General Covid 19 news

[SteveH]

This is a bit of good news............

A breathing aid that can help keep coronavirus patients out of intensive care has been created in under a week.

University College London engineers worked with clinicians at UCLH and Mercedes Formula One to build the device, which delivers oxygen to the lungs without needing a ventilator.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) devices are already used in hospitals but are in short supply.

China and Italy used them to help Covid-19 patients.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has already given its approval for their use.

"Prof Rebecca Shipley, Director of UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering, told the BBC: "Normally medical device development would take years but we've done that in days because we went back to a simple existing device and "reverse engineered" it in order to be able to produce them quickly and at scale."

"UCLH critical care consultant Prof Mervyn Singer said: "These devices are a halfway house between a simple oxygen mask and invasive mechanical ventilation which requires patients to be sedated.

"They will help to save lives by ensuring that ventilators, a limited resource, are used only for the most severely ill."

Full story    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52087002

[SteveH]

Betsi Cadwaladr identify three sites for pop up hospitals in North Wales in response to Covid-19 and work underway to increase healthcare capacity

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) has increased bed numbers at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Ysbyty Gwynedd and Wrexham Maelor.

The locations for the makeshift hospitals have not yet been revealed.

BCUHB said it is working with its partners to finalise plans and will share further details in the coming days.

A spokesperson from BCUHB said: "We have a phased escalation plan in place to significantly increase the number of beds for our most poorly patients over the coming weeks, with plans in place to increase our capacity of ventilated beds.

"We are also progressing opportunities to establish additional capacity within all of our hospitals.

"For example, construction work has already begun to install an additional 80 beds at Glan Clwyd Hospital, using void space left as part of the hospital’s recent redevelopment, which would be ready to use at the end of April.

Cont  https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/18344249.betsi-cadwaladr-identify-three-sites-pop-hospitals-north-wales-response-covid-19-work-underway-increase-healthcare-capacity/

[SteveH]

WALES’ leading organisation for healthcare innovation is calling on companies and innovators from across the country to join the fight against coronavirus.

Life Sciences Hub Wales is leading industry efforts to combat COVID-19 by launching a nation-wide drive to get companies from a range of sectors working together on solutions.

Having already received interest from hundreds of businesses and professionals, its mission is to accelerate the development of urgently needed products and treatments, such as ventilators, hand sanitisers and Personal Protective Equipment to ease the pressures on health care services and help protect frontline staff combatting the outbreak.

Any companies interested in getting involved should email their offer of support and details of their availability and capability to: information@lshubwales.com

Full story  https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/18347702.call-industry-collaboration-fight-coronavirus/

[SteveH]

A news update from Bangor University......one thing on the list is quite thought provoking.                                 refDP

Bangor University has outlined what it is doing to support the NHS and others during the coronavirus:

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Iwan Davies, said: “This is a very difficult time, and as well as continuing to educate students online, we have been responding directly to support the front line as they deal with the crisis.”

Amongst the steps being carried out by the University are:

Collecting suitable PPE for the NHS.
Using Halls of Residence as accommodation for NHS staff.
Research into the extent of Covid-19 transmission into waste treatment facilities.
Producing hand sanitiser.
Made available specialist laboratory equipment to analyse samples.
Providing up-skilling training in critical care for NHS staff.
Provide specialist respiratory physiotherapy training for NHS staff.
Make available facilities for blood donation.
Promoting volunteering amongst staff and students.
Work with partners across North Wales to produce visors for health service staff using 3D printing methods.

Professor Davies added: “We will continue to work with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and other partners over the coming weeks and months as we all rise to this significant challenge.”

[Ian]

Covid 19 survives a very long time in human waste.  I imagine that puts sewage plant workers at some risk.

[SteveH]

The site of North Wales' second field hospital for coronavirus patients has been revealed.

Bangor University’s sports and leisure facilities will be converted into a temporary hospital to provide beds for patients with Covid-19 symptoms.

Around 250 additional beds will be made available to the NHS at Canolfan Brailsford as part of the partnership between the University and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

Patients with respiratory illnesses as a result of the virus will be cared for at the temporary hospital, which brings the total number of new beds dedicated to dealing with the pandemic to 600.

On Tuesday, Venue Cymru in Llandudno was the first field hospital to be announced with a third in Wrexham or Flintshire expected to be confirmed  by health chiefs this week.  cont   https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/site-second-north-wales-coronavirus-18024539

[SteveH]

Coronavirus: Airbus Broughton to receive massive delivery of Chinese surgical masks
The 400,000 masks are heading by truck to the North Wales site before being distributed around the UK.

