Covid 19

[Dave]

Here we go again !
The Welsh Government is expanding it's vaccination programme is it?
What does that mean?
I'm sure everyone knows what they are meant to be doing without the expense of sending a leaflet to every home at great cost no doubt.
What I'd like to know is why I was supposed to get my booster jab at 6 months after dose No 2 and yet it was 8 month before I was called. Someone take their eye off the ball while planning TV ads and mail outs instead?
The press is making a big deal about South African numbers being on the rise ...doubling in 24 hours, BUT they are tiny compared to the daily numbers we are suffering.
It was good idea to try and stop importing the Omnicron strain until we knew it's potency but it's too late now , it's already here big time.
So, in my opinion we have to get on with life. Stop publishing meaningless figures and start looking at the finer detail.
How many are hospitalised
How many have died
What percentage of both are vaccinated.
We never had a daily figure for people with flu, nor what had been the outcome either. No one cared despite thousands dying every winter.
Having recently returned from a foreign trip to the Canaries I can assure you that they are taking the virus more seriously than most of the public in the UK, particularly England.
Surely it's not a big deal to ask people to wear masks in shops?
It's not a big deal to sanitise your hands when you go inside in case you touch anything you are not taking away and it's not a big deal to restrict some activities and places to those who have been vaccinated only.
Isn't it called the majority vote. It's what a democracy is all about so one assumes that if 80% are vaccinated they will all be in favour.
If the government is so keen on getting people to get vaccinated bring in some incentives like no jab no pub, no jab no club, no jab no travel.
If they could restrict our mobility to a 5 mile radius when lockdown began, it's not much to ask is it?

[Ian]

We did have weekly figures for all the things you mention, Dave;  it's simply that most people weren't aware of them.  On the first page of the Stats topic I posted this link to the Johns Hopkins page on stats. They make for pretty grim reading, especially when you consider the true stats are almost certainly many, many times worse.

Our own death toll is nearing 150,000 but the US is fast approaching the million mark. But I agree we need more detail.

[SteveH]

Covid: How vaccines changed the course of the pandemic
Exactly a year ago the first approved Covid vaccine was given outside of a trial.

Since then nearly 120 million jabs have been given in the UK, and more than eight billion across the world. Those vaccinations have changed the course of the pandemic.

The UK had one of the fastest rollouts of Covid vaccines globally.  (But fell behind later)

The approval of the Pfizer jab was quickly followed by the green light for the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59569026


The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have urged anyone hesitating to get a Covid vaccine - and said they had received their own booster jabs.
"We can only urge you to look at the evidence in our intensive care wards," said a statement from the royal couple.

"People who are unvaccinated are at least 10 times more likely to be hospitalised or die than those who have had two vaccine doses."

Their comments were on the anniversary of the first Covid vaccination.

cont  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59571036

[SteveH]

The latest science on Omicron's threat

Understand those and you understand the threat and the challenge posed by Omicron.

Scientists around the world are now making the first stabs at answering those questions and giving us hints of what's in store.

Immunity is critical, Omicron has not rewound the clock to the start of the pandemic, but uncertainty clouds everything and definitive answers could be weeks away.

Here are two big questions: .............................
                     
How quickly is it spreading?                  Will I catch it and will I get ill?   


full BBC report  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59580290

[SteveH]

Covid: Welsh Government gives strong advice this Christmas
Last updated: 1 hr ago

First Minister Mark Drakeford

"People flow before they go. This means taking a lateral flow test before going out – whether that’s to a Christmas party; Christmas shopping; visiting friends or family; going to any crowded or busy place or before travelling.
If the test is positive, don’t go out. Arrange for a PCR test and self-isolate.
People to wear face coverings in pubs and restaurants, when they aren’t eating or drinking. Everyone must wear face coverings in most other indoor public places, in accordance with the law, including in cinemas and theatres.

8:20am
More on vaccines
Mr Drakeford said: “Every single vaccination is a small victory against the virus – so please make getting your vaccine or booster a priority.

