public health – Page 54 – The NEN

Prime Minister: UK COVID variant ‘may be more deadly’

Early evidence suggests the variant of coronavirus that emerged in the UK may be more deadly, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the nation last night.

The Prime Minister made the announcement in a televised statement from Downing Street:

Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have tried to update you as soon as possible about changes in the scientific data or the analysis.

So, I must tell you this afternoon that we have been informed today that, in addition to spreading more quickly, it also now appears that there is some evidence that the new variant – the variant that was first identified in London and the South East – may be associated with a higher degree of mortality, and I’m going to ask Patrick (Vallance) in a minute to say a bit more about that.

Because it is largely the impact of this new variant that means the NHS is under such intense pressure, with another 40,261 positive cases since yesterday. We have 38,562 COVID patients now in hospital, that’s 78 per cent higher than the first peak in April and, tragically, there have been a further 1,401 deaths.

So, it is more important than ever that we all remain vigilant in following the rules and that we stay at home, protect the NHS and thereby save lives.

But I also want to answer a key question that I know will be uppermost in your minds: All current evidence continues to show that both the vaccines we are currently using remain effective both against the old variant and this new variant.

And so, you will also want to know that our immunisation programme continues at an unprecedented rate.

5.4 million people across the UK have now received their first dose of the vaccine and over the last 24 hours we can report a record 400,000 vaccinations.

In England one in ten of all adults have received their first dose, including 71 per cent of over-80s and two thirds of elderly care home residents.

Having secured orders for hundreds of millions of doses, the U.K. government has supplied vaccines to the Devolved Administrations, according to population size.

First doses have been administered now to 151,000 people in Northern Ireland, 358,000 in Scotland and 212,000 in Wales.

And I am glad that the whole of the U.K. is able to assist the Devolved Administrations in deploying the vaccine and I know everyone across the country is grateful for the logistical skill of the British Army.

There is much more to do, and the target remains very stretching indeed, but we remain on track to reach our goal of offering a first dose to everyone in the top four priority groups by the middle of February.

And I want to thank all the doctors and nurses, especially at the GP-led sites who are vaccinating at a phenomenal rate, as well as, as I say, all those in our armed forces, our local authorities, our pharmacies and volunteers, who are making this extraordinary national effort possible.

And I want to thank all of you who have come forward to get your jabs, because, by doing that, you are protecting yourselves, your communities and, of course, our NHS.

And I say to everyone, when that letter arrives, please don’t hesitate to book that appointment and get this life-saving protection, because this is the best and fastest way for us all to defeat this virus and get our lives back to normal.

Commenting on the new variant of COVID-19 in the UK the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said: “The new UK variant comprises a significant number of the our cases.

“It is spreading 30 to 70% more easily than the old variant. It doesn’t differ in terms of age distribution to the original variant.

“When we look at severity and mortality, data for patients who are in hospital with the virus suggest the outcomes for those with the original variant look the same as the new variant. However, when looking at the data for people who have tested positive, there is an indication that the rate for the new variant is higher.

“Although these data are currently uncertain, it does appear that this variant has increased mortality compared to the old virus, as well as increased transmission. For context, with the original variant, if you took a group of 1,000 infected men in their 60s roughly 10 would die. But with the new variant, roughly 13 or 14 of that group might be expected to die.

“There is increasing evidence from studies that vaccines will still work against the UK variant.”

A paper from the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) on the new coronavirus (COVID-19) variant B.1.1.7 explains this further.

Roll Your Sleeves Up: Scottish Government launches vaccination information campaign

A new campaign encouraging people to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as they are eligible launches today.

The ‘Roll your sleeves up’ campaign will emphasise the importance of the vaccine and its safety, as well as the prioritisation list set out by Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to ensure those most at risk are vaccinated first.

Vaccination will be offered to 4.5 million people in Scotland and is currently underway for residents of care homes for older people and their carers, frontline health and social care workers, and those aged 80 years and over. Local delivery is being led by NHS boards, who will contact those eligible to arrange their vaccination.