Airbus Broughton is set to receive a massive order of surgical masks from China to help in the fight against coronavirus in the UK.

The delivery of 400,000 masks is heading to the North Wales site from Toulouse in France - although it won't be coming by plane with the Beluga planes not proving suitable.
Instead the shipment is heading over on trucks - with the masks due to arrive by Friday.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/coronavirus-airbus-broughton-receive-massive-18024247

[SteveH]

13:22  BBC
Here's your lunchtime round-up
Here are the main coronavirus developments in Wales so far today:

More than 6,000 new beds will be created by new field hospitals
Health boards have been urged to prioritise cancer patients
About 200 NHS staff are being tested every day                   listening to the lunch time news, I was shocked to hear these  figures   
So far less than 2% of health service staff have been tested
One in 10 NHS staff in Wales are off sick
A&E attendance is down by up to 60% over last two weeks
A total of 98 people with coronavirus have died in Wales
1,837 people have tested positive for Covid-19, but the true figure is likely to be much higher
Minister says the economic impact will be "at least as bad" as the 2008 financial crash
A senior doctor at Wales' biggest hospital says it's ready for a "huge wave" of cases

Two hundred NHS staff tested each day
About 200 NHS staff in Wales were being tested each day, the service's chief executive has said.

Dr Andrew Goodall told a press briefing: “Just yesterday we were close to 1,000 tests actually being processed and you will continue to see those numbers rising in Wales.”
Asked about the involvement of additional labs that might not normally do testing he replied Public Health Wales (PHW) was exploring a number avenues with around 20 under active consideration.

[SteveH]

I am still waiting for the promised government letter that will help us get deliveries, we are lucky in that we have a volunteer picking up prescriptions, and have managed a few home deliveries, but in England you can register with food shops as "Shielded" and get special deliveries,  it is all very well giving the elderly a few morning slots, they are the ones needing this service, .....has anyone received a government letter, or feels they should have


In a UK first, the Senedd held a parliamentary plenary session entirely online yesterday
A list of the the key points, from the First Minister, Health Minister, Vaughan Gething and Economy & Transport Minister, Ken Skates

First list
There’s an expectation that the number of deaths and infections will continue to grow over the coming weeks and we were merely “at the foothills of the mountain”.

The Leader of the Opposition and Plaid Cymru leader have accepted invitations – in light of the “uniquely serious position we face” – to join the Welsh Government’s coronavirus cabinet committee.

There’s an agreement with the UK military to provide logistical assistance to civilian authorities should the need arise.


£24million has been made available to the Third/voluntary sector and £50million towards a food delivery scheme for the most vulnerable people; 81,000 people have been identified as needing to remain home for between 12-16 weeks and will be written to.


30,000 have signed up to volunteer via local voluntary councils.

Free travel on buses doesn’t extend to social care staff due to difficulties identifying them, meaning it would be “over-onerous”.

Discussions are ongoing with supermarkets over a home shopping system for vulnerable people in Wales.

The Welsh Government are in close contact with Tata to prevent blast furnaces being shut down (which could lead to heavy-end steel production stopping altogether).

More  https://seneddhome.com/2020/04/roche-named-as-company-behind-welsh-virus-test-deal-collapse-emergency-budget-being-prepared/

[SteveH]

After posting the above, just read the DP's ...........

"Free Welsh government food boxes
The Welsh Government has set aside £15m for the scheme to help the most vulnerable" 
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/coronavirus-free-welsh-government-food-18034184

I am confused over the governments definition of vulnerable, I thought those who had to stay at home, would get some help with deliveries, it is good to see that the most vulnerable are getting the needed help, but I am sure there are others like myself, who would just like a bit of extra consideration on delivery slots.                       I would be interested to hear other comments.


News changing all the time..............new story  ... "The time when Tesco releases all its new home delivery slots"
The supermarket is due to add an extra 100,000 slots between now and April 21, 2020

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/time-tesco-releases-new-home-18031673

"We will support a significant proportion of the people identified by the government as particularly vulnerable and without a support network; but we are also focused on helping as many other people as possible who may not be able to come into stores to do their shopping.
 