“This will be the best Christmas present you can give yourself and your family this year.

“None of us wanted to hear about the news of this new variant. After almost two years of the pandemic, we had all hoped that we could put coronavirus behind us this Christmas.

“But, we have faced challenges many times during this pandemic. And we have learned from each one. We are not back at square one.

“Please do everything you can to protect yourself and your loved ones. Please follow all the advice and all the measures which have kept us safe over the last couple of years. And let’s stay safe and well this Christmas.”

cont  https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/19775438.covid-welsh-government-gives-strong-advice-christmas/


And if you do not think the above advice is neccesary, read on..................
OSLO, Dec 3 (Reuters) - At least 13 people in Oslo have been infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus following a corporate Christmas party described as a "super spreader event", and their numbers could rise to over 60 cases, authorities said on Friday.

The outbreak took place at a Christmas party on Nov. 26 organised by renewable energy company Scatec

"This party has been a super spreader event," Preben Aavitsland, a senior physician at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, told Reuters by email.

"Our working hypothesis is that at least half of the 120 participants were infected with the Omicron variant during the party. This makes this, for now, the largest Omicron outbreak outside South Africa."

[SteveH]

I meant to check out the first few minutes of this video, which is over one hour long, but ended up engrossed till the end, I thoroughly recommend viewing this excellent explanation of all aspects of Covid, past, present  and future.

A You Tube video entitled ......."Leading Vaccine Expert Explains Impact Of Omicron Variant On COVID Vaccine | Stay Curious"  A film from Asian Boss

Talk given by
Dr. Jerome Hahn Kim,    https://covid19commission.org/jerome-kim    Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). He was educated at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa where he studied Biology and History, the Yale School of Medicine, and completed his training at Duke University Medical Center.

Direct link to video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJHINoHFzbY

[SteveH]

14 December 2021
Cambridge coronavirus vaccine enters clinical trial
Needle-free vaccine targets COVID-19 variants and future coronaviruses

Safety trials are underway for a Cambridge-led vaccine that could be used as a booster targeting COVID-19 virus variants and relatives that threaten future coronavirus pandemics. The first volunteer is expected to receive the vaccine today at the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility.
Developed by Professor Jonathan Heeney at the University of Cambridge and spin-out company DIOSynVax, this is a next generation coronavirus vaccine administered through a needle-free ‘injection’ – a blast of air that delivers it into the skin. This offers a possible future alternative to people who fear needle-based jabs. If successful, it could be scaled up and manufactured as a powder to boost global vaccination efforts, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Professor Heeney said: “The response of the scientific and medical communities to the development and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines has been incredible, but as new variants emerge and immunity begins to wane we need newer technologies. It’s vital that we continue to develop new generation vaccine candidates ready to help keep us safe from the next virus threats.

“Our vaccine is innovative, both in terms of the way it primes the immune system to respond with a broader protective response to coronaviruses, and how it is delivered. Crucially, it is the first step towards a universal coronavirus vaccine we are developing, protecting us not just from COVID-19 variants but from future coronaviruses.”

cont https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/DIOSCoVax_safetytrial

[SteveH]

A vaccine expert has revealed how soon after getting your Covid booster jab that it actually becomes effective.

Millions of people across the UK are set to get their booster vaccine in the coming weeks, in a bid to help guard against the spread of the new Omicron variant.

Anyone over the age of 18 is now being offered the jab - but how soon after you’ve had it will you actually be protected?

Vaccines expert Professor Adam Finn said that protection from the booster comes relatively quick since your body already recognises the vaccine, as reported by the MEN.

The University of Bristol scientist predicted that booster shots take effect around one week after the jab, but maximum levels of protection will be seen after two weeks.

Prof Finn, who is also a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), told BBC Breakfast: “It does come through very fast because you’ve got immunological memory, you’ve seen the antigen before from your previous doses, so the level of protection goes up pretty quick."

He added: “We generally look for the level of protection around two weeks because that’s probably when you get to pretty much maximum levels, but already at a week your antibody levels will be much higher than they were before you had the booster. So it does get going pretty quick.”

