Covid 19

[SteveH]

Sorry this post has jumped to a new page, and the article to big to quote, please check previous post. Ta

Interesting, I read something similar last year, also there has been talk of unexplained rise in the deaths of younger fit people.

https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/science-health/954825/extra-non-covid-deaths-increase

[Ian]

I suspect the common factor is the starving of the NHS for funds. This is what 14 years of Tory misrule brings.

[SteveH]

I suspect the common factor is the starving of the NHS for funds. This is what 14 years of Tory misrule brings.

On that note........ Wales NHS: Health minister's 'hell on earth' funding warning

Running the NHS in Wales next year without extra funding from the UK government will be "hell on earth," the Welsh health minister has said.

The Welsh government needs an extra 207m to pay for energy costs alone this winter, Eluned Morgan said.

The added support provided by the UK government is not enough to cover the costs, according to Ms Morgan.

The extra energy spending is more than the 170m a year the Welsh government pledged to "transform" planned care.

With little prospect of extra funding coming from Westminster she said the Welsh government faces a "real nightmare" in running the NHS next year, especially given the current pressures on services.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-63335951

[SteveH]

As most know I am a great believer in the use of Vitimin D, it was pointed out early in the pandemic by Dr John Campbell, as its use was  associated with reductions in COVID-19 infection, his latest report using a recent study Association between vitamin D supplementation and COVID-19 infection and mortality https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-24053-4 would appear to agree.

If you already use it, or consider using it please watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbUm5FyrHRk

[SteveH]

More than two million people in the UK say they have symptoms of long Covid, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey.

Many long Covid patients now report Omicron was their first infection - and I'm one of them.

But almost three years into the pandemic there is still a struggle to be seen by specialist clinics, which are hampered by a lack of resources and research.

Has the condition changed at all, and have treatments started to progress?

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence defines long Covid, or post-Covid syndrome, as symptoms during or after infection that continue for more than 12 weeks and are not explained by an alternative diagnosis.

An estimated 1.2m of those who answered the ONS survey reported at least one such symptom continuing for more than 12 weeks - health issues that they didn't think could be explained by anything else.

It's easy to assume that new cases of long Covid have significantly decreased, given recent research suggesting the risk of developing long Covid from the Omicron variant is lower.

However, the sheer scale of cases over the past year has resulted in more than a third of people with long Covid acquiring it during the Omicron wave, according to the ONS.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-63546138

[SteveH]

Hospitals in China are reported to be filling up with Covid patients after the country relaxed its lockdown rules.

The government says it will now ramp up its vaccination programme, having immunised relatively few people until now.

Officially, China is reporting relatively low numbers of Covid cases and a tiny number of deaths.

Because it has ended its mass testing programme, Chinese authorities no longer have reliable figures for the number of Covid infections.

However, there are anecdotal reports of hospitals filling up with patients.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked it to provide specific data on disease severity and hospital admissions.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/63798484

[SteveH]

On the face of it, this seems like good news, but after listening to Dr John Campbells video, he paints a very different picture, I recommend watching the short video below..........

Press release    From:
Department of Health and Social Care
Published
22 December 2022
UK cements 10-year-partnership with Moderna in major boost for vaccines and research
Moderna to invest in mRNA research and development (R&D) in the UK, and build a state-of-the-art vaccine manufacturing centre with the ability to produce up to 250 million vaccines a year.

NHS patients will have access to a UK-made supply of COVID-19 jabs as well as cutting-edge vaccines developed for other respiratory diseases, such as flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
Partnership will create more than 150 jobs and further future-proof the UK against potential pandemics, with patients to benefit from speedy access to the latest advancements in vaccine technology
Patients in the UK will be protected against potential future global health threats, including potential pandemics, thanks to a deal struck between the government and Moderna.

The investment means NHS patients will be able to receive UK-manufactured mRNA vaccines, as the UK cements its status as a life sciences superpower.

The partnership with Moderna will see a new Innovation and Technology Centre in the UK, which will create more than 150 highly skilled jobs and have the capacity to produce up to 250 million vaccines per year in the event of a pandemic.

The deal is also a major boost for UK health research and will see the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) working with Moderna to ensure early vaccine development, supporting the G7 mission to get from variant to vaccine in 100 days.     


Press Release Continued https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-cements-10-year-partnership-with-moderna-in-major-boost-for-vaccines-and-research


Dr Campbells video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDLx1IAITTg

[SteveH]

Update on above..

Further information on the above subject, this needs further investigation by experts in science and financial fields. 

Clip, Moderna expands, UK, Canada and Australia plants

short video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYiwms-Yp5s

[SteveH]

New Covid strain and the 12 symptoms to look for as infections leap
The XBB.1.5 is a mutated version of Omicron, the most contagious variant, which emerged in late 2021

There are concerns that 2023 may see the return of lockdowns and masks as the NHS continues to struggle with hospital patients, bed spaces, and not least a rise in Covid and flu cases.

It has been reported that a new strain of Covid was the cause for a rise in sickness over the Christmas period. It is certainly back on the agenda now China has ended its zero-Covid policy, lifted its lockdowns and opened its borders, which has allowed the virus rip through its 1 billion plus population. Following this, the UK, US and India have announced they're imposing testing requirements on arrivals from China.