Those aged 70 and over and the clinically extremely vulnerable, including those on the shielding list will receive their first vaccine dose by mid-February, those aged over 65 will receive their first doses by the beginning of March, and vaccination of the wider adult population will commence once the remainder of the JCVI priority groups are complete by early May.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Vaccination offers us greater protection against COVID-19 and it offers us hope that this year will be a brighter one.

“It is another vital tool in our work to suppress the virus, but other measures including testing, and lockdown restrictions remain absolutely essential to suppress COVID to the lowest possible level in Scotland.

“These three critical actions will help us protect the NHS and save lives, towards a brighter year ahead. However, we don’t yet know how well vaccination stops people transmitting the virus to others – which is why it’s essential people protect the progress we’ve made, and continue to follow the restrictions currently in place, whether they have been vaccinated or not, while vaccine delivery is rolled out across the country.”

The ‘Roll your sleeves up’ campaign will run from today (21 January) to the end of March 2021 on TV, radio, press, outdoor and digital channels.

Interim Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Dave Caesar said: “No matter which vaccine you receive, each has passed a rigorous three-phase testing process, reviewed by independent regulatory and advisory bodies to ensure it is safe and effective.

“Your local NHS health board will be in touch with you to arrange your vaccination appointment when you are eligible, and I encourage everyone to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible to do so.

“However, vaccination on its own it won’t be enough to win the race against this virus.

“Each one of us needs to do all we can – following the guidance, abiding closely to the restrictions, washing our hands, wearing face coverings, maintaining 2m distance from each other – everything we can to slow down the spread of the virus and suppress its prevalence as low as we can, so that increasing vaccination can do the job we need it to do.

“Doing all of that will help you protect yourself, protect the NHS and save lives.”

The vaccination programme has given us much needed hope against #coronavirus.

But it's vital we stick to the rules.

Dr Nicola Steedman, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, explains more about the vaccines and continuing to follow FACTS ⬇

ℹ Learn more at https://t.co/p5uea5bHbk pic.twitter.com/CpK3WzbqSw
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) January 21, 2021

For more information visit nhsinform.scot/rollupyoursleeves or call 0800 030 8013.

Adult-information-covid-19-vaccine-leaflet-Jan2021 Download

A victory for common sense

GMB welcomes announcement to bring forward home care testing roll-out – but warns any failure will be met with action

GMB has warned the Scottish Government and local authority health and social care partnership (HSCPs) that any failures in the roll-out of COVID-19 workplace testing for home care workers “will be met with collective action”.

Following the threat of a full industrial action ballot by GMB members in Glasgow HSCP, Scotland’s biggest home care service, Cabinet Secretary Jeane Freeman confirmed at Friday’s press briefing that testing for all home care workers will be brought forward from March to Monday 18 January.

And after meetings between GMB, Scottish Government and COSLA representatives this morning, where assurances were given on the delivery of testing kits and support measures, the union has agreed to suspend next week’s scheduled industrial action ballot in Glasgow HSCP.

Rhea Wolfson of GMB Scotland Women’s Campaigns Unit said: “It’s a significant step forward for the safety of home care workers across Scotland in the fight against COVID-19 – our members have fought hard for this.

“But the Scottish Government and local authority employers have done more in a week than they have for ten months on testing for home carers, and neither should be congratulating themselves here.

“People should be asking why it’s taken nearly a year of struggle, and in the case of Glasgow HSCP to the brink of a strike ballot, for a workforce of predominantly low-paid women to get COVID-19 testing at work?

“GMB called for a national plan for social care last March, we called for testing, but the First Minister told us that Scotland was prepared for COVID-19. We know now the country wasn’t prepared and what we got was negligence while home carers struggled with only PPE for safety.

“The Scottish Government and HSCPs across Scotland should be well-aware that we will be carefully monitoring the roll-out of testing for our members and any failure to protect their safety and rights will be met with collective action.”

