General Covid 19 news

[SteveH]

The possibility the Covid virus leaked from a laboratory should not be ruled out, a former top Chinese government scientist has told BBC News.

As head of China's Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Prof George Gao played a key role in the pandemic response and efforts to trace its origins.

China's government dismisses any suggestion the disease may have originated in a Wuhan laboratory.

But Prof Gao is less forthright.

In an interview for the BBC Radio 4 podcast Fever: The Hunt for Covid's Origin, Prof Gao says: "You can always suspect anything. That's science. Don't rule out anything."

A world-leading virologist and immunologist, Prof Gao is now vice-president of the National Natural Science Foundation of China after retiring from the CDC last year.

In a possible sign that the Chinese government may have taken the lab leak theory more seriously than its official statements suggest, Prof Gao also tells the BBC some kind of formal investigation into the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) was carried out.

"The government organised something," he says, but adds that it did not involve his own department, the China CDC.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65708746

[SteveH]

Covid inquiry: The questions we really want answers to

A massive inquiry to understand the UK's response to, and the impact of, the Covid-19 pandemic, throws its doors open to the public on Tuesday, with the first evidence session. Not one of us was left untouched by the effects of the pandemic, and we all have questions. I asked a range of people who were in the eye of the Covid storm what one question each of them most wants answered.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65843811

[SteveH]

Covid inquiry: UK's public services were 'depleted' when Covid hit

The UK entered the coronavirus pandemic with public services "depleted" and health inequalities on the rise, the Covid inquiry has heard.

A decade of austerity leading up to 2020 meant the health of the nation was already in decline, two experts said.

A report from Prof Sir Michael Marmot and Prof Clare Bambra was filed as part of the public hearings exploring the UK's preparedness for a pandemic.

Poor regions and ethnic minority groups were disproportionately affected.

More attention should have been paid to reduce the added risks Covid brought to such vulnerable groups, their report said.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65929516

[Ian]

Covid inquiry: UK's public services were 'depleted' when Covid hit

The UK entered the coronavirus pandemic with public services "depleted" and health inequalities on the rise, the Covid inquiry has heard.

A decade of austerity leading up to 2020 meant the health of the nation was already in decline, two experts said.
cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65929516

Well, the Tories love austerity. So long as it doesn't impact their cosy lives.

[SteveH]

The UK had one of the worst increases in death rates of major European economies during the Covid pandemic, BBC analysis has found.

Death rates in the UK were more than 5% higher on average each year of the pandemic than in the years just before it, largely driven by a huge death toll in the first year.

That was above the increase seen in France, Spain or Germany, but below Italy and significantly lower than the US.

Back in April and May 2020, the UK was seeing one of the worst waves of Covid deaths in the world.

But Prof Sir Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, warned against international comparisons of Covid deaths too early in the pandemic.

Instead, he recommended looking at deaths for any reason, since they do not depend on what a country calls a Covid death.

And he said analyses should take account of the age profile of each country, which can explain a lot of differences in death rates.

cont plus stats https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-65975154

[SteveH]

I mentioned last year about a young nurse I knew, specialist in oxygen therapy, who had long covid, but was still working part time, I found out last week that she is no better, and has reduced her hours further, such a shame......

Long Covid sufferers feel forgotten three years on

Iva Safrova's existence is unrecognisable from the full and active life she led three years ago.

Back in March 2020 she got Covid-19 when she was a health care worker on a renal ward at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales - and she never recovered.

"My life is ruined," said the 59-year old from Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan.

"No job, no social life. Cycling, travelling, walking - everything is gone."

With the Covid Inquiry under way with the aim of learning lessons from the past, it would be easy to assume the pandemic was behind us.

But with an estimated 2% of the population in Wales reporting they still have Covid symptoms a year after diagnosis, Covid-19 is far from over for many.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65952112

[SteveH]

Covid inquiry: Welsh government health chiefs face questions

Two senior officials will give evidence to the UK Covid inquiry later on Monday about how well prepared Wales was for the pandemic.

Chief medical officer Sir Frank Atherton and former NHS Wales boss Dr Andrew Goodall will be questioned.

Both men were key to Wales' Covid response, appearing regularly in live televised media briefings.

First Minister Mark Drakeford and the then-health minister Vaughan Gething are due before the inquiry on Tuesday.

Mr Gething became economy minister in May 2021 while Dr Goodall is now the Welsh government's permanent secretary, its most senior civil servant.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-66052440

[SteveH]

Doctors have warned the decision to remove face mask guidance in healthcare settings is "playing Russian roulette" with staff and patients' welfare.