However this does not appear to be a sign of a step towards tighter restrictions in the UK just yet, where infections leapt to a six-month high after Christmas. It has been revealed that one in 20 people were likely to have caught the virus over the festive period, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The cold-like symptoms are largely the same as Omicron, and, according to the NHS, can include:

a high temperature or shivering (chills) ? a high temperature means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
a new, continuous cough ? this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste
shortness of breath
feeling tired or exhausted
an aching body
a headache
a sore throat
a blocked or runny nose
loss of appetite
diarrhoea
feeling sick or being sick

read more  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/new-covid-strain-12-symptoms-25920550

[SteveH]

Millions of UK Covid test samples will be analysed for other serious respiratory viruses, including flu, in a new disease-tracking project.

The Wellcome Sanger Institute team will run detailed genetic reads on the anonymised nose and throat swabs leftover from the pandemic.

The initiative could be an early warning system, quickly spotting future disease threats, say scientists.

It could also help identify new treatments and ways to stop outbreaks.

If the programme can be scaled up, in a few years the NHS could do these types checks routinely on patients for large-scale surveillance.

In the future, it could scan for certain bacteria and fungal infections too.

The scientists will work with government and public health teams, and all the data will be made freely and publicly available.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-64209168

[SteveH]

Bristol study finds Covid booster gives tenfold increase in antibodies

Vulnerable people who have had a third Coronavirus vaccine booster 5th jab, have a significant increase in antibodies and protection against the virus, according to research.

It found the third booster means they can be just as protected against the disease as people who are healthy.

It is hoped this will give renewed confidence to those who shielded during the pandemic if they leave the house.

Blood samples from more than 9,000 people were tested.

The booster was found to have given a tenfold increase in antibodies compared to the first two vaccines.

The national study involved Bristol's Children of the 90s, which has followed a cohort of thousands of people who were born in the city throughout their lives.

Principal Investigator of Children of the 90s and joint senior author, Professor Nic Timpson, said: "By responding to our antibody tests over the course of the pandemic, Children of the 90s participants have provided insight into the response to COVID-19 and the impact of the vaccination.

"It was fascinating to observe the dynamics of immune response and of course is reassuring to see how effective the booster jabs are."

For more than two years, Sheila Smith hardly left her home
The research has helped to reassure Sheila Smith, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

She had to shield during lockdown and hardly left her home for over two years.

"It was really difficult. You felt pushed out and very much alone," said Ms Smith.

Chief nurse at North Bristol NHS Trust, Anne Morris, hopes the new research will encourage vulnerable people who have not yet had their booster.

"It's really important that they come forward and get boosted, we've only had about 60 per cent uptake in those groups and we want to encourage them to get boosted now."    ref BBC

[SteveH]

Cases of Covid-19 have dramatically risen by 50 per cent over the past 10 days as the new "Kraken" variant gains momentum. 11 per cent of cases on January 16 were accounted for by XBB1.5 - a sublineage of Omicron - as it doubled its presence in Britain in the first fortnight of 2023 according to data from the GISAID.

This comes after the "Kraken" strain started spreading at concerning rates in the US. Cases of the virus in America hiked from 12 per cent to 42 in only three weeks, Experts believe the new variant will be more contagious when it spread more quickly, which means the strain could threaten to spark a new wave of the virus in the winter.

Previously speaking to Express.co.uk, Dr Stephen Griffin, an Associate Professor at the Leeds Institute of Medical Research, explained: ?The strain is not only better at infecting per se, it is better at evading our defences when doing so. This gives it a big advantage over its predecessors (mainly BQ1.1), as we are seeing in the US and now here.

?This could mean that we see a more rapid expansion of yet another wave of infection compared to what we would have otherwise had, as there may be many more people that are more susceptible to infection with this virus ? much like we have seen with influenza. More infections will necessarily lead to more severe disease, as well as adding to the dreadful toll of long COVID, which can happen following even a mild disease course.

"Whether this virus is also inherently more virulent on a case by case basis remains to be seen, and can be difficult to immediately tease out in highly vaccinated populations like the US and the UK.?

This news arrives despite hopes at first that there would be span of lower infection levels and suspicions that the strain may not spread as rapidly as was initially feared. It serves as a reminder of the sheer infectiousness of the disease, as just nine days ago symptomatic cases had fallen below 100,000, whereas the latest figures from the ZOE Health Study reveal that cases have risen by 45 per cent to 123,265 on Saturday.

Professor Danny Altmann, of Imperial College London, is concerned that the Kraken variant is responsible for the latest surge. He said: ?I?m concerned that with XBB.1.5 we have another increment in transmissibility and immune evasiveness, and our complacent reliance on established immunity may be misplaced. We continue to be in uncharted territory

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at Warwick University, said: ?We can expect fluctuations in Covid infections from the circulation of more infectious variants such as XBB.1.5. There is also the impact of waning immunity, particularly as only 64.5 percent of those aged 50 and over have received the autumn booster.?