Prof Finn said that a wave of Omicron infections was just taking off across the country.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/vaccine-expert-how-long-takes-22479421

[SteveH]

Interesting article..........from LKS Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed)

HKUMed finds Omicron SARS-CoV-2 can infect faster and better than Delta in human bronchus but with less severe infection in lung

"This method uses lung tissue removed for treatment of the lung, which is normally discarded, for investigating virus diseases of the respiratory tract. Dr Chan and his team successfully isolated the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant and used this experimental model to compare infection with the original SARS-CoV-2 from 2020, the Delta variant and the recent Omicron variant. They found that the novel Omicron variant replicates faster than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and Delta variant in the human bronchus. At 24 hours after infection, the Omicron variant replicated around 70 times higher than the Delta variant and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. In contrast, the Omicron variant replicated less efficiently (more than 10 times lower) in the human lung tissue than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, which may suggest lower severity of disease.

‘It is important to note that the severity of disease in humans is not determined only by virus replication but also by the host immune response to the infection, which may lead to dysregulation of the innate immune system, i.e. “cytokine storm”,’ said Dr Chan. ‘It is also noted that, by infecting many more people, a very infectious virus may cause more severe disease and death even though the virus itself may be less pathogenic. Therefore, taken together with our recent studies showing that the Omicron variant can partially escape immunity from vaccines and past infection, the overall threat from Omicron variant is likely to be very significant.’

cont  https://www.med.hku.hk/en/news/press/20211215-omicron-sars-cov-2-infection

[SteveH]

Covid: How to look after yourself at home                                      ref BBC
So you've caught Covid. What now?

Obviously, stay away from other people to avoid giving it to them.

In terms of your own wellbeing, here's what experts recommend.

Tell family and friends
Don't suffer in silence. Let people know that you have Covid. They might be able to help with dropping off some food to your door and give you a call to check how you are doing.

The NHS also has volunteers to help people who are self-isolating at home with things like shopping and collecting medicines.

Rest up
Even with newer variants of the virus like Omicron and Delta, many people will have mild or no symptoms and will be able to safely ride out the infection at home.

The main symptoms, says the NHS, are still:

a new, continuous cough
a fever/high temperature
loss of or change to smell or taste
But researchers who have been gathering feedback from hundreds of thousands of people about their experiences with Covid suggests the top five symptoms are similar to a cold:

runny nose
headache
fatigue (either mild or severe)
sneezing
sore throat

If you feel grotty, there are things you can do that may help.
Get lots of rest, drink plenty of water and take paracetamol or ibuprofen to help you feel more comfortable.
For a cough, try lying on your side or sitting upright rather than on your back.
Sitting up, rather than lying down, is also good if you are a bit breathless.

You could also try:
breathing slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth, with your lips together like you're gently blowing out a candle
relaxing your shoulders, so you're not hunched, and leaning forward slightly with your hands on your knees
turning down the heating a bit and letting in some fresh air

turning down the heating a bit and letting in some fresh air

Know when to get help
If you want some extra advice, you could try calling or contacting a pharmacy online. The NHS website also has lots of information about Covid.

Some people with Covid will need medical care, which might include staying in hospital.

The NHS is also offering some high risk patients a pill they can take at home to help cut the risk of their infection becoming more serious.

Get advice from NHS 111 or your GP if:

you're feeling gradually more unwell or more breathless
you have difficulty breathing when you stand up or move around
you feel very weak, achy or tired
you're shaking or shivering
you've lost your appetite
you're unable to care for yourself - for example, tasks like washing and dressing or making food are too difficult
you still feel unwell after four weeks - this may be long Covid
Go to A&E immediately or call 999 if:

you're so breathless that you're unable to say short sentences when resting
your breathing has got suddenly worse
you cough up blood
you feel cold and sweaty, with pale or blotchy skin
you have a rash that looks like small bruises or bleeding under the skin and does not fade when you roll a glass over it
you collapse or faint
you feel agitated, confused or very drowsy
you've stopped peeing or are peeing much less than usual
If you are worried about a baby or child, do not delay getting help. If they seem very unwell, are getting worse, or you think there's something seriously wrong, call 999.

