General Covid 19 news

[SteveH]

Covid and flu winter jabs to be brought forward in England

Vaccines to protect at-risk people against Covid and flu this winter will be rolled out a month earlier than planned in England, because of the emergence of a new Covid variant.

NHS England bosses said it could be "a very challenging winter" if the variant increased the risk of infection.

Anybody over 65, older adult care home residents and immunosuppressed people are to receive jabs from 11 September.

The plan is to jab as many eligible people as possible by 31 October.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says there is limited information available about the new variant BA.2.86, but it has a high number of mutations and has appeared in several countries.

It is not classified as a variant of concern but health officials believe speeding up the autumn vaccination programme will protect those at greatest risk of becoming severely ill.

It could also reduce the impact on the NHS this winter.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66664429

[SteveH]

Brain fog after Covid linked to blood clots - study

Blood clots in the brain or the lungs might explain some common symptoms of "long Covid", including brain fog and fatigue, a UK study suggests.

In the study, of 1,837 people admitted to hospital because of Covid, researchers say two blood proteins point to clots being one cause.

It is thought 16% of such patients have trouble thinking, concentrating or remembering for at least six months.

Long Covid can also develop after milder infections.

But the research team, from the universities of Oxford and Leicester, stress:

Their findings are relevant only to patients admitted to hospital

They are "the first piece of the jigsaw" but further research is needed before they can propose or test any potential treatments

They tracked cognitive problems at six and 12 months only and through tests and questionnaires, which may "lack sensitivity"

Identifying predictors and possible mechanisms was "a key step" in understanding post-Covid brain fog, study author Prof Paul Harrison, from the University of Oxford, said.

But there may still be many different causes of long Covid.    cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66658257

[SteveH]

The latest Covid symptoms and testing information as new Pirola variant circulates
Medical experts have listed some of the symptoms to look out for with the new variant

Cases of the new Pirola variant of coronavirus have been detected in the UK with people being alerted to the symptoms to look out for. Medical experts have listed a sore throat, runny or blocked nose, cough (with or without phlegm), and headaches as typical features of the new strain.

It's currently not known whether it causes any symptoms that differ from other Covid variants. The variant BA.2.86 was first identified after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published a risk assessment on it citing in particular its ?high number of mutations?. Since then it's been discovered in a number of different countries and is able to rapidly mutate with more and more cases appearing in the UK.
cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/latest-covid-symptoms-testing-information-27646670



The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has suggested that Covid testing will be scaled up for the winter as pressures on the NHS are expected to rise in the coming months.
The new strain BA.2.86, as well as 'Pirola' and 'Eris' are believed to be the cause of this.

Officials fear the UK is "flying blind" in regard to COVID-19 as a result of winding down surveillance programmes that were put in place at the height of the pandemic.

The announcement was made following students returning after the summer break, employees heading back to work and indoor gatherings becoming more common ? factors that are known to increase the risk of respiratory infections, including Covid, spreading.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23767572.get-covid-test-officials-predict-tough-winter/

How to get a test
You can no longer get free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests from the NHS.

Instead, you can buy PCR tests from shops and pharmacies, including online.

You may still be able to get free COVID-19 rapid lateral flow tests from the NHS if you:

have a health condition which means you're eligible for COVID-19 treatment
work in healthcare or in a hospice
This, however, may be subject to change as testing is upscaled over the coming months.

[SteveH]

Pirola variant could see Wales in 'coronavirus wave' in four weeks warns health chief
Deputy chief medical officer in Wales Chris Jones has written to the nation's health chiefs

A new Covid variant could see Wales in a "coronavirus wave" within a month a health chief has warned. Health officials across the globe are keeping a watchful eye on the Pirola Covid strain that has already been identified in the UK.

Known scientifically as BA.2.86 the variant, a new spin-off of Omicron, has a high level of mutations on its spike protein which helps it evade immune defences, driving up infections. It could become the dominant variant in the UK in the coming months, although it is not known if it will increase the number of severe cases.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/pirola-variant-could-see-wales-27654093

[SteveH]

On a recent visit to my dentist, I noticed the safety screens had been removed from reception, however I was told they would be reinstalled soon due to the recent increase in Covid cases, she also mentioned she had been off with the virus for a few weeks, and had to stay at home, but her daughter in hospitality who also had the virus was told to report for work, or lose her job...... 

BETSI Cadwaladr University Health Board is preparing to deliver its Autumn booster and flu vaccines amid concern about the new Covid-19 variants.
BCUHB is finalising plans to deliver Covid-19 Autumn boosters and flu vaccines to more than 300,000 eligible people in North Wales.

The first vaccines are set to be offered to the most vulnerable from September 11. The health board will be supported by partners in primary care and community pharmacies.