Police: Do the right thing this weekend

A statement from Edinburgh Police:

Last weekend saw an increase in people gathering at parks and open spaces in the city, particularly at Portobello Beach and the Meadows.

We fully recognise the impact the restrictions are having on people’s lives, but it is clear that significant sacrifices are vital to help suppress the spread of coronavirus.

The Chief Constable has made it clear that our approach throughout the pandemic has not changed and officers will continue to support people to follow the regulations and encourage them to take personal responsibility.

We will have increased patrols in our communities to explain the regulations and to encourage people to do the right thing.

Where officers encounter wilful breaches they will act decisively to enforce the law.

For the latest guidelines from the Scottish Government, visit its website here: http://ow.ly/VCDa50D8jZb

Coronavirus: ‘We MUST stay home’

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty writes about the UK’s battle with Covid-19

We have faced several grave moments during our battle against coronavirus. But right now, the country is perhaps facing the most serious yet.

The new, more transmissible variant of this disease is spreading rapidly across the country and having tragic consequences.

On Monday the 4 UK Chief Medical Officers and the NHS Medical Director recommended raising the national alert level to the maximum of level 5 for the first time.

This means that without further action there is a material risk of our healthcare services being overwhelmed within 21 days.

Since then the situation has deteriorated further.

Hospitals are always busy in the winter but the NHS in some parts of the country is currently facing the most dangerous situation anyone can remember. If the virus continues on its current trajectory many hospitals will be in real difficulties, and very soon.

This means that the time people wait for care will continue to increase to potentially unsafe levels, hospitals won’t have room to take redirected emergency cases in regional networks, staff to patient ratios which are already stretched will become unacceptable even in places likes intensive care.

There will be avoidable deaths. NHS staff are doing their absolute best, and working remarkably; we all owe them a huge debt of gratitude, but even they have limits.

The public have made an extraordinary effort so far. Of course we are all tired of restrictions, but we need to find the collective strength to get through this critical stage and save as many lives as we can.

The advice right now is unambiguous: to drive the numbers down, we must stay home except for work, exercise and essential activities. Every unnecessary interaction you have could be the link in a chain of transmission which has a vulnerable person at the end.

These restrictions will not last forever. Science has delivered new vaccines, drugs and tests, with more on the way, in record time. People will be reunited. Vaccines and new treatments offer us hope and a clear way out. But we are not there yet, and should not act as if we are.

We still have weeks to go before vaccines will start reducing COVID deaths and, some weeks later, the number of people being hospitalised. We cannot afford to let our justified optimism for the future come at the expense of difficult action today.

That means for now staying home and avoiding all unnecessary contacts. By following the rules, we will save lives and help normal life return more swiftly.

Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine national roll-out

Doses to be administered at over 1,000 GP practices and community centres

Many more people will receive the first dose of the Oxford/Astrazeneca coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine in GP practices and community vaccination centres across Scotland from tomorrow (Monday)

The vaccine, approved for use in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on 30 December, has already been administered in primary care settings in NHS Tayside, Lothian, Orkney and Highland.

First doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine will now start to be administered in GP practices and community centres across the rest of Scotland this week.

Scotland has an allocation of 533,640 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in January. These doses are available for local order and delivery to the different parts of Scotland over January.

Those aged 80 years and over will be invited to attend for vaccination by their local NHS Board or GP practice via a letter or by phone.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The delivery of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is a major development for the biggest vaccination programme we have ever delivered.

“I would like to thank everyone involved for their continued efforts to ensure the pace of the programme continues. Next week I will update parliament with further logistical detail of the vaccination programme.

“We have over 1,100 vaccination sites, including over 750 GP practices with a growing core of over 3000 trained vaccinators to deliver the vaccine. When it is your turn to be vaccinated you will be contacted by your local health board and I urge you to please take up the offer.

“Please do not contact your GP but wait for your letter or phone call. And please remember that when the time comes for your second dose, it is crucial you get it as this is vital for longer term protection and to complete the course.

