Covid deaths pass 1,000 mark in Northamptonshire

Covid deaths pass 1,000 mark in Northamptonshire Covid deaths in Northamptonshire is set to pass another sobering milestone with more than 1,000 recorded in the county. 

Sunday's NHS bulletin added three deaths at Kettering General Hospital, two on New Year's Eve and one on January 2. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Covid-19: Tougher restrictions 'absolutely essential' for Northamptonshire BBC Northampton
• Covid: Northamptonshire's New Year party fines top 150 BBC Northampton
• Police blast New Year's Eve revellers after issuing £30,000-plus in Covid fines across Northamptonshire Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• The first Oxford vaccine dose has been given in the UK - here’s the plan for the rollout Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• List of primary schools in Northampton closed to majority of students due to increasing Covid-19 risk Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Tier Four - What it means for Northamptonshire Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Corby GP surgery begins offering Covid vaccination appointments after pre-Christmas hitch Northamptonshire Telegraph

"NHS staff are doing amazing things every day to care for our patients and each other"

"NHS staff are doing amazing things every day to care for our patients and each other" Hospital bosses saluted Northamptonshire's "amazing" NHS staff as they go into 2021 battling a triple whammy of winter worries.

Front line doctors, nurses and support workers from care assistants to porters and cleaners at Northampton and Kettering are treating around 1,100 Covid and non-Covid patients with no spare beds and staff shortages due to the virus. Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Health and care in 2021

Health and care in 2021 New Year’s Day 2021 finds the NHS, social care, public health and indeed the whole country even deeper in the Covid-19 crisis that began in March, now made massively more challenging by the new strain of Covid. The King's Fund 

2020: the health policy year in 12 charts

2020: the health policy year in 12 charts The wheels of health policy turn quickly. So, as 2021 begins let’s look back at the key health policy moments of 2020 to see the challenges and opportunities the year brought. The King's Fund

Better housing is crucial for our health and the COVID-19 recovery

Better housing is crucial for our health and the COVID-19 recovery Going into the COVID-19 pandemic, one in three households (32% or 7.6 million) in England had at least one major housing problem relating to overcrowding, affordability or poor-quality housing. 

Housing problems like these can affect health outcomes – including physical health directly from poor quality homes, and mental health from affordability or insecure housing. The Health Foundation

Outcome of UK negotiations with the EU

Outcome of UK negotiations with the EU Letter from Keith Willett, National Director for Emergency Planning and Incident Response, on the outcome of UK negotiations with the EU and key messages for NHS Organisations. NHS England 

See also:

• Brexit deal reduces uncertainty for health and care but major difficulties remain Nuffield Trust
• What should we expect for medical supplies in 2021? Nuffield Trust

New COVID-19 variant growing rapidly in England

New COVID-19 variant growing rapidly in England The new SARS-CoV-2 variant is growing rapidly, is more transmissible than other variants, and affecting a greater proportion of under 20s. 

The new variant has a transmission advantage of 0.4 to 0.7 in reproduction number compared to the previously observed strain. Imperial College London

See also:

• Report 42 - Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Lineage B.1.1.7 in England: insights from linking epidemiological and genetic data Imperial College London

First people to receive Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine today (4 January 2021)

First people to receive Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine today (4 January 2021) The NHS is the first health service in the world to deploy the life-saving jab, which has been authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after meeting strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. It is the only approved vaccine which can be stored at fridge temperatures.

The government has secured access to 100 million doses of the vaccine on behalf of the whole of the UK, crown dependencies and overseas territories. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Statement from the UK Chief Medical Officers on the prioritisation of first doses of COVID-19 vaccines Department of Health and Social Care
• Guidance: Full list of local restriction tiers by area Department of Health and Social Care
• NHS to deliver first jabs with new Oxford vaccine NHS England
• Guidance: COVID-19 vaccination: why you are being asked to wait Public Health England
• Official Statistics: National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports Public Health England

Covid: Regional rules 'probably going to get tougher', says Boris Johnson

Covid: Regional rules 'probably going to get tougher', says Boris Johnson Regional restrictions in England are "probably about to get tougher" to curb rising Covid infections, the prime minister has warned.

Boris Johnson told the BBC stronger measures may be required in parts of the country in the coming weeks.

He said this included the possibility of keeping schools closed, although this is not "something we want to do". BBC News

See also:

• Covid: What could 'tougher' measures mean for us? BBC News
• Covid: 'Nail-biting' weeks ahead for NHS, hospitals in England warn BBC News
• Covid: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine rollout to begin BBC News
• Covid-19: Are pandemics the new normal? BBC News
• Covid-19: Vaccination programme 'marathon, not a sprint' BBC News
• Pfizer vaccine: 'This way can save more lives' BBC News
• Coronavirus: BMJ urges NYT to correct vaccine 'mixing' article BBC News
• Boris Johnson: 'Send children to school' BBC News
• Coronavirus: No increase in severe child cases, paediatricians say BBC News
• I caught Covid from a hospital, we must give all NHS workers the jab - now The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus UK: Britain will need lockdowns until summer 2021 even with vaccines, scientists warn The Daily Mail
• Oxford Covid-19 vaccine Q&A: How effective is it, and how is it different to the Pfizer vaccine? The Daily Telegraph
• Hancock: England could face tighter Covid lockdown rules within 24 hours The Guardian
• Covid vaccine: UK doctors criticise rescheduling of second doses The Guardian
• Analysis: is it wise for England to mix and match Covid vaccines? The Guardian
• England health officials defend contingency plan to mix Covid vaccines The Guardian
• How is the Oxford Covid vaccine being deployed in England? The Guardian
• NHS England staff fear speaking out over Covid crisis in hospitals The Guardian
• ‘It makes me want to cry’: voices of hospital staff on the Covid frontline The Guardian
• Covid: More than 50,000 daily UK cases recorded for the sixth consecutive day The Independent
• Coronavirus: ‘Pretty clear’ tougher restrictions are needed, says SAGE adviser The Independent
• From inception to approval: The story behind the Oxford vaccine The Independent
• Matt Hancock blames Covid spread on public as government under pressure for new lockdown The Independent
• COVID-19: Hundreds of new vaccination sites for launch of Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine Sky News

Antidepressant use in England soars as pandemic cuts counselling access

Antidepressant use in England soars as pandemic cuts counselling access Exclusive: more than 6m people receive drugs as experts warn of Covid pandemic’s effects on mental health.

Calls to mental health helplines and prescriptions for antidepressants have reached an all-time high, while access to potentially life-saving talking therapies has plunged during the coronavirus pandemic, an investigation by The Guardian has found.

See also:

• How anxiety during lockdown led me to prescription drugs The Guardian

Hospitals without walls: the future of digital healthcare

Hospitals without walls: the future of digital healthcare In the wake of Covid, doctors and designers are radically adapting their thinking about what a hospital can be and what it should deliver. The Guardian

Thousands at risk of blindness set to benefit from a new eye drug

Thousands at risk of blindness set to benefit from a new eye drug Brolucizumab, has now been approved by NHS chiefs for patients with wet age-related macular deterioration - a painless yet incurable eye disease that's the leading cause of blindness in over-55s. The Daily Mail