A spokesperson for BCUHB said: "We are concerned at reports of new Covid-19 variants, and an increase in admissions to hospitals in Wales as a result of Covid-19 infections in recent weeks. This suggests a wider increase of transmission of the virus in the community. We are also concerned about reports of a severe flu season in Australia, which is often seen as an indicator of how the virus could affect the UK during the winter.

cont https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/23771860.bcuhb-gear-deliver-covid-19-boosters-flu-vaccines/

[SteveH]

Health bosses urge people to get jabs amid fears over Covid wave and severe flu season
More then 300,000 people are eligible for the injections across the region

North Wales health chiefs have urged eligible people to get their autumn vaccine jabs, amid fears of a Covid wave and a severe flu season. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board [BCUHB] are rolling out injections to more than 300,000 eligible people across the region, with the most vulnerable set to be offered them from September 11.

A BCUHB spokesperson said: "We are concerned at reports of new Covid-19 variants, and an increase in admissions to hospitals in Wales as a result of Covid-19 infections in recent weeks. This suggests a wider increase of transmission of the virus in the community.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/health-bosses-urge-people-jabs-27670716

[SteveH]

New Covid variant BA.2.86 behind care home outbreak

A new Covid variant is spreading in England and is behind an outbreak at a care home in Norfolk, health officials say.

There have been 34 confirmed cases of BA.2.86, with 28 of those at the care home. There have been no deaths.

It is too early to draw conclusions on whether it is more serious than past variants, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

People eligible for a booster jab this autumn are encouraged to come forward.

The government recently announced that the vaccine rollout would be earlier than planned because of the new variant. It will start next week.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66750359

[SteveH]

Soaring Covid death rates signal winter worries says WHO
The World Health Organisation has issued a warning about the new strain, Pirola

Covid-19 has shown 'concerning trends', with deaths soaring in parts of the Middle East and Asia and the number of people entering intensive care rising in Europe, warned The World Health Organisation. WHO issued the warning following reports of a dangerous new strain, BA.2.86 (or Pirola), taking hold in the Northern Hemisphere.

It is believed there could be hundreds of thousands of people currently in hospital with the virus globally, according to the UN health agency, but these figures could be higher as many nations have stopped reporting Covid-19 data. A surge in cases has been seen in the United States, with Priola thought to be gaining traction as winter approaches.

In a bulletin, Yale Medicine said the latest variant has more than 30 mutations to its spike protein (this is found on the outer layer of a coronavirus and allows it to infect our cells). And in response to this worrying trend, including a reported jump in cases, schools across the United States have started reintroducing mask mandates in schools.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/soaring-covid-death-rates-signal-winter-worries-says-who/

[SteveH]

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that infections of the new Covid strain have risen sharply with some people hospitalised. The Pirola variant (BA.2.86) has concerned viral experts because it is highly mutated and is probably highly transmissible in close contact settings.

Covid cases are on the rise in England with almost 9,000 confirmed infections in the seven days to September 3, according to the latest government data. There are also mounting concerns about the highly transmissible new Pirola variant.

Data shows that England saw 8,961 confirmed cases, which works out at 15.8 cases for every 100,000 people. There were also 298 cases in Wales ? equivalent to 9.4 for every 100,000 people ? and 1,561 in Scotland ? 28.6 for every 100,000.

[SteveH]

Covid boosters: Over-65s called for jabs as hospital cases rise

How much Covid is there around?
Testing for Covid has been massively scaled back, making it difficult to know how many people in the UK might have it.

The continued rise in hospital rates over recent weeks suggests the virus is likely to be circulating more widely among the population.

Hospital admissions of patients testing positive for Covid are now at the highest rate since the end of April, at 4.6 per 100,000 people.

That is still below the level reached last winter - 11.8 per 100,000.

Rates remain highest among people aged 85 and over, followed by 75 to 84-year-olds.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66818046

[SteveH]

Long Covid: MRI scans reveal new clues to symptoms

People living with long Covid after being admitted to hospital are more likely to show some damage to major organs, according to a new study.

MRI scans revealed patients were three times more likely to have some abnormalities in multiple organs such as the lungs, brain and kidneys.

Researchers believe there is a link with the severity of the illness.

It is hoped the UK study will help in the development of more effective treatments for long Covid.

The study, published in Lancet Respiratory Medicine, looked at 259 patients who fell so ill with the virus that they were admitted to hospital.

Five months after they were discharged, MRI scans of their major organs showed some significant differences when compared to a group of 52 people who had never had Covid.

The biggest impact was seen on the lungs, where the scans were 14 times more likely to show abnormalities.

MRI scans were also three times more likely to show some abnormalities in the brain - and twice as likely in the kidneys - among people who had had severe Covid.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66890505

[SteveH]

What you need to know about Covid as new variant rises.........Interesting and worth reading the full article.........

