Displaying items by tag: Health

England's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, predicted that there are hard months to come in the winter because Covid levels are running very high. Too many people believed the pandemic was now over, and winter could ‘potentially be problematic’. He also said there were signs that infections were starting to ‘penetrate’ older age groups, and how Christmas is affected would depend on a whole range of behaviours. We can pray for the nation to recognise that caution is still needed around the elderly, and face coverings should continue to be worn in appropriate places along with social distancing. Meanwhile the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation, which provides advice to the Government, said that while the infection rate is high, the current case numbers are not ‘out of control’ although we are at a ‘relatively important crux point’. The total of UK infections recorded on 3 November was 41,299, higher than most of Europe.

An estimated one in 60 people in the UK had coronavirus in the week ending 16 October. That figure is one in 45 for Wales, one in 55 for England, one in 90 in Scotland, and one in 130 in NI. Scientists advising the government said they should prepare to trigger stricter Plan B measures now, amid rising cases. The percentage of adults who say they always or often maintain social distancing fell to 39% in mid-October. Although most adults agree measures such as social distancing and mask-wearing to slow the spread of Covid are important, fewer people are still doing it and more than half of working adults are now travelling to work. Young people see the ‘hands, face, space’ measures and social distancing as less important than older age groups do. Men are less likely than women to view them as important or very important.

There have been anti-Covid vaccine protests outside 420 schools up and down the UK. The Association of School and College Leaders said it is not a fringe concern even though most protests stem from just two groups on the messaging app Telegram. One organiser has allegedly visited every secondary school in Hartlepool, and another group is coordinating multiple daily school visits from Kent to Cheshire. Protesters left Gateshead students distressed after showing them pictures of what appeared to be dead children. They target teachers with sham legal documents, and hand children leaflets with QR codes leading to extremist and conspiracy content. Some protesters think it is wrong to vaccinate children, or say the whole pandemic is a hoax. Sir Keir Starmer said it was sickening that protesters were spreading ‘dangerous misinformation’ to children, and wants exclusion zones set up around school gates.

Health leaders have called for some Covid restrictions to be reintroduced immediately to avoid England stumbling into a winter crisis. They said a back-up strategy, a Plan B which includes mandatory face coverings in crowded and enclosed spaces, should be implemented. UK cases have been rising sharply. Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said it was not yet time for a Plan B and urged a greater uptake of booster jabs. He did not want to jeopardise the ‘hard-won gains’ of reopening the economy even though for a week daily Covid cases have averaged above 40,000, the worst figures since March. Overall, he said, ‘the health service is right at the edge’. Meanwhile, the health secretary is telling the public to ‘play their part and get a booster jab’ in order to enjoy Christmas with loved ones. Cabinet Office officials are already discussing ‘Plan C’ proposals which would ban mixing between households. See

Health bosses say that patients will be put at risk unless the NHS receives an extra £10bn next year to recover from the pandemic. A five-year settlement will see the funding increase by £33bn by 2023-24, but Covid has added to costs in a way that could not have been envisaged when Theresa May's government agreed the settlement in 2019. NHS leaders say the pandemic has led to pressures never seen in the history of the health service. Hospital layouts have had to be overhauled, services moved off site into new buildings, extra infection control procedures have been brought in, and the scale of sickness being seen means extra staff are needed to care for patients. At the same time, there is a growing backlog of traditional care such as hip and knee operations. Instead of budget growth by £4bn under the existing settlement, NHS leaders need almost £15bn.

Optometrists across the country say they are diagnosing higher numbers of children with short-sightedness (myopia) since the start of the pandemic. They put this down to less time spent outside due to Covid restrictions, more time spent looking at computer screens, and a drop-off in numbers of eye tests. The College of Optometrists is calling for parents to get their children to play outside for two hours a day, as this has been proved to prevent or stop the development of myopia. It is also recommending parents to take their children for eye tests. Optometrists are also asking for more funding for research in the UK population into the impact of the pandemic on children’s eyesight.

Remembering her early school years, Princess Beatrice said, ‘I remember feeling really confused - an overwhelming sense of “Why does this all feel a little bit muddled?”’ She was reflecting on her childhood coping with dyslexia, as she prepared to welcome her first child with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, who is also dyslexic. It was the language she chose to describe her dyslexic experience that has sparked media and internet discussion. The pregnant princess referred to the language-based learning difficulty which can affect reading, writing, spelling, and speaking as a ‘gift’ that any of her future children would be lucky to have. ‘I think that having dyslexia and reflecting on where I am right now in my career path, and also as an older person looking back, has definitely allowed me to look at things in a new way and come up with solutions’, she said.

Minister for health Stephen Donnelly said that the government will continue to lift Covid-19 restrictions ‘as quickly as possible’. There would still be public health advice for situations where infection rates are higher. When asked if he thought that all restrictions on indoor capacity limits would be lifted before Christmas, he said, ‘Yes, I do. The road to freedom lies ahead, but things may still get worse before they get better. What we want to do is to provide real certainty for people. It’s been a brutal year and a half’, he added. The government is currently working on a roadmap on the lifting of all restrictions, which will be published next week.

Thousands of people could be risking their lives by delaying seeking medical help. Tummy pain or a cough that does not go away could be caused by cancer, so these symptoms should be checked out. Cancers detected early can often be treated quickly and easily. But three in five people don't want to bother the NHS, while others are not aware of the common symptoms. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said cancer services were now ‘running at full speed with new, innovative ways of working in place’. NHS TV advertisements are warning people not to ignore signs. Over the past year 10% fewer people have started cancer treatment; they are being encouraged to come forward now. Abdominal, throat, stomach, bowel, pancreatic, ovarian, prostate, kidney and bladder cancers account for 44% of all diagnoses, and two in five deaths from cancer in England.

In April the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) warned the department of health that consumers could be ripped off by the fast-growing Covid PCR testing industry and that the competitions watchdog had not done enough. The Government said it was provided with general market analysis from the CMA on potential implications for the PCR testing market, and that advice informed government approaches on private provider lists. There has been a summer of complaints from travellers who mention tests listed on the government's list of providers that don't exist at the price advertised, and poor service. At the start of August, the health secretary asked the competitions watchdog to investigate ‘excessive’ pricing and ‘exploitative practices’ among Covid test firms. In a letter to the CMA, Sajid Javid said it was time for a ‘rapid high-level’ review to protect consumers. The travel industry also demands action to remove the barriers to passenger recovery.