Author Topic: Covid 19  (Read 68735 times)

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Offline DVT

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #120 on: March 26, 2020, 11:17:05 am »
Does anyone know if there is a procedure to request getting repeat prescriptions delivered from pharmacy?

My wife's monthly supply will be due for collection next week and I am reluctant to let her go and collect.

I collected mine on Monday and did not like the way people were gathering, as I have mentioned in another post.  In my case I am in two of the three at risk categories, she is close to being in one!

I don't want to phone them unless that is the correct procedure, as I am sure they are busy.

Thanks for any info.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #121 on: March 26, 2020, 12:44:04 pm »
DVT    I don't know if there is a correct procedure but if I was you I would phone the Chemist and ask them if they can deliver the prescription to your wife.
It may help them if in future you could both receive your prescriptions at the same time if that is possible
I'm sure that they are expecting more home deliveries in view of this pandemic but I would phone asap.    Good luck


Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #122 on: March 26, 2020, 04:06:47 pm »
AROUND 80 percent of people will contract Covid-19, Wales' chief medical officer has said.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the world, Dr Frank Atherton said 80 per cent of people will contract the virus 'at some point'.

He said: "What we've been doing, the strategy in the UK as a whole, has been to suppress that, to delay the onset of that so that the NHS can cope, so that we have time for the NHS to get ready.

"At some point, once the interventions that we've put in place here in Wales and in the UK are lifted, there is a risk that people will then start to become infected again.

"And so the way in which we release those measures will be very critical.
"What we're doing at the moment is watching other countries which have put these quite repressive measures in place, to see what happens when they lift, how quickly can we lift those measures?

"These are all unanswered questions but everybody is vulnerable because nobody has experienced this virus before - it's a new virus to humanity."

Dr Atherton warned it would be a "very challenging time for our NHS" and said staff were working in "unprecedented times".
He added: "It's going to be tight and it's going to be difficult and it is going to be hard for staff.

"There is no doubt about that but our staff are stepping up magnificently to that challenge and we are in the preparing mode and things are quiet in most of our hospitals at the moment."      ref Pioneer

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #123 on: March 26, 2020, 04:31:02 pm »
Does anyone know if there is a procedure to request getting repeat prescriptions delivered from pharmacy?
My wife's monthly supply will be due for collection next week and I am reluctant to let her go and collect.
I collected mine on Monday and did not like the way people were gathering, as I have mentioned in another post.  In my case I am in two of the three at risk categories, she is close to being in one!
I don't want to phone them unless that is the correct procedure, as I am sure they are busy.
Thanks for any info.

Hi DVT,  I did PM you earlier, but the advice is useless now, when I phoned they could no longer offer the service, to many people in isolation I was advised to use the number below, belonging to Conwy Community support, who hold a directory of suitable volunteers, in your area, I got in touch with the recommended volunteer, and they will collect my prescription tomorrow, and offered future help.

Community support: 01492 575544                                                                                  $good$

Offline Hugo

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #124 on: March 26, 2020, 06:08:21 pm »
Coronavirus: UK government unveils aid for self-employed

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52053914

Offline DVT

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #125 on: March 26, 2020, 06:17:01 pm »
Thanks for the info Hugo and SteveH ... don't know where the PM went!  Will note that number.  Stay safe.

Offline Hugo

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #126 on: March 26, 2020, 11:13:46 pm »

Offline Hugo

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #127 on: March 27, 2020, 09:24:43 am »
About 8.00 pm last night we went on our front door step and could hear that the clapping in appreciation of all the NHS staff had already started and then more people came out and did the same thing and the sound of clapping could be heard all down the road
It was a really moving and also an upsetting moment to realise the work, effort and risk that the NHS staff are putting themselves under being on the front line of this pandemic.

Offline Bellringer

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #128 on: March 27, 2020, 09:35:25 am »
A quite emotional experience and sight here in Conwy too. Lots of of people out of their front doors and clapping for a few minutes.