The number of people in hospital has gone up. Google searches have doubled in a month and booster vaccines have been brought forward because of a new variant. It might all feel a bit 2021. But - these days - how much do we really need to worry about Covid?

Marjorie from Pembrokeshire had gone through the whole pandemic without catching the virus - until this month.
"I thought I had natural immunity," she says.
"But I caught it from my granddaughter who had the same symptoms as mine."

In her case, that meant a headache, muscle pain and a loss of smell and taste.

"I just didn't realise I would feel so weak and lethargic," she adds.

How many people - like Marjorie - are catching Covid this autumn is impossible to know for sure.

All those drive-in testing sites are long closed and those free boxes of lateral flow tests probably dried up months ago.

The Office for National Statistics infection survey, which used to test a random sample of the population, was scrapped back in March.

But we do still record the number of people who test positive in hospital across the whole UK, and that figure has been creeping up since the summer.

cont plus stats https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66848549

[SteveH]

New Covid and flu dashboard launched for England

A new dashboard for tracking outbreaks of winter viruses in England, including Covid and flu, has been launched by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The dashboard will be updated every Thursday and eventually include regional data.

Officials say high levels of flu last winter highlighted the need to provide and share data on a number of common winter illnesses.

Numbers of Covid patients in hospital have been rising in recent weeks.

This has been linked to the emergence of BA.2.86 - an off-spin of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

As a result, the roll-out of autumn Covid booster jabs to better protect the most vulnerable was brought forward to early September.

Professor Steven Riley, director general of data, analytics and surveillance at the UKHSA, said it was vital to provide information on winter viruses "in a timely and transparent way".

He asked the public to contribute to the data: "While our new dashboard will initially focus on respiratory diseases, we will look to expand the information we publish constantly, and we would therefore appreciate your feedback on what you would like to see going forward."

The dashboard will be expanded to show additional data in time, the UKHSA says, which will help officials to track the new sub-variant and other variants that emerge.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66923996

What is in a dashboard?

A dashboard is an information management tool that receives data from a linked database to provide data visualizations. It typically offers high-level information in one view that end users can use to answer a single question.

[SteveH]

North Wales 'in for a tough winter? warning.........                                                    ref pioneer

Respiratory illnesses such as the new Covid variant and a surge in flu cases will make it a tough winter, says the health board?s interim chief executive.

A new Covid variant, BA.2.86, dubbed Priola, is now in circulation and feared to be spreading more quickly than previous strains.

Whilst older people and those with existing health conditions are encouraged to get vaccinations, Public Health Wales is also encouraging parents to vaccinate children against the flu virus this autumn, to protect them from getting secondary infections.

Last winter nearly 800 children aged two-16 years old were in hospital with respiratory illnesses, 78 per cent of whom were admitted due to flu.

There is concern children who didn?t encounter the flu virus between 2020-2022, when there wasn?t a lot of social mixing, could be particularly vulnerable.

Speaking at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board?s AGM at Trinity Community Centre in Llandudno this week, interim chief executive Carol Shillabeer warned North Wales was in for a tough winter.

?We are worried about winter because of the demands because of the pressure on health and social care services, but we really are preparing hard for it,? she said.

?There have been some fantastic efforts by our staff, but the best advice is for every single member of the community should prepare for winter.

?So that means getting your respiratory vaccines, whether it is for flu or Covid, and stock your medicines cupboard, contacting our pharmacist when we need extra support and try to keep as well as we can.

?From a service point of view, we will respond and maintain as much of that front-door emergency department capacity as we can, but it is going to be a tough winter.?

Dr Christopher Johnson, Consultant Epidemiologist and Head of Public Health Wales? Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme said: ?Flu can be serious.

?It is well known that having a flu vaccine every year is one of the most effective ways to protect against flu.

?Likewise the COVID-19 autumn booster vaccination extends the protection against serious illness. Any side effects from the vaccinations are normally mild and don?t last long.

?The chances of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19 or flu are greatly reduced by vaccination, as are the risks of spreading these viruses. Vaccination really is the best way to protect ourselves and others this winter from serious illness.?

[SteveH]

A UK health agency has started to publish Covid-19 death statistics again, drawing similarities with the height of the pandemic as the nation faces a rise in cases ahead of winter. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)'s figures show 11,022 new Covid cases, but without routine testing, it may not even scratch the surface.

They indicate that 168 people died with Covid in the most recent seven days ? rising by 21 per cent on the previous week. The World Health Organisation (WHO) downgraded the pandemic, but UK tracking has restarted ahead of the winter, with the new dashboard also containing flu data, reports WalesOnline.

The move follows concerns over a potential new wave caused by the two latest variants, Pirola and Eris, with 2,768 people currently in hospital with Covid in England. Covid hospital admissions have reached their highest rate in England since April, indicating the virus is potentially circulating among the population, figures show.

cont https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/covid-death-statistics-to-be-published-again-as-new-wave-begins/