[Ian]

From New Scientist, today:

"People infected with the omicron variant appear to be 15 to 20 per cent less likely to attend hospital compared with those infected with delta, according to a study of data from England by researchers at Imperial College London. Omicron cases are also 40 to 45 per cent less likely to be hospitalised for a night or more, the researchers found.

The team analysed 56,000 cases of omicron infection and 269,000 delta cases between 1 and 14 December. The researchers found a moderate decrease in hospitalisation risk for those infected with the omicron variant.

However this reduced risk is offset by the diminished efficacy of coronavirus vaccines against omicron, and the variant’s high transmissibility, said Neil Ferguson at Imperial College London, who worked on the study. “Given the high transmissibility of the omicron virus, there remains the potential for health services to face increasing demand if omicron cases continue to grow at the rate that has been seen in recent weeks,” he said in a statement.

“The study suggests there is no reduction in the severity of omicron compared to delta for the doubly vaccinated, indicating that it is not milder,” James Naismith at the University of Oxford told the Science Media Centre.

The study suggests that two doses of coronavirus vaccine is not enough to combat omicron alone, tweeted Deepti Gurdasani at Queen Mary University of London. “Small reductions in protection against severe disease can translate to large differences at population level,” she says. “Multi-layered mitigations and limiting socialisation over Christmas is still vitally important.”"

[SteveH]

You may be able to hear first sign of Omicron before any other symptoms
Common symptoms include muscle aches, fatigue, a scratchy throat and night sweats but there may be one sign before all of these

cont  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/you-able-hear-first-sign-22580478

[SteveH]

Faint lines on lateral flow Covid tests - what they mean and what to do if you get one
A&E doctor Nathan Hudson-Peacock has issued an explanation to help clear up any confusion

You do a lateral flow test (LFT, aka rapid antigen test), and it shows a very faint line next to the T. What does this mean?

⚠️ Note: regardless of the LFT result, if you are symptomatic, you should isolate and book a PCR.

Essentially, if *any* line appears before the end of the interpretation window (check leaflet, often this is 30 minutes), then this is a *positive* test and you must isolate and book a PCR. The picture above is my positive LFT from this morning, and I have confirmed COVID.

However, if a line appears *after* the interpretation window then this does NOT count as a positive test. NHS guidance is that you do not need to isolate and you do not need to book a PCR, unless of course you have symptoms

The next question is: does a faint line after the interpretation window mean anything? Note the following is my own views only.

If the faint line appears after the window, the most likely cause is either that there has been some contamination (e.g. food or drink, or some other weak contaminant), or there are just very low levels of the virus. If it is the latter, and obviously assuming you are asymptomatic at this point, then you are unlikely to be a transmission risk.

Therefore, although NHS advice is not to isolate (bad for mental health and work etc) and not to book a PCR (makes it harder for people to get one), I suggest a sensible approach is to be extra careful with precautions (social distancing, hand washing and mask wearing), and to continue testing with LFTs as per NHS guidance *** in particular doing another LFT before mixing with people indoors***. Of course, if you develop symptoms, you must isolate.
Reminder, the NHS guidance is:
• Close contacts of COVID should do daily LFTs for 7 days if both asymptomatic and fully vaccinated, or asymptomatic and 18 or under
• If not a close contact, then you should do a LFT before mixing with people indoors and before visiting someone who is at higher risk of getting seriously ill from COVID.

Lastly, please remember, if you have symptoms, you should isolate and book a PCR, even with a negative LFT.

cont  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/faint-lines-lateral-flow-covid-22592737

[SteveH]

Three articles in this post................

Frontline vaccinators have urged people to come forward for their booster jabs after a post-Christmas lull in the numbers coming forward.
A team in Llandudno invited North Wales Live along on December 28 to help them issue a plea for people to come forward and get their booster jab.

