General Covid 19 news

[SteveH]

Sweeping changes to how we test for Covid in Wales will challenge everything we've learned so far about dealing with and containing the virus. The changes may cause real concern to those who have gone to great lengths to protect themselves over the last two years - particularly ending the legal requirement for people to self isolate.

What was the announcement?
Wednesday, March 30, is the last day the public will be able to book a PCR test if they have symptoms

From Thursday, March 31, all PCR testing sites in Wales will close and free lateral flow tests to support regular asymptomatic testing in workplaces will end except for health and social care workers.

Free lateral flow tests for the public for regular asymptomatic testing will end on Thursday, March 31

From Friday, April 1, if you have Covid symptoms you should use a lateral flow test to check whether you have Covid and from that date, only people eligible for COVID-19 treatments will be able to order PCR tests to be done at home.

Routine asymptomatic testing in childcare and education settings, except special education provision, will stop on Friday, April 8

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/major-changes-covid-testing-wales-23533959?IYA-mail=a05105fc-304d-4c50-9807-edab51f779a4

[SteveH]

OPINION
Readers have say whether they will still self-isolate if they test positive for Covid

PEOPLE in Wales were told this week that it was no longer a legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive Covid test.

But they were also reminded that although the legal requirement has changed, the medical advice to do so has not.

With this in mind, we asked Pioneer readers whether they would still self-isolate if they tested positive for coronavirus.

What people said:

Jacquie Clarke: "I’ve never had COVID 19, but if I ever did I would isolate to protect myself and others

Philip Micheu: "Never have...never will. If I feel 'under the weather' I stay home. It's what most people have always done. Nothing to do with COVID."

Bet Howland: "Anything to keep those around me safe and well."

Dave Cheetham: "Why would you go out if you're feeling sick?"

The majority of those who replied, agreed with self isolation..............

More comments  https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/20035595.readers-say-whether-will-still-self-isolate-test-positive-covid/

[SteveH]

New Covid symptoms emerge as cases hit record high - and they may appear in fully vaccinated people
Cases have rose exponentially this week as latest figures show a record 4.9 million people have the virus in the UK

The main symptoms of Covid are still the same: a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. However as new strains emerge and the virus develops, other symptoms have also been reported to be linked with the sickness.

A study was conducted into the ZOE tracker app by a team of Stanford University experts and Dr Konstantina Stankovic. They analysed common symptoms amongst users. The study reported symptoms including severe earache, ear numbness, and even temporary hearing loss, which could also continue after the infection has passed.
cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/new-covid-symptoms-emerge-cases-23580866


It has been confirmed that a new variant of Covid has been found in the UK, with health experts admitting they still don't know anything in regards to its transmissibility, severity or vaccine effectiveness. The XE variant is said to be a mutation of the BA.1 and BA.2 strains, also known as a "recombinant".

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that 637 cases of XE had been detected in England as of March 22. When looking at the current Covid levels - 4.9 million positive cases - that would make it only a fraction of the tens of thousands of total cases being reported each day at the moment,
cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/new-covid-variant-xe-found-23581333

[SteveH]

When you will get the fourth Covid jab in Wales
The Welsh Government is rolling out its spring booster programme

The booster for the most vulnerable

A second booster dose in the spring will be offered to:

Adults aged 75 years and over
Residents in a care home for older adults
Individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed

A Covid-19 vaccination strategy for 2022 has been published by the Welsh Government. It says: "As we cautiously move away from an emergency pandemic footing and towards a time when coronavirus becomes endemic, we must also look at the provision of our vaccination services as a whole, learning from our experience during the pandemic and ensuring our services are fit for purpose and for the future.

"There is now the expectation that Covid-19 vaccination, as with the flu jab, will become a regular programme. In planning for a more stable delivery, to maintain protection, we are working with health boards to plan for some of the more likely scenarios into the spring and further into autumn and winter 2022-23.

"The oldest and most vulnerable people in Wales will need further protection. Winter remains the season when the threat from Covid-19 is greatest both for individuals and for health communities and, for the purposes of longer term planning, the JCVI has also signalled an autumn 2022 programme of vaccinations for people who are at higher risk of severe Covid-19, such as those of older age and in clinical risk groups. Precise details of an autumn programme will be made available at a later stage.

"We are also retaining the need to stand up surge capacity if we need to respond to a new pandemic wave, or outbreak of a new variant, but we hope this capacity will never be needed again."