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #129 on: March 27, 2020, 10:18:44 am »
About 8.00 pm last night we went on our front door step and could hear that the clapping in appreciation of all the NHS staff had already started and then more people came out and did the same thing and the sound of clapping could be heard all down the road
It was a really moving and also an upsetting moment to realise the work, effort and risk that the NHS staff are putting themselves under being on the front line of this pandemic.

I was surprised when Mrs H said we were going out to applaud,  I had not heard about it, and as we live in a very quiet area, was not expecting anything, WRONG....... I think every pan and wooden spoon, in Llandudno, was in use, tremendous response, and well deserved, and hopefully they will be remembered, when their next pay evaluation is due.

North Wales comes out in force to applaud NHS workers on the front line
Clapping could be heard for miles around as thousands took part in the mass gesture of appreciation last night
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-comes-out-force-17990521




« Last Edit: March 27, 2020, 12:46:14 pm by Ian »

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #130 on: March 27, 2020, 02:18:56 pm »
Mint makes visors for health staff  ref BBC
The Royal Mint in Llantrisant is making protective visors in the fight against coronavirus.

Engineers created an approved medical design in just 48 hours.
The first visors are already in use in hospitals in south Wales.
It will begin mass manufacturing for the NHS next week.

Royal Mint operations director Leighton John said: “On Wednesday at 9am we knew nothing about medical visors.
"But we set our engineers the task of developing essential medical equipment which could be easily made on site.

"Within seven hours they’d created a medical visor, and within 48 hours it was approved for mass manufacture.
"We’ll shortly post the specifications on our website to enable other firms to make them too.

“We are now developing the production line, and urgently calling for help to source 1.0mm PET clear plastic which is in low supply across the UK.”


PS
The six mild coronavirus symptoms that really shouldn't be ignored
Everyone now knows to look out for a continuous dry cough and a fever but there are some other tell-tale signs


https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/six-mild-coronavirus-symptoms-really-17993119

Offline Ian

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #131 on: March 27, 2020, 02:54:01 pm »
One thing that's been puzzling many is that those who are in contact with many patients seem to die more frequently than those who are only infected by one.  That's led to social media suggesting that the more infectious individuals you encounter, the worse your own illness will be. But it may not be that simple.

Emerging research indicates the relationship between infection and covid-19 severity may be more complex – and differ from that of other respiratory illnesses.

The average number of viral particles needed to establish an infection is known as the infectious dose. We don’t know what this is for covid-19 yet, but given how rapidly the disease is spreading, it is likely to be relatively low – in the region of a few hundred or thousand particles, says Willem van Schaik at the University of Birmingham, UK.

Viral load, on the other hand, relates to the number of viral particles being carried by an infected individual and shed into their environment. “The viral load is a measure of how bright the fire is burning in an individual, whereas the infectious dose is the spark that gets that fire going,” says Edward Parker at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

If you have a high viral load, you are more likely to infect other people, because you may be shedding more virus particles. However, in the case of covid-19, it doesn’t necessarily follow that a higher viral load will lead to more severe symptoms.

For instance, health workers investigating the covid-19 outbreak in the Lombardy region of Italy looked at more than 5,000 infected people and found no difference in viral load between those with symptoms and those without. They reached this conclusion after tracing people who had been in contact with someone known to be infected with the coronavirus and testing them to see if they were also infected.

Similarly, when doctors at the Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital in China took repeated throat swabs from 94 covid-19 patients, starting on the day they became ill and finishing when they cleared the virus, they found no obvious difference in viral load between milder cases and those who developed more severe symptoms.

Although it is difficult to draw firm conclusions at this stage, such studies “may impact our assumptions about whether a high number of viral particles predisposes to a more serious disease”, says van Schaik.

However, a study of patients hospitalised with covid-19 in Nanchang, China, found a strong association between disease severity and the amount of virus present in the nose. “Those with more severe disease had a higher level of virus replication, although we have no evidence to relay the initial exposure dose to disease outcome,” says Leo Poon at Hong Kong University, who was involved in the study. “That rumour is still an open question to me.”