“As ever, we are dependent on the vaccine supply and we continue to explore all possible options to speed up the delivery of all vaccine and bring forward timescales where possible.

“This work, alongside our expanded testing strategy, rigorously complying with restrictions where we live and adhering to the public health guidance, is essential to protect those most at risk and minimise further impact on the NHS and social care services.”

The number of people being treated for coronavirus in Scotland’s hospitals reached another record daily high yesterday.

Latest figures show a total of 1,596 people are in hospital with Covid, up from Friday’s figure of 1,530.

93 Covid-related deaths were recorded on Saturday, the same number as Friday which was the highest daily figure of the pandemic so far.

Police appeal: stay away from Monday’s demo

Police are urging members of the public to stay at home and not attend a planned demonstration at the Scottish Parliament.

Information has been received that an event is scheduled to take place on Monday (11 January). However, under the current Level 4 restrictions, such gatherings are not permitted and anyone wishing to demonstrate is urged to find alternative ways to protest, such as online, to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Superintendent David Robertson from Edinburgh Police Division said: “We understand people want to make their voices heard, but they must do so lawfully and peacefully.

“The Scottish Government regulations are clear that no marches or parades are allowed due to the restrictions in place.

“Static demonstrations can take place if Scottish Government guidance is followed in local authority areas under Level 0-3 restrictions.

“They are prohibited in areas under Level 4 restrictions and we will continue to police these using the 4Es approach of engaging with those taking part and explaining the restrictions in place.

“Our response will be measured and appropriate and we will use enforcement as a last resort where required.”

For more information on the latest coronavirus guidelines please visit the Scottish Government website at http://ow.ly/QT2O50D43KL

Moderna vaccine approved on UK pandemic’s darkest day

US biotech company Moderna, Inc. has announced that the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved its mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 for use under Regulation 174.

The temporary authorization permits the supply of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna in Great Britain and is based upon the advice of the UK Commission on Human Medicines.

“We appreciate the confidence shown by the UK MHRA in COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna with this decision, which marks an important step forward in the global fight against COVID-19,” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.

“I want to thank the MHRA and the Commission on Human Medicines’ reviewers for their tireless efforts. The authorization of a product developed by Moderna is a significant milestone on the Company’s 10-year journey, and I would like to thank all our colleagues that have helped us get to this point.”

The United Kingdom government has also exercised its option to purchase an additional 10 million doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, bringing its confirmed order commitment to 17 million doses. The first deliveries of the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna to the UK from Moderna’s dedicated non-U.S. supply chain are expected to commence early in 2021.

The UK is the fifth jurisdiction to authorize COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, following the United States on December 18, 2020, Canada on December 23, 2020, Israel on January 4, 2021 and the European Union on January 6, 2021.

Additional authorizations are currently under review in a number of countries including Singapore and Switzerland.

The vaccine will be available for free and the government is working with the devolved administrations to ensure it is deployed fairly across the UK.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This is fantastic news and another weapon in our arsenal to tame this awful disease.

“Through our vaccine delivery plan we have already vaccinated nearly 1.5 million people across the UK. The Moderna vaccine will boost our vaccination programme even further once doses become available from the spring.

“While we immunise those most at risk from COVID, I urge everyone to continue following the rules to keep cases low to protect our loved ones.”

Nearly 1.5 million people in the UK have already been vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccines, with more than 1,000 vaccination sites live by the end of the week across the UK to rapidly scale up the vaccination programme.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will submit updated advice on which groups to prioritise for vaccination before doses become available.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “Vaccines are the key to releasing us all from the grip of this pandemic, and today’s news is yet another important step towards ending lockdown and returning to normal life.

“The UK was one of the first countries in Europe to sign a deal with Moderna, and I’m delighted our Vaccine Taskforce has secured an additional 10 million doses of their highly effective vaccine to protect the British public and save lives.

“From the scientists and trial volunteers to our world-class regulators and clinicians, we are enormously grateful to everyone who has played their part in this national effort to defeat the virus and get our country back on its feet.”