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/you-fourth-covid-jab-wales-23631056?IYA-mail=a05105fc-304d-4c50-9807-edab51f779a4

[SteveH]

Actress Liz Carr has suggested theaters consider hosting separate performances of shows for audiences who still want to wear facemasks or socially distance.

The Silent Witness star won best supporting actress at Sunday's Oliviers for her role in The Normal Heart.

As live audiences have mostly abandoned wearing masks, Carr suggested venues could offer "Covid-safer" performances.

"Theaters should remain accessible even to those of us who have health conditions," she told BBC News.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-61061976

[SteveH]

A Covid-19 vaccine developed by Valneva has been given regulatory approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The UK had been due to receive 100 million doses of the French firm’s jab, but the Government cancelled the deal in September due to a “breach of obligations”.

The independent medicines regulator is the first in the world to approve the Valneva product, MHRA said in a statement.

The jab developed by the firm, which has a factory in Livingston near Edinburgh, is the sixth Covid-19 vaccine to be granted an MHRA authorisation.

It comes as the number of deaths involving coronavirus registered each week in England and Wales continues to rise, although levels remain well below those reached during previous waves of the virus.

The NHS Confederation has said very high rates of Covid-19 infections are having a “major impact” on the health service, which is facing pressures it would see in a “bad winter” well into spring.

https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/valneva-gains-approval-from-uk-regulator-to-become-sixth-covid-19-vaccine/

[SteveH]

North Wales hospitals facing 'unprecedented demand' as Covid cases rise ahead of Easter weekend

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board said the 'whole health and care system across North Wales' has been affected by the growing number of Covid cases

Faced with bed shortages, the health board has urged the public to use healthcare services wisely as we approach the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. According to a BCUHB spokesperson, an increase in the number of patients in hospitals with coronavirus, combined with staff absences and issues discharging patients back into the community has led to a shortage of beds in hospitals across the region.

The public has been by the health board to urged to use other healthcare services for injuries and illnesses that are not critical or life threatening, to ease the pressure on hospitals over Easter weekend. Dr Richard Griffiths, said: “The best way the public can help our frontline staff, and ensure that they and their families can be seen quickly, is to use other health services within our community and reserve our Emergency Departments for serious or life threatening conditions.

“If you begin to feel unwell and it’s not an emergency you visit the NHS 111 Wales website for free health advice and information or visit your local pharmacy. For urgent concerns, people can contact our GP Out of Hours service by calling 111.”

cont  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-hospitals-facing-unprecedented-23699584

[SteveH]

THE number of people wearing Covid masks has fallen to its lowest point in nearly 18 months, after most laws around face coverings were dropped.

The legal requirement to wear a Covid mask is still in force in Wales for places like hospitals and GP surgeries, but it is now a matter of personal choice for people who visit shops and travel on public transport.

Last week, first minister Mark Drakeford said he believed people would continue to wear masks in crowded public places, get vaccinated and wash their hands regularly.

"These are simple things we’ve all learned to do, and when you add them all up they continue to provide the single biggest protection we have," he told BBC Radio Wales.

Just 61 per cent of people surveyed said they were still wearing masks, lower than any other point since face coverings first became mandatory in some places in September 2020.

In the months that followed, the percentage of people wearing masks generally stayed above 80 per cent, but began to fall gradually last autumn.

Other measures like social distancing have also decreased in popularity in recent weeks. Just 16 per cent of those surveyed said they were only leaving home for essential trips, while 40 per cent said they were still trying to keep two metres away from other people when out.

Mr Drakeford said he would still wear a mask in crowded places and on public transport and urged other people to make a judgement call, based on their situation.

"It’s just making sure that you assess the risk, isn’t it?" he said. "If I’m just out by myself walking in the park, I wouldn’t be wearing one there."

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/20077029.fewer-welsh-people-wearing-covid-masks-social-distancing/

[Dave]

Well after two years of doing everything I could do without becoming neurotic I finally succumbed to the virus and probably due to my own careless decision to not wear a mask at my first PL match in two years. The tram from Manchester Piccadilly to the Etihad was rammed and not one person wore a mask so neither did I. I have been on three foreign holidays since November and walked away unscathed, even after sitting in a metal tube with 300 people for 9 hours but it seems I took one step too far this time. Four days later I had mild symptoms and sure enough I tested positive.
All I can say is it's no big deal for me, I have not really suffered at all, just a sickly cough. I thank the vaccination programme and my general fitness for keeping me safe despite being in the vulnerable age bracket of 70+. I have to say my constant thought is why did the world bring itself to it's knees and continue to do so after everyone had the opportunity to be vaccinated?

