as on day 2.
We believe this measure would be more effective in identifying cases of this variant which result from overseas travel, and therefore help us prevent further community transmission from imported cases.
Now as we know from earlier stages of the pandemic, with so many people travelling to Scotland and indeed to Wales via airports in England, anything less than a four-nations approach to requirements like this will be ineffective. So we hope that a four-nations agreement can be reached.
A four-nations approach obviously requires the four nations to discuss these issues together, and hear the best advice available.
So Mark Drakeford and I have also called on the Prime Minister today to immediately convene a COBRA meeting – with representation from each nation – to discuss what additional steps we might have to consider and how we work together to tackle this new risk.
Mark Drakeford and I are also conscious of the very real concern businesses and staff will feel at the possibility of further protections becoming necessary.
Now let me stress we all hope this will not be necessary but it is prudent to plan ahead and so we have also sought confirmation that – should any further protections be necessary – Treasury funding will be available to any of the four nations that require to activate business support schemes.
Now, given the serious tone and content of my statement today, I want to stress this.
It is always important – and we’ve learned this over these past two years – in the face of new developments in this virus to prepare for the worst, to act on a precautionary basis.
But that does not mean that we are not hoping – because we are hoping – for something considerably short of the worst. We are still hoping for the best, and hoping that our developing understanding of this variant will reduce rather than increase our concern.
I very much hope that additional protections can be avoided. And while we will act on a precautionary basis we will also seek to act at all times in a proportionate manner.
I want to end by stressing what we can all do. Vaccination remains our most important line of defence.
We had already outlined last week that the Scottish Government was working to accelerate even further the booster vaccine programme. We will now step up those efforts more.
We are expecting a statement later today from the JCVI conforming its updated advice on vaccination.
The Scottish Government is getting ready to operationalise any new recommendations from the JCVI – for example in relation to the interval between second doses and boosters, or the range of people who can now receive booster jags and we will do that as quickly as is possible.
Vaccines do remain our best line of defence and I want to stress this point
If – and it is still an if – vaccines do prove to be less effective against this new variant, vaccination will still be hugely important.
Less effective does not mean ineffective.
If anything, the new variant makes it more important – not less important – to get all doses of the vaccine.
Over the weekend, 40-49 year olds became able to book boosters through NHS Inform.
Older age groups can already do so.
So if you are 40 or over, go to the website, book a booster for when you are due it.
And if you haven’t yet had your first or second doses, please book an appointment to get them now.
The Scottish Government will consider carefully in the coming days any further actions that are necessary, as we get more information about this variant and the extent of its presence here.
But the point I want to end on, and indeed stress at this stage, is that the same measures that have worked against previous strains of this virus, will also help us curb any transmission of this new variant.
So if in recent weeks you’ve been sticking a bit less rigorously to all of the public health advice, which I think is entirely understandable and I am sure we are all in that position to a greater or lesser extent, now is the time to start following all of that advice rigorously again.
Every one of us can make a difference in protecting ourselves and each other.
So let me just end with a reminder of what all of us can do and what it is really important that all of us do at this stage.
These steps are now vital so I am asking everybody not to see this as optional.
Firstly, get vaccinated.
It is the single most important thing we can do to protect ourselves and each other.
Secondly, test for Covid regularly. As I said, we will be increasing testing in areas where the new variant has been identified.
But for all of us, wherever we are, even if we are feeling fine, regular lateral flow testing is a really important way of finding out if we might have the virus.
So on any occasion that you are intending to socialize, or mix with people from other households – whether that is in a pub, a restaurant, a house or even a shopping centre – please do an LFD test. You can get kits online, or pick them up from local pharmacies or test centres. They are free so get as many as you need and keep your supply topped up.
And finally, comply with all of the existing protections.
Wear face coverings on public transport, in shops, and whenever you are moving about in hospitality settings.
Keep windows open if you have people in your house to improve ventilation because we know that helps.
Follow all advice on hygiene. It is time to go back rigorously to washing our hands, to cleaning surfaces.
And as I said earlier, please work from home right now if you can.
The Economy Secretary will be meeting business organisations later this afternoon and stressing that home working when possible will help us get through the winter and also this latest risk more safely.
The discovery of the new variant makes these measures more important than ever before. They will make a difference. And by sticking to them, we give ourselves the best possible chance of enjoying the more normal Christmas we are all looking forward to, but enjoying not just a more normal Christmas but a safer Christmas too, and hopefully avoiding the need for any tighter protections in the weeks to come.
So please, let’s all of us make sure that we up our compliance right now. This of course is a concerning development but if we take it as a reminder not to let our guard slip, then I hope we can protect the stronger position that we had already got ourselves into.
So please, get vaccinated, test yourself regularly, and follow all of the protections that are in place.
Thank you to everybody for doing all of these things and for what I know everybody will be seeking to do in the weeks ahead.
Council Leaders urge citizens to help limit Covid spread
City council leaders have urged residents to continue and renew efforts to help limit the spread of the Covid virus following the emergence of the new Omicron variant in Scotland.
The call from Council Leader Adam McVey and Depute Leader Cammy Day comes after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon gave a national update earlier today (Monday).
The First Minister stressed the importance of getting vaccinated, carrying out lateral flow tests regularly and rigorously following existing advice, including wearing masks, sanitising hands and surfaces and working from home where possible.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “With the emergence of the new Omicron variant it’s essential that we follow a precautionary approach. While we’re still learning about this variant it’s right that we take action to protect ourselves and those around us.