The NHS has decades of experience in rolling out successful widespread vaccination programmes and is putting into place extensive preparations for the roll-out of the Moderna vaccine ahead of the spring.

The Moderna vaccine will be deployed through similar methods:

hospital hubs for NHS and care staff and older patients to get vaccinated
local community services with local teams and GPs already signing up to take part in the programme
vaccination centres across the country, ensuring people can access a vaccine regardless of where they live

Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “The NHS is pulling out all the stops to vaccinate those most at risk as quickly as possible, with over 1,000 vaccination sites live across the UK by the end of the week to provide easy access to everyone, regardless of where they live.

The Moderna vaccine will be a vital boost to these efforts and will help us return to normal faster.

Through the Vaccines Taskforce, the UK has secured early access to 367 million doses of 7 of the most promising vaccines so far. To date, the government has invested over £230 million into manufacturing a successful vaccine. In the Chancellor’s Spending Review, published on 25 November, it was announced that the government has made more than £6 billion available to develop and procure successful vaccines.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said: The highly effective Moderna vaccine is another impressive success for science and is another testament to the hard work of researchers and selfless clinical trial volunteers.

This vaccine will save lives once doses become available, but it is crucial we all continue to follow the rules to protect each other until enough people have been protected.

Interim Chair of the government’s Vaccines Taskforce Clive Dix said: This is another important milestone in our efforts to end this pandemic, and I would like to thank those in the government’s Vaccine Taskforce who have worked so hard to negotiate agreements with vaccine developers.

“A key objective for the Vaccine Taskforce is to ensure we have a range of vaccines to deliver to the UK population. The addition of the Moderna vaccine to the UK’s portfolio is important to reach that goal.”

Yesterday’s announcement was a glimmer of bright light on Covid’s darkest day. Thursday saw the worst figures since the virus hit the UK last year. A record 68,053 cases were recorded – and there were 1325 deaths, another unwanted record. Scotland also saw it’s worst figures – 93 deaths were registered on Thursday and 1530 people were in hospital with the virus.

Health professionals have said that the worst is yet to come. Vaccination really cannot come fast enough.

Concern over conditions in capital care home

Lothians MSP Miles Briggs has expressed concern over a failure to improve conditions at Braid Hills Nursing Centre.

The latest Care Inspectorate report reads:

Braid Hills Nursing Centre is registered to provide care to 95 older people and 24 adults with a physical disability. The provider is BUPA Care Homes (ANS) Limited.

We carried out an initial inspection of the service on 29 September and 1 October, with NHS Lothian. The findings were outlined in the report laid before Parliament on 14 October.

We completed a further visit on 12 November with NHS Lothian to follow up on the improvements required in relation to cleanliness, infection prevention and control, waste management, the use of PPE and staff knowledge. The findings were outlined in the report laid before Parliament on 25 November.

We determined that further progress was still required.

We visited the service again on 29 December. Improvements were not sufficient in respect of the standard of cleanliness, waste management, the use of PPE, staff practice and knowledge. Overall, the management oversight and quality assurance systems were ineffective.

We issued a letter of serious concern to the provider on 29 December which detailed immediate action the home must take.

We returned to the service on 2 January 2021. Although the service had made plans to address our concerns, progress was not sufficient to reassure us that people were being supported safely during the pandemic. We issued the service with an improvement notice on 4 January 2021.

We have informed Edinburgh health and social care partnership of our findings.

We will undertake a further visit to monitor the improvement notice.

This was a follow-up inspection. We did not change the service evaluations.

Lothians MSP Miles Briggs said: “This is extremely concerning that Braid Hills Nursing Centre has failed to make the necessary changes to make the care home safe.

“The care home has repeatedly been told to follow the necessary measures in respect to the standard of cleanliness, waste management, the use of PPE, staff practice and knowledge, but have refused to do so.

“Increased levels of Covid-19 in the community puts elderly care home residents at even greater risk and Braid Hills Nursing Centre’s license must be reviewed if they will not meet the necessary standards to keep residents safe.”