Author Topic: Covid 19  (Read 68714 times)

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Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #360 on: March 23, 2021, 12:24:03 pm »
The EU's attitude to vaccines, is seriously annoying, first they don't want it, now they want it all, and this after being late in ordering the vaccines in the first place, now desperately trying to please the European people, who are seeing other countries high vaccination rates.


A couple of informative BBC articles ...

What’s the problem with the EU vaccine rollout?  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-52380823


Between the EU trying to hold back supplies and India's problems, this article is reassuring.

Where is the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made?  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/56483766



Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #361 on: March 24, 2021, 10:19:51 am »
54% of UK public will miss some aspects of Covid lockdown rules – study
The research found many people say they will miss spending time with family, quieter roads and staying in

The research, part of a wider study with BBC News also found that 32 per cent of 2,442 adults aged 16 and over said the past year has been similar to or better than average for them personally.

And 19 per cent said the last year has been better than they expected it to be when the first lockdown was introduced, while 21 per cent said their finances have improved.

cont  https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/uk-coronavirus-restrictions-lockdown-rules-study-b925875.html


Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #362 on: March 24, 2021, 02:48:47 pm »
Update on yesterdays stories above........

EU plans tougher controls on vaccine exports

The European Commission has proposed tougher controls on Covid vaccine exports after it accused UK-Swedish firm AstraZeneca of failing to honour its contract to supply EU countries.

The plans, to go before EU leaders on Thursday, stop short of a ban but could enflame tensions with the UK.

Any shipment would be assessed on the destination country's rate of vaccinations and vaccine exports.

Meanwhile, millions of AZ doses have reportedly been found in Italy.

La Stampa website says some 29 million vaccine doses due to be shipped to the UK were being stored at the Catalent plant in Anagni near Rome but were discovered by Italian inspectors as part of an investigation by the European Commission.

Italian military police did not deny the raid took place, but when asked by the BBC about the report, the foreign ministry in Rome and the Italian prime minister's office refused to comment. The plant has a contract with AstraZeneca to "fill and finish" its vaccines and is set to do the same for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, also approved for use in the EU.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56509521

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #363 on: March 26, 2021, 11:10:34 am »
Wockhardt UK: Inside the factory making the AstraZeneca vaccine

While Europe faces a shortage of vaccines and governments argue about who gets what, one company in north Wales is producing jabs solely for the UK population.

Almost all of the UK's AstraZeneca supply comes through here; it's where the vaccine's filled into sterile vials, inspected dozens of times, and sent out for distribution.

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it a "saviour of humanity" and it's fair to say the staff inside are feeling immense pressure - and pride - from their role in the vaccination programme.

BBC Breakfast was given world-first access to the production line.

4 minute video  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-56450968

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #364 on: March 27, 2021, 01:39:45 pm »
Over-70s, health and social care workers, and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable could begin to get booster shots against new coronavirus variants as early as September, the vaccine minister has said.

Nadhim Zahawi said the first booster jabs would be given to those in the top four priority groups; those over 70, NHS workers and care home staff, and the clinically extremely vulnerable.

In an interview with the Telegraph, Zahawi also revealed that ministers were expecting up to eight different vaccines to be available in the UK by the autumn, including one jab which has the potential to protect from three different strains of coronavirus with a single dose.

A number of the hoped-for vaccines will reportedly be manufactured in the UK, a move that could relax pressure on supplies as tensions escalate with the European Union, which faces a shortage of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Asked when the public could expect booster shots to begin, Zahawi said the most likely date would be September.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/27/covid-booster-shots-could-go-to-at-risk-groups-in-september-uk-vaccines-minister

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #365 on: March 30, 2021, 02:11:45 pm »
"It's appalling the way AstraZeneca has been treated. I wouldn't blame them if they were thoroughly fed up and decided to bow out of the covid vaccine business."

That was the view from one of the biggest institutional investors in the UK.

It's not a view the pharmaceutical giant and its talismanic boss Pascal Soriot would have expected to hear, having developed a safe, effective vaccine at breakneck speed, signing contracts to deliver nearly two billion doses and doing it all without making a profit.

Mr Soriot could be forgiven perhaps for thinking he would be getting a medal.

Instead he is getting brickbats from EU politicians like Belgian MEP Philippe Lamberts, who has accused the company of dishonesty and arrogance, in the way he alleges, it has "over-promised and under-delivered".

Some are suggesting that the whole endeavour has been more trouble than it is worth.

AstraZeneca has foregone over $20bn (£14.5bn) in revenue, while becoming a household name in the EU and the US for all the wrong reasons.

cont  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56570364

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #366 on: April 02, 2021, 10:20:35 am »
I did not realise the numbers were so high.

Long Covid: snapshot poll finds more than 1m people with symptoms in UK
ONS estimates 1.1m people in community had ongoing symptoms in four weeks to 6 March

Long Covid, or post-Covid syndrome, describes a range of symptoms that persist for more than four weeks after a first suspected infection with the virus, and which are not explained by other causes. Symptoms vary but include fatigue, muscle pain and difficulty concentrating.