It is early days, but if the infectious dose doesn’t correlate with the severity of disease symptoms, this would mark covid-19 out as different from influenza, MERS and SARS.

For influenza, a higher infectious dose has been associated with worse symptoms. It has been tested by exposing volunteers to escalating doses of influenza virus in a controlled setting and carefully monitoring them over several weeks. This hasn’t been done with covid-19, and is unlikely to happen, given its severity.

Animals infected with higher doses of the SARS and MERS coronaviruses also experienced worse outcomes, says van Schaik. “I think we just have to conclude that while this virus is related to SARS, there are also important differences that are currently poorly understood,” he says.

Even if the infectious dose isn’t related to disease severity, it still pays to try and minimise our exposure to the virus because this will reduce our chances of falling ill in the first place. “We want to be taking every precaution we can to prevent ourselves getting infected, which will also reduce our ability to pass the virus on to others,” says Parker. “Any measures we can take to avoid infection are worth taking.”
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #132 on: March 27, 2020, 05:20:54 pm »
The UK Government holds its daily press conference...
17:09
NHS boss speaking
Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, is now speaking.

He has said that hospital services have been reconfigured, so 33,000 beds have been reconfigured to provide support for coronavirus patients in England.

Three hospitals to be built - at the Excel Centre in London, the NEC in Birmingham and in Manchester.
More could follow, he said.

A total of 18,000 doctors and nurses have returned to the front line. It is not clear whether this figure is just for England.
Mr Stevens said the best way to show support was to follow the advice of the government. ref DP

Offline Ian

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #133 on: March 27, 2020, 05:58:24 pm »
Latest World Wide news

Latest coronavirus updates as of 5.30PM on 27 March

US overtakes China with highest number of cases

The US now has the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases of any country with 86,000 positive tests, overtaking China. Worldwide confirmed cases passed half a million yesterday.

China will ban entry of non-nationals including those with valid Chinese visas and residence permits from tomorrow in an effort to limit the import of new coronavirus cases.

In Italy, there are fears that the south could become the country’s next hotspot. The most recent numbers from the northern region of Lombardy indicate that the epidemic there may be slowing down.

Other coronavirus developments

The G20 has pledged to inject over $5 trillion into the global economy.

The UK department of health is reported to have previously rejected high-level medical advice about providing healthcare workers with certain protective equipment during a flu pandemic, because of the cost of stockpiling it.

The UK’s privacy watchdog approved the use of data from people’s mobile phones to track and monitor behaviour to fight the spread of coronavirus. There is legislation that can make it illegal not to keep your mobile charged.

The world’s top condom producer has expressed concerns about a potential global shortage after a lockdown in Malaysia, where the company’s factories are based. Malaysia is South East Asia’s worst affected country.

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for the coronavirus and is now self-isolating. He says he will continue to lead the government’s response remotely. The health secretary, Matt Hancock, has also tested positive for the virus, while Chris Witty, the chief medical adviser, also says he has experienced symptoms and is now self-isolating at home.

Coronavirus cases

The worldwide death toll has passed 25,000. The number of confirmed cases is more than 560,000, according to the map and dashboard from Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases will be much higher.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Ian

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #134 on: March 27, 2020, 06:29:44 pm »
What is surprising about Covid is how little we still understand about it. But we're learning. Everything that follows is backed up by detailed research.

How long does the virus last on various surfaces?
 Because of detailed testing in Edinburgh, Johns Hopkins in the US and Bejing Universities we know that the virus remains potent for:

72 Hours on Steel, Ceramic and Plastic
24 Hours on Cardboard
4 hours on Copper
Several hours on Hands
1-2 hours in the air where there's air conditioning running
8-9 hours in still air, like a library.


Research in 2015 revealed that medical students touched their faces on average around 23 times per hour.

Masks don't work, but Manchester Uni and a company in Anglesey have developed the Snood; a mask with anti-viral properties.

Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.