These are the UK coronavirus stories you need to know about today.
‘Target Met’ vaccine
The UK has met its target one day early to offer first-dose vaccines to JCVI priority groups 1-4 by today. Anyone who may have lost or lost their mind is asked to contact the NHS.
On February 13, 15,062,189 first doses were given, and 537,715 second doses. In early March, the second dose will be given to those who received the first dose in January after widening the gap from 3 weeks to 12.
The vaccine began on December 8 last year and is now rolling out to people aged 65 to 69 and those at clinical risk. The next target is for first doses to be offered to the other five priority groups, including people over 50, by May.
Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “This milestone is a cause for celebration – but the challenge continues and GP teams are already preparing for the next step. of the vaccination program. “
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the BMA council, said it was “a remarkable achievement”.
He continued: “This milestone shows exactly what happens when clinicians are allowed to lead from the front, unhindered by unnecessary bureaucracy or red tape while aim to deliver vaccines to patients, and this must continue as we look to the next phase of distribution. .
“As we widen the net on vaccine eligibility, it is also vital that Government is clear in its messages to the public, which must be culturally viable in order to achieve the highest level of immunization. deprivation and in black and minority ethnic numbers. We also need reassurance about sustainable vaccine provision, and urgent clarity on how major vaccine centers will work with community sites and GP surgeries to prevent patient confusion and to maintain this trend. dol. ”
The new phase of the program in England will feature WhatsApp groups, charitable involvement, and mobile centers to encourage the emergence of ‘vaccine lazy’ communities.
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “We recognize that some groups feel more lazy about having an injection, or that they have more barriers, both physical and mental, preventing them from getting to one when offered. “
Jabs for 6-year trial for children
Oxford University is starting clinical trials of its vaccine in children and young adults ages 6-17 at sites in London, Southampton, and Bristol.
Andrew Pollard, lead researcher on the Oxford vaccine trial, said: “While most children are not affected by coronavirus and are unlikely to become ill with the disease, it is important to establishing a safety and immune response to the vaccine in children and young people. as some children may benefit from a vaccine. These new experiments will extend our understanding of SARS-CoV2 control to younger age groups. “
A preliminary study of school absenteeism in England between September and December last year concludes that “there is no compelling evidence that schools play an important role in driving [COVID-19] and the need for careful review as schools re-open may be necessary to determine the impact of open schools on community frequency. ” statement available online at the time of publication.
In other vaccine developments:
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Israeli healthcare provider Clalit reported a 94% drop in COVID-19 symptomatic infections among 600,000 people who received two doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine against a control group.
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The French health authority Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) says people who have received COVID-19 need only a single dose of vaccine 3-6 months after an infection to stimulate the ‘memory’ of their immune system.
Surge test
Rough experiments are being used in more areas to detect changing South African issues, including parts of Middlesbrough, Walsall, and Hampshire.
The success of the vaccine program has put Boris Johnson under pressure from some MPs in his own party to announce plans to reduce the lockout discount. The prime minister plans to outline his plans next week but said today that his approach would be “cautious but irreversible”.
New quarantine and hotel testing measures came into force today for people coming to England from ‘red list’ countries and for people who came to Scotland. The UK Government has secured 4963 rooms in 16 hotels and has 58,000 more rooms when they stopped.
The latest winter flow data from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine shows:
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55,718 A&E attendances, up from 55,634 the previous week
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Average 4-hour performance was 73.66%, up from 71.64% the previous week
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There were 2553 12-hour waits, down from 2609 the previous week
Unprotected
The latest member survey by the BMA finds that only 28% of 8153 doctors and medical students who responded to the survey feel fully protected at work.
Another 64% felt partially protected and 8% did not defend at all.
Chairman of the Advisory Committee, Dr Rob Harwood, said: “One should not have to go to work and not feel safe, but these results show that it looks like we have the doctors. , across the country, is doing just that – and that’s a terrible lawsuit.To care for patients, many of them are very ill and in need of complex care, although Concerned about the appropriateness of protecting yourself from the virus, which should not happen in the 21st century health service. “
AGILE
The AGILE clinical trial platform received Government funding to deliver new COVID-19 therapies through phase 1-3 clinical trials.
The first treatments explored are:
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EIDD-2801 / Molnupiravir (antiviral)
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VIR-7831 and VIR-7832 (monoclonal antibodies)
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Niclosamide (anthelminthic)
Future treatments will be selected by the UK COVID-19 Medical Advisory Panel (UK-CTAP).
Vitamin D.
A Spanish study on the benefits of calcifediol / vitamin D in reducing COVID-19 mortality announced in Prime Ministerial Questions earlier this month has been published as an introduction. .
Speaking through the Science Media Center, Naveed Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine, University of Glasgow, said: “This is interesting but a large dose of complaint is needed in the mainline results as this is not a randomized controlled trial. no information on randomization process, and lack of placebo. It does not appear to be listed as an experiment either. Also, baseline differences in more women in the vitamin D3 (calcifediol) group as well as higher vitamin D levels, could easily enjoy the results. There is also no reason to link vitamin D levels to outcomes because that is speculative and does not tell us anything new because we know that vitamin D levels are lower in sick patients – we have known this for decades. in many cases.
“In short, this is not a useful study because it falls short of randomized trial. While many want to believe that vitamin D is the cure for COVID-19 or a stimulant treatment, it cannot for this ‘test’ to allow such a decision. We have to wait for strong random tests to make appropriate decisions. “
No cap on exit payments
With census figures showing some doctors are considering leaving medicine after the pandemic response, some will welcome an end to the £ 95,000 cap on public sector severance payments.
The BMA said it had won an “important legal battle” to effect the change, saying the cap was “illegal and would have a far-reaching effect”.
See more global coronavirus updates in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center.