[Hugo]

Coronavirus: Farmers fear risk from 'huge rise' in walkers

That should not be happening to the farmers because the Welsh Government has made it quite clear that people should not drive somewhere to start a walk.    Apart from that the area shown in the photo is very rural and remote so cars should not be driving that far just to go for a walk.
It's unfortunate that the UK Minister Hancock has said that it is ok in England to drive somewhere for the start of a walk so there are mixed messages going out to people.
 However if the walkers invade North and mid Wales this weekend  like they did a few weeks ago then the Police should  step in a send them back home

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52136726

[SteveH]

Work will begin ‘day and night’ manufacturing more than 10,000 ventilators at Broughton’s AMRC.

Airbus has teamed up with a number of other manufacturing companies to create a consortium which to help in the country’s fight against COVID-19 by manufacturing more than 10,000 new ventilator units for the NHS.

The consortium is working in partnership with the Welsh Government to create a production facility for ventilators at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre on Chester Road in Broughton.

The production line will be up and running before the Easter weekend.

Due to the urgent need for ventilators, production will take place round the clock with more than 500 employees working shifts – 125 per shift – to ensure they can manufacture, test and distribute units to the front line as quickly as possible.

Cont  http://www.deeside.com/500-workers-are-set-to-begin-work-making-ventilators-at-broughtons-advanced-manufacturing-research-centre/



exovent iron lung concept offers alternative to Covid-19 ventilators

Dubbed exovent, the Negative Pressure Ventilator (NPV) is said to be non-invasive, so patients won’t need to have their windpipes intubated. Instead, they can remain conscious, take medication and nutrition by mouth, and talk on the phone. It can be used on a normal ward, keeping patients out of intensive care.
https://www.theengineer.co.uk/exovent-covid-19-ventilator/

[SteveH]

Mentioned earlier,.........Coronavirus: Airbus Broughton to receive massive delivery of Chinese surgical masks
The 400,000 masks are heading by truck to the North Wales site before being distributed around the UK.

As they were loading the delivery trucks.............Airbus' donation of 400,000 surgical masks for NHS arrives - with Beluga photobombing the event
The masks were picked up from Airbus Broughton today and will be distributed around the UK.

More and video    https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/airbus-donation-400000-surgical-masks-18041064

[SteveH]

The hidden heroes uniting in the fight against coronavirus
Food bank volunteers, news agents, churches, homeless charities and even those handy with a sewing machine are pitching in

We may be forced to keep apart, but communities are still pulling together.

Food banks are sharing their stocks with other charitable causes, free meals are being handed out and some news agents are delivering essential items to vulnerable residents who are self isolating.

Others have set up local Facebook groups within their neighbourhoods with locals offering to do shopping or pick up prescriptions for those who are most in need.

One mum has even fired up her sewing machine to make masks, while sixth form students across North Wales are using 3D printers to create face shields which are already being rolled out in hospitals.

Some schools have loaned out their science lab goggles to key workers on the front line and firms have given out boxes of disposable gloves and masks to district nursing teams.

Cont  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/hidden-heroes-uniting-fight-against-18016005


Coronavirus: The sixth form students coming to the rescue of front line NHS workers
Teenagers are using 3D printers in the fight against coronavirus

A similar project is also being carried out at Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi in Holyhead, working in collaboration with Ysgol David Hughes and schools across Gwynedd, MSPARC, North Wales Tech and Bangor University to supply visors for health workers.

Pupil Tom Marsden, 16, has also printed out and distributed visors some of which are already being used in hospitals.

Ysgol Bryn Elian in Colwyn Bay along with Ysgol Friars in Bangor and Ysgol Dinas Bran in Llangollen have also joined forces in the quest which has gathered pace across North Wales.

Elsewhere, Kris West from Holywell and his friend Christopher Thompson from Wrexham are also putting their tech to good use making disposable plastic shield masks designed for single-use and can be produced in as little as 35 minutes for around 50p per mask.

Cont    https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/coronavirus-how-sixth-form-students-18016255

[SteveH]

Defence firm Babcock has said it will be manufacturing 10,000 ventilators to help deal with the coronavirus crisis.

The plan comes nearly two weeks after Dyson said it had received a government order for 10,000 ventilators.
Both devices still have to pass stringent medical tests before they can be accepted.

The move came as tech giant Apple, best-known for phones and computers, said it would start making face shields for medical workers.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook tweeted on Sunday that it has designed and is now making the protective gear.
The tech giant plans to make more than one million shields a week, which will be shipped first to US medical workers and then distributed globally.
It has also sourced 20 million face masks which it is donating worldwide to help prevent the spread of the virus.

cont  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52059084