The ONS estimates that 697,000 of those with long Covid first had the virus, or a suspected infection, at least 12 weeks earlier, with a further 70,000 having a first infection at least one year earlier.

cont  https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/01/long-covid-snapshot-poll-finds-million-people-symptoms-uk

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #367 on: April 07, 2021, 02:43:12 pm »
Covid-19 vaccine invites for over-40s being sent in 'significant numbers' in North Wales
It comes as most people aged 50 and over should have already had an invite for their jab

Later in the article..........

 "We are determined to not leave anybody behind, so if you are in Priority Groups 1-5 (aged 65 or over or are clinically extremely vulnerable) and have not yet been able to take up an appointment, please call our COVID-19 Vaccination Contact Centre on 03000 840004.

"The lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm and Saturday to Sunday, 9am to 1pm.

“If you’re in Priority Groups 6-9 (aged 50-64 or aged 16-70 and in an at risk group), and you’ve not been able to take up an appointment, we’ll contact you to offer you another appointment in the coming weeks.

"Please be patient and don’t contact your GP or our COVID-19 Vaccination Contact Centre unless you need to cancel or amend an existing appointment.”
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/covid-19-vaccine-invites-over-20334091
full story

Offline SteveH

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Re: The link between Vitamin D deficiency and Covid-19
« Reply #368 on: April 08, 2021, 03:51:13 pm »
As some will know, I am a great believer in Vitamin D supplements, and have taken them daily for some time, and suggested to others their use, today Ireland's government is saying "every adult in Ireland should take vitamin D supplements", below are various links for those interested, and I hope some of the quotes below, might pique an interest to those who arre unsure.

Article from the Irish Times
Every adult in Ireland should start taking vitamin D supplements due to alarming levels of deficiency in the State, a new Oireachtas report says.

Low levels of vitamin D have also been linked to worse health outcomes in relation to Covid-19, and this is why the issue needs to be addressed urgently, according to the report.
Elderly people, those who are overweight and people who belong to an ethnic minority are more at risk of deficiency, and targeted measures are needed to combat this, the report warns.

The Oireachtas Health Committee’s report, published today, outlines a number of public health measures that need to be taken to raise vitamin D levels among the general population.
The report recommends that every adult in Ireland should start taking vitamin D supplements.

cont  https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/every-adult-in-ireland-should-take-vitamin-d-supplements-report-recommends-1.4531214


Article from the Irish Medical Journal
Optimisation of Vitamin D Status for Enhanced
Immuno-protection Against Covid-19

Conclusions and Recommendations
Vitamin D deficiency is common and may contribute to increased risk of respiratory infection including Covid-19. We
recommend that all older adults, hospital inpatients, nursing home residents and other vulnerable groups (e.g. those
with diabetes mellitus or compromised immune function, those with darker skin, vegetarians and vegans, those who
are overweight or obese, smokers and healthcare workers) be urgently supplemented with 20-50µg/d of vitamin D to
enhance their resistance to Covid-19, and that this advice be quickly extended to the general adult population.


cont  https://www.imj.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Optimisation-of-Vitamin-D-Status-for-Enhanced-Immuno-protection-Against-Covid-19.pdf

Full report from
Joint Committee on Health
Report on addressing Vitamin D deficiency
as a public health measure in Ireland
April 2021


1.3 The link between Vitamin D deficiency and Covid-19
9. More relevant in the context of Covid-19, Vitamin D is known to assist the immune
system in fighting harmful bacteria and viruses, and to reduce the risk of Acute
Respiratory Infection (ARI). The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the important role
Vitamin D can play in the fight against SARS-CoV-2. Severe Covid-19 disease
produces severe respiratory symptoms such as bilateral pneumonia associated with a
high morbidity and mortality, especially in patients of an advanced age



OFFICIAL REPORT   https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/committee/dail/33/joint_committee_on_health/reports/2021/2021-04-07_report-on-addressing-vitamin-d-deficiency-as-a-public-health-measure-in-ireland_en.pdf

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #369 on: April 16, 2021, 10:25:01 am »
STAFF at Bangor’s Ysbyty Gwynedd are taking part in a national trial to discover whether healthcare workers who have previously contracted Covid 19 are protected from the infection.

The trial named Siren (Sarscov 2 Immunity and Reinfection Evaluation) is being led by Public Health England and is taking place in around 130 different sites across the UK. The study is supported by the Research Team at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board through Health and Care Research Wales.

