Covid-19: Corby's highest rate in England 'hugely concerning'

Covid-19: Corby's highest rate in England 'hugely concerning' A town's Covid infection rate, ranked the highest in England, is "hugely concerning", the council has said. 

Corby in Northamptonshire had the highest rate in the country in the week up to 10 February, at 383 per 100,000.

The rate is dipping but the county's director of public health Lucy Wightman said cases in the over-60s were not falling as quickly as they would like. BBC Northampton 

See also:

• More half-hour tests available in Northampton to sniff out Covid-cases with no symptoms Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Only severe asthma sufferers to be prioritised for Covid vaccine - how to tell if you're eligible Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northampton event explores disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on people of colour Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Covid vaccine rollout proving effective as deaths of vulnerable drop - and hospital admissions fall by 60% Northamptonshire Telegraph

How to take care of your eyes during lockdown...advice from expert at Northampton General Hospital

How to take care of your eyes during lockdown...advice from expert at Northampton General Hospital Column by Karishma Parmar, from Northampton General Hospital Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Legislating for integrated care systems: five recommendations to government and parliament

Legislating for integrated care systems: five recommendations to government and parliament This document makes five specific recommendations to government on the question of how to legislate to place integrated care systems (ICSs) on a statutory footing, having gathered the views of the NHS, local government and wider stakeholders. NHS England and NHS Improvement 

Thousands of doctors say they have not been properly protected from Covid-19 at work, during the pandemic

Thousands of doctors say they have not been properly protected from Covid-19 at work, during the pandemic Thousands of doctors have told the BMA they are not fully protected from Covid-19 in their place of work and for many, it’s likely to have been the case since the onset of the pandemic.

The BMA has been regularly surveying doctors across the UK since April of last year to better understand their experiences and the issues they face as they care for patients in various settings, including GP practices and hospitals.

See also:

• Fewer than a third of UK doctors feel protected from Covid at work – poll The Guardian
• ‘We had a year to get this right’: 1 in 5 female doctors concerned about PPE size as fears grow over Covid strains The Independent 

The most vulnerable and health and care workers offered COVID-19 jab as government hits target to protect those most at risk

The most vulnerable and health and care workers offered COVID-19 jab as government hits target to protect those most at risk Everyone most at risk from coronavirus has now been offered a vaccination, with more than 15 million jabs achieved in less than 10 weeks. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• UK Covid-19 vaccine uptake plan Department of Health and Social Care
• Supply and planning issues threaten UK’s “world beating” vaccine achievements Public Accounts Committee

Covid: Why goal is to live with the virus - not fight it

Covid: Why goal is to live with the virus - not fight it The government says it hopes to make Covid a manageable disease like flu.

Vaccination and new treatments, ministers and their scientific advisers argue, will reduce the death rate and allow us to live with the virus rather than constantly trying to fight it. Why are they doing this? And is it even possible? BBC News

See also:

• Covid: Concern at vaccine disparity in BAME health staff BBC News
• Coronavirus: Plan to exit lockdown 'cautious but irreversible', says Boris Johnson BBC News
• Covid-19: PM urges optimistic but patient approach to pandemic BBC News
• Covid-19: Vaccine as good in 'real world' as in trial in Israel BBC News
• Covid: 'No evidence' schools spread lots of coronavirus BBC News
• Matt Hancock: 'Third of social care staff' still not vaccinated BBC News
• Covid: Equalities watchdog urged to investigate UK's pandemic response BBC News
• Coronavirus UK: Study finds no evidence schools drive Covid outbreaks The Daily Mail
• UK hits 14million Covid vaccines as NHS dishes out another 500,000 doses The Daily Mail
• Coronavirus: Could the UK go quicker with its vaccines? The Daily Mail
• Britain records 9,765 Covid cases in smallest daily rise since OCTOBER The Daily Mail
• When will Boris Johnson announce the roadmap to end lockdown and how might it look? The Daily Telegraph
• Covid vaccine take-up lower among health workers, says Hancock The Guardian
• Revealed: Cummings' role in handing Covid contract to firm run by 'friends' The Guardian
• UK ‘can’t be confident’ of avoiding another Covid wave despite vaccine success, says leading epidemiologist The Independent
• Covid: Just two-thirds of social care staff and four-fifths of NHS workers have been given vaccine The Independent
• World is on course for a coronavirus vaccine ‘apartheid’, experts warn The Independent
• Second phase of Covid-19 vaccines roll-out will be twice as fast, NHS boss promises iNews

'Concerning' rise in pre-teens self-injuring

'Concerning' rise in pre-teens self-injuring Hospital admissions of nine to 12-year-olds because of self-injury across the UK are averaging 10 a week, according to data analysed by a BBC File on 4 investigation.

The rate has doubled in six years, the latest annual figures indicate. 

One leading expert says the rise is "concerning", and that self-harm "seems to be spreading down the age range". BBC News

See also:

• Self-harm rates ‘double’ among pre-teen children The Independent

An NHS shakeup could be revolutionary – but only if staffing levels are boosted too | Jeremy Hunt

An NHS shakeup could be revolutionary – but only if staffing levels are boosted too | Jeremy Hunt If this is to be a ‘1948 moment’, ministers and health leaders must ensure it is not just a reshuffling of the deckchairs

The three biggest challenges facing the NHS are workforce shortages, a struggling social care system and persistent issues with safety and quality, the latter highlighted by the worrying Ockenden review into baby deaths in Shrewsbury and Telford. The shake-up announced by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, does not completely solve any of these issues. Some people are asking, reasonably enough, if it is therefore the right time for such an upheaval, not least with NHS staff exhausted by a pandemic that has lasted far longer than anyone expected. The Guardian