[Ian]

Glad to hear it wasn't that bad a deal, Dave.

[SteveH]

PATIENTS suffering from Long Covid have criticised Wales’ response to the disease, saying treatment is severely lacking.   

There are an estimated 83,000 people living with Long Covid in Wales, according to self-reported figures collected by the Office for National Statistics.

The chronic illness is still poorly understood by scientists and doctors, and treating it has been described by experts as “the next great challenge” of the pandemic.   

The Welsh Government has vowed to tackle the crisis, and has said that its Adferiad recovery program, which has received more than £10 million in funding, is providing effective local care for those struggling with the condition.   

However, patients living with Long Covid have told our sister title The National that the treatment they have received in Wales has not been good enough, with several being forced to turn to private healthcare.   

Sarah Sutton, 43, first tested positive for Covid in March 2020, a week before the first lockdown. 

“Initially I thought it was sort of ok,” she said. “I felt a bit rough for the first few days, and then I started to feel a little better towards the end of the first week. 

“But then by about 10 days in, my partner called an ambulance because I couldn’t breathe.”

For the past two years, Ms Sutton has suffered from constant fatigue, migraines, breathlessness and heart palpitations as a result of Long Covid. She has also struggled with brain fog - neurological symptoms that have affected her memory and left her unable to remember entire conversations. 

“You are constantly a bit breathless, and it gets a lot worse if you try to do anything,” she said. 

cont https://www.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/news/20091401.long-covid-patients-say-treatment-wales-lacking/?ref=rss&IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

There have been reports across Wales of people continuing to struggle with the debilitating after-effects of Covid-19. Some are even reporting more unusual symptoms many weeks on from testing positive for the virus.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that around one in 18 people (5.67%) in Wales had the virus for the week ending April 23. Although this figure is indeed falling, there remain more than 170,000 people here with the disease.

It is estimated that one in 10 will go on to experience so-called long Covid, where it takes weeks, months or even years to recover fully. Evidence also suggests that, during the past few weeks, particularly during March when infection rates reached record high levels due to the BA2 Omicron variant, people have been hit with longer and more unusual periods of coronavirus illness.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/peculiar-unexplained-covid-symptoms-leaving-23841380

[SteveH]

The Omicron symptoms that could mean you have Covid rather than a cold
It is still possible to catch the virus even if you are fully vaccinated

Omicron has been the dominant Covid variant in the UK since November 2021. When it was first detected one month before in Hong Kong and South Africa, the symptoms appeared less severe than previous variants and they were more similar to having a common cold.

However, while telling Omicron and a cold apart can be confusing, new research could help people make the distinction a lot quicker, reports myLondon.

Research from Norway identified how Omicron affects the fully vaccinated, following a study interviewing 111 of 117 guests at a party on November 26, 2021.

There was an Omicron outbreak at the party and 89 per cent of participants had two coronavirus jabs, Mirror Online reports. Out of those interviewed, 66 had confirmed cases of Covid-19 and there were 15 potential cases.

Published in infectious disease and epidemiology journal Eurosurveillance, the findings discovered that there were eight main symptoms experienced by the group of fully vaccinated partygoers. These included a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, sneezing and pain.

The most common among those who were vaccinated were coughing, fatigue and a runny nose, with sneezing and a fever the least reported. Nausea is also a symptom of the Omicron variant, in vaccinated people, according to public health experts.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/omicron-symptoms-could-mean-you-23846854

[SteveH]

The Covid pandemic has caused the deaths of nearly 15 million people around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates.

That is 13% more deaths than normally expected over two years.

The WHO believes many countries undercounted the numbers who died from Covid - only 5.4 million were reported.
In India, there were 4.7 million Covid deaths, it says - 10 times the official figures - and almost a third of Covid deaths globally.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61327778

[SteveH]

Face coverings will continue to be a legal requirement in health and care settings in Wales, the first minister has confirmed.

The measure was one of the last restrictions kept in the previous three-weekly review of Covid rules.

Workplaces were allowed to drop Covid precautions on 18 April, after most regulations were eased in March.

Mark Drakeford said keeping masks in heath settings would help protect the most vulnerable.

"There are steps we can all take to protect ourselves while coronavirus is still circulating and reduce the spread of the virus even further," Mr Drakeford said.

"This is particularly true in places where some of the most vulnerable people in society are being treated and live, which is why we will retain the legal requirement to wear face coverings in health and social care settings."

Wales remains at alert level zero, the lowest tier of Covid rules, with few restrictions to daily life remaining in place.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-61335356