Initial reports from the study say antibodies from past Covid 19 infection provide 83 per cent protection against reinfection for at least five months.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/19237313.healthcare-staff-ysbyty-gwynedd-take-part-national-trial-understand-covid-immunity/


Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #370 on: April 17, 2021, 10:08:43 am »
The four reasons we still need to be 'very cautious' as lockdown restrictions ease
More rules are scheduled to be relaxed in the coming weeks

1. The underlying dynamic over coronavirus transmission hasn't changed. Evidence across the world shows that, as soon as you increase social contact, the rates of transmission increase. Therefore the UK is likely to see increased rates as lockdown restrictions are relaxed.

2. While there has been huge progress in vaccinating people, there's still "a long way to go", with most of the people aged under 50 still to be vaccinated and the extra 5% of people in the most vulnerable groups who haven't had the vaccine yet.

3. The virus mutates, creating new variants, and it's still not fully understood exactly how much protection the vaccines give against variants.

4. It is still not fully understood exactly how the virus works. It tends to be worse in winter, which is why there have been warnings of further waves of the virus. It is hoped they will be much smaller than January with less impact on patients due to the vaccination campaign, but it's said to be "a question of when and how serious, not if".


"We therefore need to be careful about assuming we're on a one-way, inexorable and inevitable path to 'going back to normal' because it'll be a bumpy switchback road to a 'new normal'.

"We'll need to continue to wear masks, have regular vaccinations and prepare for further surges.

"The two key immediate priorities are therefore for the NHS to complete this initial vaccination campaign as quickly as possible and for all of us to play our part by sticking to the rules."

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/four-reasons-still-need-very-20391137

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #371 on: April 21, 2021, 02:40:35 pm »
The UK is likely to see a "summer surge" in Covid cases as lockdown is relaxed, a government scientist says.

Prof Adam Finn, of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, says modelling points to a rise in cases, as many adults are not immunised.
He said the UK was still "vulnerable" and the dates for easing restrictions may need adjusting.

The PM has said there is nothing in the data to suggest the next step in easing lockdown cannot go ahead as planned.
But Boris Johnson said that most scientists were "firmly of the view" that there would be a third wave of the virus at some point this year.

On Tuesday, for the first time since September UK government figures showed fewer than 2,000 Covid patients in hospital.
More than 10 million people in the UK have had two doses of the vaccine. It means more than 19% of UK adults are fully vaccinated.

Prof Finn, from the University of Bristol, told BBC Breakfast the prime minister was right that the UK will see a further wave of Covid-19 cases....

cont  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56830398

Offline SteveH

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #372 on: April 24, 2021, 10:08:33 am »
A very good explanation of the differences and comparisons of the various vaccines available today, also why you might think  that one is better than another.

Why you can't compare Covid-19 vaccines                    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3odScka55A

 



Offline Ian

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Re: Covid 19
« Reply #373 on: April 24, 2021, 11:51:41 am »
The extremely good news is that human trials are about to get underway on the world's first Universal Coronavirus vaccine.  This is excellent news, because the appearance of Covid-19 follows on the heels of MERS and SARS, both deadly (far more so than Covid) but currently far less infectious. If another Coronavirus variant with the infectivity of MERS and SARS but the transmissibility of Covid were to appear, we could expect at least 100 million deaths.

Creating a Universal vaccine means locating a commonality that all the viruses share, like a kill-switch. Calls to create one began in 2014, when Abul Islam and Refat Sharmin at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh discovered an epitope within an enzyme that was universal across all known human coronaviruses, and suggested it as a target for a universal vaccine. It was published in BMC Bioinformatics, but wasn’t followed up. Why? Because neither SARS nor MERS was hitting the wealthy first-world countries. 

However, the only thing of which we can be utterly sure is that another pandemic will arrive - sooner or later.
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 #374 on: April 27, 2021, 10:01:05 am »
Five factors that will decide scale of third Covid-19 wave in Wales this summer
Experts advising the Welsh Government are recommending that indoor activities are moved outdoors this summer

Recent modelling by Swansea University suggest a third wave of coronavirus is “highly likely” in Wales this summer.

Most scenarios indicate a rise in case numbers, hospital admissions and deaths in late July or early August once Covid curbs have been eased.

Swansea’s scientists don’t expect the summer wave to reach the same intensity as previous waves, said Wales’ Technical Advisory Cell (TAC) in its latest report for the Welsh Government.

To reduce the impact of the third wave, TAC's experts are recommending that, where possible, indoor activities are moved outdoors during the summer.

This particularly applies to activities that include “exercise, singing, loud speaking etc”. Another is "laughing".

TAC said the exact timing and scale of the summer wave remains uncertain and will depend on a number of factors.

These include:
The evolution of Covid variants that are more resistant to vaccines
A breakdown in social distancing behaviour
Drop-offs in vaccine supply
The degree of vaccine hesitancy among the young
A fifth factor - still the subject of research - may include the effectiveness of vaccines in reducing Covid transmission, said TAC

In its report, TAC said: “Personal protective behaviours such as face coverings and hand hygiene will remain important in settings where it is not possible to socially distance at a minimum of two metres, particularly for extended durations.”

cont  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/five-factors-decide-scale-third-20469861