“We must continue our efforts to limit its transmission, particularly as we head into the coldest winter months. First and foremost that means getting vaccinated – get both your jags and, if eligible, your third, booster dose.
“It’s also crucial that we test ourselves regularly, especially if we’re mixing with others, and, of course, carry on following the public health guidance on handwashing, face-coverings, ventilation and meeting outdoors wherever possible.
“There’s so much we can do to slow the virus’s spread and, hopefully, enjoy the more ‘normal’ Christmas we’ve all been waiting for.”
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “The latest developments demonstrate that, while we’ve been making strides to limit the spread of the Covid virus, we need to remain alert.
“We can’t let all the sacrifices we’ve made so far go to waste – now is the time to redouble our efforts, look after one another and follow the rules.
“Together we can help limit the spread of the virus, reducing pressure on our health and care services over the winter and the need for further restrictions.”
Community test centres and mobile test centres are open for people with no Covid symptoms. Full details of these, and how to order home lateral flow testing kits, are available online.
Six cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant have been identified in Scotland.
Four cases are in the Lanarkshire area and two have been identified in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.
Public Health Scotland and local health protection teams are supporting and contact tracing is being undertaken to establish the origin of the virus and any individuals they have come into contact with in recent weeks.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “This will be a worrying time for the six people now identified as having the new variant. All will receive expert help and support and Public Health Scotland will undertake enhanced contact tracing in all cases. This will help establish the origin of the virus and any further individuals they have come into contact with in recent weeks.
“There is still much to learn about the Omicron variant. Questions remain about its severity, transmissibility and response to treatments or vaccines and scientists are working at pace to provide additional information. Until more is known we must be cautious and do everything we can to minimise the risk of spreading infection.
“We have already taken steps and are aligning with the new border restrictions being introduced by the UK Government which will require fully vaccinated arrivals to take a PCR test within two days of arrival and to self-isolate until a negative result is received.
“These measures will be introduced as soon as possible and kept under constant review. However, we reserve the right to go further if necessary. We are also adopting the expanded red list of countries identified by the UK Government. This will also be kept under review.
“We must now redouble our efforts to follow the basic rules that have served us well throughout the pandemic – wear a face covering on public transport and in all indoor settings for food and retail; open windows especially if you have people visiting at home; keep washing your hands regularly and thoroughly. Work from home where possible, take regular lateral flow tests – especially before mixing with others outside your household.
“If you have symptoms, self-isolate and take a test and if contacted by Test and Protect or public health teams please co-operate and follow their advice. All close contacts of suspected Omicron cases will be advised to self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of their vaccination status.
“And of course, if you are eligible for your booster, or are still to have any dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, please get vaccinated now.”
BREAKING: First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be holding a Coronavirus briefing at 10.30 this morning.
This reveals for the first time the extent of potential harm that is being caused to patients when they must wait in the back of ambulances or in corridors before they are accepted into the care of their local hospital.
The review found that the proportion of patients who could be experiencing unacceptable levels of preventable harm is significant. Over eight in ten of those whose ‘handover’ (from ambulance clinician to hospital clinician) was delayed beyond 60 minutes were assessed as having potentially experienced some level of harm; 53% low harm, 23% moderate harm and 9% (one patient in ten) could have been said to have experienced severe harm.
The impact assessment was coordinated by AACE and was undertaken in all ten English NHS ambulance services who reviewed a sample of cases from one single day in January 2021, where handovers exceeded one hour.
Experienced clinicians assessed the range and severity of potential harm experienced by those patients who were already seriously ill, frail or elderly and who waited for sixty minutes or more before being accepted into the care of the hospital from the ambulance crews in attendance.
The nationally defined target for hospitals included in the NHS Standard Contract states that all handovers between ambulance and A&E must take place within 15 minutes, with none waiting more than 30 minutes.
Since April 2018, an average of 190,000 handovers have missed this target every month (accounting for around half of all handovers) while in September 2021 over 208,000 exceeded the 15-minute target.
Responding to the latest report ‘Delayed hospital handovers: Impact assessment of patient harm’ published yesterday by the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said:“This report makes for stark reading but will come as no surprise to Emergency Department staff.
“Patients should never be delayed in the backs of ambulances. Patient safety is being compromised. When there is simultaneously no space in the Emergency Department and ambulances queuing outside the Emergency Department, we are no longer delivering effective urgent and emergency care to the community.
“We support our paramedic colleagues and will continue to work with them to tackle these handover delays and keep patients safe. But these pressures must not be addressed in isolation. The answer does not lie with the ambulance services nor in the Emergency Department. This is a system-wide problem that requires system-wide action and solutions. In particular, the answer is not just to increase physical space in the Emergency department with no additional staff.
“Trusts and Boards must focus on increasing flow throughout the hospital to reduce exit block and ensure patients are moved through the system. In the immediate term, Trusts and Boards must safely expand capacity throughout the hospital where possible to stop patients being delayed in ambulances. Social care must be resourced to ensure patients can be discharged when they have completed their treatment to prevent long hospital stays.
“We entered the pandemic with too few beds in the system and have continually struggled to manage with reduced capacity, now this is unsustainable. It is vital that the government restore bed capacity to pre-pandemic levels to achieve a desirable ratio of emergency admissions to beds. Currently 7,170 beds are required across UK Trusts and Boards.
“Patient safety is at risk and without urgent action avoidable harm will continue to fall upon patients while urgent and emergency care will fall deeper into crisis.”
