Public Health officials urge residents of neighbouring counties to stay away from Northamptonshire

Public Health officials urge residents of neighbouring counties to stay away from Northamptonshire Public Health officials are urging residents of neighbouring counties to stay away from Northamptonshire unless absolutely essential and not to come for shopping or leisure activities.

Northamptonshire, whilst remaining in Tier Two - ‘high alert’ - is currently flanked by a number of areas, which have been placed into Tier Three - ‘very high alert’ - on the COVID-19 alert level system. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

See also:

• People in Milton Keynes dodge Tier 4 by flocking to shops and pubs in neighbouring Tier 2 Northamptonshire Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Lakeside Surgery 'ready to go' with Corby Covid vaccines next week after eleventh hours NHS hitch Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Social distancing and face masks may have to continue until 50% of the UK is vaccinated Northamptonshire Telegraph

Thousands still missing out on free flu jabs in Northamptonshire

Thousands still missing out on free flu jabs in Northamptonshire Doctors in Northamptonshire have issued another plea to thousands of people not to miss out on getting free flu jabs.

The NHS boosted numbers of free vaccinations available in a bid to avoid extra pressure on hospitals from people suffering with winter illnesses. Northampton Chronicle and Echo 

After the COVID storm: Where next for the NHS?

After the COVID storm: Where next for the NHS? What happens when the emergency phase of COVID is over? Has the pandemic set health and social care on a new course or will most things snap back to the way they were before?

In a global emergency we have to deal with the short term first, but what’s the long-term path for the NHS in particular? And what are the deeper threats and opportunities we should be thinking about? Podcast from The Health Foundation

The Anti-Vaxx Playbook: Exposing anti-vaxxers' deadly plan to disrupt Covid vaccines, and how we can stop them

The Anti-Vaxx Playbook: Exposing anti-vaxxers' deadly plan to disrupt Covid vaccines, and how we can stop them Anti-vaxxers met in private in late October 2020 to discuss their plans to disrupt the Covid vaccine. They didn't realise CCDH was there too. The Anti-Vaxx Playbook is our new report exposing their tactics, messages and use of social media. Our report explains how health experts, the public, tech giants and legislators can counter these harmful plans. Centre for Countering Digital Hate 

See also:

• Anti-vaxxers see Covid as ‘historic opportunity to create distrust in vaccines’, report warns The Independent

Science advice in a crisis

Science advice in a crisis This paper draws on interviews with key players including current and former officials, scientific advisers and SAGE members. It concludes ministers must improve the way they use and communicate science advice or risk repeating mistakes made during the coronavirus crisis. While ministers have faced extraordinarily difficult choices, the government’s response to the pandemic has too often been undermined by misunderstanding the role of science advice and using it inconsistently. Institute for Government

What is the goal of advanced telecare provision for older people?

What is the goal of advanced telecare provision for older people? This report suggests that there is a discrepancy in opinion about what telecare is for and the goals to be achieved, between telecare designers, suppliers, manufacturers, local authority commissioners, housing association managers, and the many others professionally engaged in rolling out telecare services. Housing LIN

State of health visiting in England

State of health visiting in England The iHV's seventh annual survey report (completed by 1012 health visitors from across the UK during October and November 2020) finds that health visitors are concerned that the needs of vulnerable babies and young children are invisible as they are only able to focus on what feels like the “tip of a very large iceberg” of unmet need, with almost two-thirds of health visitors reporting an increase in cases of child neglect. Four out of five health visitors report soaring increases in domestic violence and abuse, perinatal mental illness, and the negative impact of poverty on families. Institute of Health Visiting 

Guidance: Investigation of novel SARS-COV-2 variant: Variant of Concern 202012/01

Guidance: Investigation of novel SARS-COV-2 variant: Variant of Concern 202012/01 Technical briefing document on novel SARS-COV-2 variant. Public Health England 

See also:

• Detailed guide: Asymptomatic testing in schools and colleges Department of Health and Social Care
• Detailed guide: Tier 4: Stay at Home Department of Health and Social Care
• Latest Staff Council guidance on quarantine NHS Employers

Coronavirus: Impact of new variant on children investigated

Coronavirus: Impact of new variant on children investigated Scientists are urgently investigating hints the new variant of coronavirus spreads more easily in children.

If proven, this could account for "a significant proportion" of the increase in transmission, they say.

The claim comes from members of the government's New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats advisory group (Nervtag). BBC News

See also:

• Covid-19 tier 4 and Wales visitors to West Midlands 'must self-isolate'  BBC News
• Covid-19: More than 30 countries ban UK arrivals over Covid  BBC News
• Bedford woman 'lost hands and feet' as Covid led to sepsis  BBC News
• Where's next for Tier Four? The Daily Mail
• 'Professor Lockdown' Neil Ferguson warns Tier Four may be needed until Easter The Daily Mail
• 'Supercharged' Covid mutation was spotted in Brazil last spring The Daily Telegraph
• US President-Elect Joe Biden gets the Covid-19 vaccine live on TV The Daily Telegraph
• Delay school return in England by two weeks over Covid, union urges The Guardian
• New Covid variant in UK: spreading Christmas fear? The Guardian
• Calls for national lockdown in England to curb spread of new Covid strain The Guardian
• More Tier 4 Lockdowns 'Likely' As New Variant Causes Covid Surge, Says Patrick Vallance Huffington Post UK
• ‘Confident’ current vaccine works against mutant strain, but could be adapted in six weeks, says BioNTech chief The Independent
• Doctors and nurses at London’s frontline hospital denied coronavirus vaccine The Independent
• When will I get the Covid vaccine? Online calculator estimates your place in the queue The Independent

No ‘major disruptions’ to medicine supply expected due to border chaos, say pharma firms

No ‘major disruptions’ to medicine supply expected due to border chaos, say pharma firms Medicine supplies in the UK will not be disrupted as a result of the border restrictions placed on the UK by France, manufacturing firms have said.

The suspension of all travel and freight from the UK to France — as European states try to avoid importing the new strain of coronavirus into the continent — from Sunday night threw up serious concerns over supplies of medicine and fresh food. The Independent

Treatment plans at gender clinics have 'effectively stopped' for young trans people, warns clinician

Treatment plans at gender clinics have 'effectively stopped' for young trans people, warns clinician NHS England is clamping down on treatment options for young transgender people above and beyond legal requirement, an NHS clinician who treats them has warned.

Following a High Court decision earlier on this month which ruled that people under the age of 16 cannot consent to hormonal treatment, guidelines on NHS treatment options for young transgender people using the service have been under review. iNews