It comes after news that Dr Chris Jones, the deputy chief medical officer for Wales, said that thousands of new Covid infections are being confirmed daily, the majority of which will be caused by the new Omicron variant.

Vaccination project lead for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board's [BCUHB] central area, Jo Dolan, told North Wales Live that staff working over the Christmas week at Sector House Llandudno to ensure people keep up their vaccine strength have largely been met with empty venues.

"We have capacity to vaccinate 2,000 people a day here - same for our OpTIC centre.

"We have scaled up all our vaccination centres throughout Betsi and we are urging anyone with appointments in January to come forward early if possible."

How long after having coronavirus you need to wait before getting a booster vaccine
"So in order not to blend both effects, if you have tested positive you need to wait four weeks (28 days) from the day of your positive test to have a booster.

This gap is important, as it will help to separate any side effects of the vaccine from effects of the original illness."
cont  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/how-long-after-having-coronavirus-22593918?IYA-mail=a05105fc-304d-4c50-9807-edab51f779a4

"To date we’ve administered more than 360,000 booster jabs, providing important additional protection to 72 per cent of the eligible population.

"Despite this hugely encouraging take up, there are still around 100,000 mostly younger people who have yet to come forward."

Dr Lyons outlined the four very important reasons people should come forward for their Covid jab as soon as they possibly can:

1. To help avoid the need for further restrictions:
Getting your first, second and booster jab and following the latest public health advice is the best way to avoid a return to further restrictions on our everyday lives – protecting the local economy, your freedoms, education and jobs.

2. To protect yourself:
Research shows that getting vaccinated significantly reduces your risk of catching or spreading Covid-19 and becoming seriously ill with the virus.

The Covid-19 vaccine will also protect you from the debilitating long-term effects of "long Covid" - which can last for months.

3. To protect loved ones, friends and those most vulnerable to infection:
Please don't be complacent at news that Omicron is a milder form of the virus.

Because it is far more transmissible than the Alpha or Delta variants, it will find those who are unvaccinated or have suppressed immune systems - with potentially serious consequences.

4. To protect the NHS:
Even a small rise in Covid-19 admissions, coupled with the high rates of Omicron-related staff sickness being forecasted, could seriously impact on the ability to provide planned and emergency care in the coming weeks.

"Today's Covid briefing: 500 hospital staff off sick in one Welsh health board
Omicron now accounts for 80% of coronavirus cases in some parts of the country

A senior Welsh nurse says staffing is "the main problem" currently faced by the NHS as Omicron continues to spread. At one Welsh health board, Betsi Cadwaladr, more than 500 staff have tested positive for coronavirus in the last seven days alone."

cont  https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/todays-covid-briefing-500-hospital-22601315?IYA-mail=a05105fc-304d-4c50-9807-edab51f779a4


Please play your part in slowing the spread by getting your Covid-19 vaccine.

They add: "Our vaccination centres have understandably been quieter since Christmas Eve, but we are expecting numbers to pick up again from today onwards.”

You can now walk in to any Covid-19 vaccination centres to get your first, second or booster vaccine, but booking online will help avoid a lengthy queue.

To do that, use BCUHB's COVID-19 Online Booking Service for details of walk in clinics.https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/covid-19/covid-19-vaccinations/covid-19-vaccination-drop-in-clinics/

[SteveH]

All health boards in Wales have confirmed today (31 December) that they have offered a booster vaccination appointment to all eligible adults.

Offers have been made to anyone eligible through a range of methods including letters, texts, online booking and walk-in options.

More than 1.5 million boosters have been given to date, with 81 per cent of over 50s receiving the booster dose.

Around 80 per cent of people aged 12 and above are currently eligible for the booster. Of those, 71 per cent of people have already had their booster. Health boards will be contacting everyone who couldn’t make their appointments this month and asking them to reschedule in January.

If it has been three months since your second dose and you do not believe you have received a letter, call or text about a booster appointment, please contact your local health board. They will also have details on their website on what to do if you think you have been missed.

For more information visit: https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/covid-19/covid-19-vaccinations/