The variant is a mutated version of Omicron XBB, which was detected in Singapore, India and 33 other nations back in October, according to the World Health Service.          ref Walesonline

[SteveH]

Cambridge researchers are continuing to regularly take blood from more than 150 volunteers, to check those most at risk from Covid-19 are still being protected by vaccines.

Jabs have been stopping most people getting severely ill, but hundreds of thousands remain vulnerable to the disease through illness or due to their age.

One of earliest findings from their research, which has been taking place since the pandemic began, was that the vaccine was not very effective in people aged over 80, until they had their second dose.

Prof Ravi Gupta, from the University of Cambridge's Department of Medicine, said he hoped the work would help scientists plan the next generation of vaccines.

Prof Ravi Gupta said the research had led to a number of discoveries about the vaccines
The researchers have been using the volunteers' blood to check how well vaccines deal with new variants.

Volunteer Jack Berry, from Haverhill in Suffolk, said: "I lost family to Covid in the first wave, and I had Covid myself and my family has caught it. So I thought, if I can help out in my own little way, then other people can benefit from that."

Experts found the 22-year-old through a Cambridge invention called the NIHR BioResource, external.

Made up of 200,000 volunteers, with 8,000 dedicated to Covid research, it has become an easy place for scientists to recruit people willing help.

read more https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce7z8gn719lo

[SteveH]

A spring booster vaccine against Covid-19 is to be offered to people at most risk of serious illness from the disease to protect them this summer.

UK vaccine experts say it should be available to everyone over 75, care-home residents and anyone extremely vulnerable aged five and over.

Vaccinations in England and Wales are to start in early April, with Northern Ireland's rollout from mid-April.

Scotland's booster campaign will start in the final week of March.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said hospital admission rates for Covid-19 in autumn 2022 showed that the risk of becoming seriously ill from coronavirus was noticeably higher in people over 75.

As a result, they would gain the most from protection from an additional vaccine dose this spring, with health chiefs warning against complacency.

Anyone who lives in a care home for older adults and people aged five and over who are defined as immunosuppressed are also to be offered a booster jab.

They include people who have had organ transplants or who have blood cancer, and those undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

It is advised that the booster vaccine be given six months after someone's previous dose.

Bridging the gap
Prof Wei Shen Lim, JCVI chairman, said: "Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself against Covid-19, and the spring booster programme provides an opportunity for those who are at highest risk of severe illness to keep their immunity topped up.

"This year's spring programme will bridge the gap to the planned booster programme in the autumn, enabling those who are most vulnerable to be well protected throughout the summer."

The NHS in England is expecting to offer the first spring booster doses to those eligible in April, and the campaign will last until late June. Wales has confirmed it will start on 1 April.

Four different vaccines, made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sanofi/GSK and Novavax could be used.

It's likely most doses will protect against the Omicron variant as well as previous ones.

Since last summer, different versions of the Omicron variant of Covid have been spreading the most - the latest being Omicron BQ.1.

Children under 12 years of age will be offered a children's formulation of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.

Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said Covid-19 was still circulating widely and there had been recent increases in older people being admitted to hospital.

"It is important those at highest risk of severe illness do not become complacent and I would encourage everyone who is eligible to come forward once the booster programme starts."

People at higher risk of severe Covid-19 are also expected to be offered a booster vaccine dose in autumn 2023 in preparation for the winter.

Last autumn, frontline health and care workers, adults aged 50 and over, and some carers and household contacts were offered a booster dose, too.       BBC

[SteveH]

UK records 50 cases of new Covid variant which caused return of masks in India
The Arcturus variant is believed to be the most contagious yet

The UK has recorded 50 cases of a new Covid variant which led to the return of masks in parts of India. MailOnline reported that the new variant, called 'Arcturus', has been detected in Britain already.

Hospitals in India are on red alert, with some states reintroducing compulsory face masks to curb rocketing infection rates, which have increased 13-fold in the past month. The variant is a spin-off of the Omicron variant and is believed to be the most contagious variant yet, reports WalesOnline.

The rise in cases is still much lower than the devastating wave of cases that India experienced during the 2021 Delta wave. Scientists do not expect the variant, scientifically known as XBB.1.16, to be more lethal than other types of Covid currently circulating.

The UK Health and Security Agency had reported in its final variant report issued last month that the 'Arcturus' variant had already been detected in the UK. Separate data from variant trackers indicate that the UK has sequenced nearly 50 samples of 'Arcturus'.

Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases from the University of East Anglia, cautioned that it is too early to determine if the variant will cause a significant surge in cases in the UK, but fortunately, it does not appear to cause more severe disease. 'Arcturus' is a spin-off strain of Omicron, similar to the Kraken variant (XBB.1.5), and has been detected in 22 countries since it emerged in March.

The largest outbreak by far has been in India. This has prompted health authorities in India to run hospital drills and reintroduce mask mandates in some areas.

'Arcturus' has mutations on its spike protein that the World Health Organization (WHO) says could increase its ability to infect people and trigger disease. Japanese researchers have suggested that it is 1.2 times more infectious than the already highly transmissible Kraken variant.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/uk-records-50-cases-new-26697308

I Still think the vulnerable should wear face masks in crowded situations without embarrassment