It was withdrawn in May in hospitals, dentists and GP surgeries having been in place since June 2020.

The decision came after the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 was no longer a global emergency.

The Scottish government said the country had entered "a calmer phase" of the pandemic.

Doctors from the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland condemned the decision at the time.

Now, the Scottish Healthcare Workers Coalition has written to ministers to highlight the "very serious flaws" in changing the guidance.

They said healthcare workers are at significantly higher risk of contracting the virus and some have developed post-Covid chronic illnesses.

The group is demanding the reintroduction of masks in all health and social care settings and a commitment to improving ventilation and air filtration as a matter of urgency.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66215539

[SteveH]

Spike in new Covid variant Eris maybe fuelled by 'Barbie and bad weather'

Increased indoor mixing as a result of the washout summer and the release of two major Hollywood movies could explain a rise in cases

Concerns have been raised over a new Covid variant codenamed Eris, which is spreading across the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Cases continue to rise, with one in seven Covid cases in the country now down to the new Eris variant.

The UKHSA first raised Eris as a concern in July. Eris is now already the second most common strain in the country, closing in on Arcturus. Eris is also spreading rapidly across Europe, Asia and North America. Japan said it is seeing a 'ninth wave' of Covid infections.

5.4% of tests on people with a respiratory illness in the last week were found to be Covid - up from 3.7% the week before. The overall Covid-19 hospital admission rate for the most recent week was 1.97 per 100,000 population, an increase from 1.17 per 100,000 in the previous report.

Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: "We continue to see a rise in Covid-19 cases in this week?s report. We have also seen a small rise in hospital admission rates in most age groups, particularly among the elderly. Overall levels of admission still remain extremely low and we are not currently seeing a similar increase in ICU admissions. We will continue to monitor these rates closely.

"Regular and thorough hand washing helps protect you from Covid-19 and other bugs and viruses. If you have symptoms of a respiratory illness, we recommend staying away from others where possible.

"The NHS will be in contact in autumn 2023 when the seasonal vaccine is available for those who are eligible due to health conditions or age, and we urge everyone who is offered to take up the vaccine when offered."

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/spike-new-covid-variant-eris-27455992

[SteveH]

Porton Down: Can this laboratory help stop the next pandemic?

One of the UK's most secretive centres of scientific research - Porton Down - is aiming to stop the next pandemic "in its tracks".

I have passed through the incredibly tight security at this remote facility to get rare access to its scientists.

They are based in the shiny new Vaccine Development and Evaluation Centre.

Their work builds on the response to Covid, and aims to save lives and minimise the need for lockdowns when a new disease next emerges.

"Covid, of course, is not a one-off," says Prof Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which runs these laboratories.

"We say it [Covid] was the biggest public health incident for a century, but I don't think any of us think it'll be a century before the next," she adds.

The combination of climate change, urbanisation and people living closer to animals - the source of many new diseases which transfer to people - means we're facing a "rising tide of risk", she says.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66396585

[SteveH]

The 10 symptoms of new Eris Covid strain - from altered smell to headache
Horrific UK weather and the 'Barbenheimer' effect are linked to a surge in infections

The UK is facing a new Covid variant with symptoms that are urged to be aware of. The Eris variant, which is derived from the widespread Omicron strain, was first identified by the World Health Organisation as EG.5.1 in May.

It is now estimated that one of every seven cases has been infected with it since then. Although experts say it isn't a cause for concern, knowing the signs is key to preventing the spread of infection.

The Zoe Health Study reports that Eris' main symptoms are similar to those seen in Omicron, which include a sore throat, runny/blocked nose, sneezing, a dry cough and dulled sense of smell. However, shortness of breath, a loss of smell and a fever are no longer the main symptoms, the Mirror reports.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, 3.3 people out of every 100,000 had Covid on July 31 - but that has now jumped significantly. As of July 29, this has risen to 7.2 people - and it is thought that the new strain is to blame.

Full article  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/covid-eris-new-strain-symptoms-27475710

Below are the full list of Eris symptoms to be aware of:
Sore throat
Runny nose
Blocked nose
Sneezing
Dry cough
Headache
Wet cough
Hoarse voice
Muscle aches
Altered smell

[SteveH]

The people who can get Covid and flu jabs this autumn - and those no longer eligible

The Welsh Government has confirmed which groups can get themselves protected this autumn

Fewer people will be eligible for Covid booster jabs this autumn, the Welsh Government has confirmed. The age threshold for adults not in a clinical risk group has increased to 65.

Last autumn all adults aged over 50 could be vaccinated against the virus. Anyone under 65 will no longer be eligible, though there are exceptions.

Frontline health and social care workers can still get the vaccine, along with certain groups of carers, household contacts and those with health problems at higher risk. The full list is below.

The pandemic is still officially at a ?Covid stable? stage but deaths and hospital cases are still being reported. In late April, almost 500 people were in Welsh hospitals with Covid, though only a handful were in critical care. By mid-July, the numbers of acute hospital patients in Wales had fallen to their lowest levels for nearly two years.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) previously confirmed the NHS flu eligibility threshold is also changing. This too will only be offered to adults aged 65 years and over, plus young children and pregnant women. Again, there are exceptions - see the eligibility list below.

Cont plus full list....https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/people-who-can-covid-flu-27479755

[SteveH]

I know of a group of people who meet up in a Llandudno hotel regularly, from all parts of the country, approx. 14 in number arrived last week, after day one, a few complained of sore throats, day two a few more, day three one had to go home, the end result after a week, all are infected, with six testing positive for Covid so far, ............I have been getting complacent with my face mask use, guess what !!

North Wales council stops providing free PPE to care homes in row over storage costs
This comes as Covid rates start to rise again due to a new variant
A council has stopped providing free personal protective equipment (PPE) to care homes in a row over storage costs. Denbighshire County Council emailed care providers informing them it would no longer distribute PPE to them.
This is despite it being provided for free by Welsh Government. Care Forum Wales (CFW) accused them of a ?gross dereliction of duty?.

But Denbighshire council said that it does not get funding for the additional costs of storage and distribution.? The council said due to the difficult funding situation it had taken the decision to stop paying for the costs for storage and for the staff to distribute the PPE, which includes face masks, latex gloves and disposable aprons.

They said they were disappointed this was not funded by Welsh Government. The Government said local authorities are responsible for the onward distribution of PPE from their joint equipment stores to social care providers.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-council-stops-providing-27534702

[SteveH]

Should we be worried about Covid this winter?
The nights are drawing in, the schools are going back and a new Covid variant is circulating. It all sounds very familiar.

But we are a long way from the autumn of 2020 when the coronavirus dominated our lives and there were different "levels" of lockdown across Scotland.

So as we head into this autumn what should we expect?
Firstly, the new variant. EG.5 - dubbed Eris - is an offshoot of Omicron. The World Health Organization currently classifies it as a variant of interest.

The MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research has played a key role in monitoring new variants of the disease throughout the pandemic.

Prof Massimo Palmarini, who heads the centre, says he is not too worried about what he is seeing but it is important that surveillance continues.

"The new variant doesn't seem to have dramatic differences from the previous one but it doesn't mean that it is not important," he says.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66502573

[SteveH]

UK's Covid-19 Infection Survey could restart - but Wales won't be part of it   
The previous Covid-19 Infection Survey ended in March as the UK made the transition to 'living with Covid'

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) looks set to restart its Covid-19 Infection Survey - but Wales won't be included in it. Set up in April 2020, the UKHSA, ONS and University of Oxford survey gathered and analysed a total of 11 million swab tests and 3 million blood tests from randomly selected households across the UK.

The results helped to provide vital weekly ONS data on virus positivity levels across the UK, details on new variants, the characteristics of those who had the virus and their antibody levels and details of long Covid prevalence.

It gave a breakdown on the percentage testing positive in a given week in each of the UK four nations. But it was stopped in March this year.

At the time UKHSA said the widespread rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine programme, together with improved treatments for the most vulnerable, has enabled the transition to living with COVID-19. But it is now understood a similar type survey will make a comeback in the coming weeks - although nothing has been officially announced on the exact details.

It is understood conversations about scaling up testing and surveillance over winter are ongoing.

It comes as there has been an increase in reported cases and new highly mutated variants like the BA.2.86 h, which was recently identified in the UK. This all comes as the UK heads into autumn and winter when cases of Covid - as well as other respiratory infections - tend to rise.

North Wales Live found out that Welsh Government had been asked to participate in the new infection survey. But the Minister for Health Eluned Morgan declined the offer.     

Welsh Government were asked the reasons for this decision. A spokesperson said: ?In Wales we will now be monitoring Covid-19 alongside other respiratory infections through our integrated community surveillance system and genomics programme led by PHW. Due to the limitations of the proposed survey we have decided to focus resources on our own system.?   

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/uks-covid-19-infection-survey-27593853