Another vaccine milestone passed yet Northamptonshire's new Covid cases continue to climb

Another vaccine milestone passed yet Northamptonshire's new Covid cases continue to climb Around six in every ten adults aged under 30 in Northamptonshire have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine following the success of 'Grab a Jab' weekend. Northamptonshire Telegraph

See also:

• Half of under 30s in England vaccinated against Covid after ‘grab a jab’ weekend Northampton Chronicle and Echo

Unseen, Unequal and Unfair: Chronic Pain in England

Unseen, Unequal and Unfair: Chronic Pain in England The findings from Versus Arthritis’s latest report  are stark and illustrate the scale of the public health crisis.

Chronic pain (defined as pain which has lasted more than 12 weeks despite treatment or medication) affects around 15.5 million people – a third of the population in England.

Of great concern is that 5.5 million people in England (12% of the population) have high-impact chronic pain, the most disabling form which means a person struggles to take part in daily activities.

We Also Served: The Health and Well-Being of Female Veterans in the UK

We Also Served: The Health and Well-Being of Female Veterans in the UK This scoping review explores the health and well-being needs of female veterans in the UK.

Research focused on female veterans in the UK is limited and not enough is known about their health, well-being, and Service experiences. In recognition of this, in June 2020, the Cobseo Female Veteran Cluster Group, supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement, commissioned the VFI to undertake a scoping study into the health and well-being needs of female veterans in the UK, identify gaps in research utilising national and international research and to provide a framework for prioritising research and other activities in the UK going forward. This report details the findings. Veterans and Families Research Hub

UK surpasses 500,000 coronavirus (COVID-19) tests genomically sequenced

UK surpasses 500,000 coronavirus (COVID-19) tests genomically sequenced The UK has today (Sunday 27 June) surpassed over half a million genomically sequenced positive coronavirus (COVID-19) tests, as the UK’s testing programme continues to ramp up. Department of Health and Social Care

See also:

• Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, prioritises ending pandemic Department of Health and Social Care
• The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Department of Health and Social Care
• NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme jabs half of adults under 30 NHS England

Booster jab study chief makes urgent appeal for more trial sign-ups

Booster jab study chief makes urgent appeal for more trial sign-ups The scientist leading the government’s trial into whether people in the UK need a booster vaccine has made an urgent appeal for volunteers, in order to complete the research by autumn.

The study’s chief, Professor Saul Faust, is in a race against time to determine if booster jabs will be effective in combatting a potential winter wave of infections, and wants more people who have received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to sign up to the project. The Independent

See also:

• Covid cases return to early-April levels BBC News
• No major outbreaks found at government mass pilot events BBC News
• Covid: Loneliness a 'bigger health risk than smoking or obesity' BBC News
• Long Covid: 'I've blood clots, a braced leg and damaged heart... but I'm home' BBC News
• Outbreaks emerge across Australia in 'new phase' of pandemic BBC News
• Covid booster vaccines may NOT be needed this autumn, No10 adviser says The Daily Mail
• Covid booster: first 'variant vaccine' used in new Oxford trial The Daily Telegraph
• Is the new ‘delta plus’ Covid variant more dangerous? Scientists scramble to understand the facts The Daily Telegraph
• With 21 million still unvaccinated, Britain is not out of the woods yet The Guardian
• Sajid Javid expected to confirm 19 July as end of lockdown easing in England The Guardian
• Sajid Javid rules out further lockdowns: ‘There’s no going back’ The Independent
• Covid: Stronger border measures may have prevented Delta spread in UK, government adviser says The Independent
• After ‘grab a jab’ weekend 84% of all adults have had first dose of vaccine iNews

The huge NHS challenge facing Sajid Javid

The huge NHS challenge facing Sajid Javid Sajid Javid has taken over from Matt Hancock as Health Secretary for England at an extraordinary time - what does the change at the top mean for the NHS?

Mr Javid is a political heavyweight, having held two of the great offices of state, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary, as well as three other Cabinet posts.

What's more he was at one stage the minister in charge of social care in England. BBC News

See also:

• Medical chief on what he thinks Sajid Javid's priorities should be BBC News
• Sajid Javid wants return to normal 'as soon as possible' BBC News
• ‘Sajid Javid’s appointment offers real opportunities to deal with underlying problems’, says former department of health permanent secretary Channel 4 News
• What’s in Sajid Javid’s in-tray at the department of health? The Guardian
• With Hancock abandoned, Sajid Javid is likely to lead the government on a less cautious pandemic route iNews
• New health secretary Sajid Javid faces 'baptism of fire' warns BMA chair with NHS staff 'absolutely exhausted' ITV News

Matt Hancock still facing questions after resignation

Matt Hancock still facing questions after resignation Matt Hancock is still facing several questions following his resignation as health secretary over an affair with his aide Gina Coladangelo.

Labour wants an inquiry into an alleged use of private emails for government business, which could be a rule breach.

There are also questions over Ms Coladangelo's parliamentary pass and Mr Hancock's entitlement to severance pay. BBC News

See also: 

• Matt Hancock quits as health secretary in aide row BBC News
• Hancock faces scrutiny for using private email for official business BBC News
• Sajid Javid praises predecessor Matt Hancock BBC News
• The final straw: how appeal from 80 Tory MPs sealed Matt Hancock's fate The Daily Telegraph
• Coronaviral: How the internet reacted to claims of Matt Hancock affair The Daily Telegraph
• Government to investigate leak of Matt Hancock CCTV footage The Guardian
• Boris Johnson may pay political price for not sacking Matt Hancock The Guardian
• 'I've got to resign': Matt Hancock steps down after breaching Covid rules – video The Guardian
• ‘Follow the rules’: what Matt Hancock told us – and what he did The Guardian
• People share things Covid stopped them doing after Hancock breach The Independent
• Matt Hancock faces litany of accusations about conduct as questions mount over private emails and hiring staff iNews

Drug firms giving MPs ‘hidden’ funding, research shows

Drug firms giving MPs ‘hidden’ funding, research shows Drug companies are giving groups of MPs and peers that campaign on health issues hundreds of thousands of pounds a year in “hidden” funding that could hand them “undue influence”, research has found.

The pharmaceutical industry has built up a “hidden web of policy influence” over dozens of all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) at Westminster by making hundreds of “non-transparent” payments to them, as part of the industry’s wider effort to lobby those in power, researchers claim. The Guardian

See also:

• A hidden web of policy influence: The pharmaceutical industry’s engagement with UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Groups (open access) PLOS One

Time to scrap prescription charges - it'll make us all healthier and save the NHS millions

Time to scrap prescription charges - it'll make us all healthier and save the NHS millions At present, patients in England pay a standard £9.35 for every item on an NHS prescription. MP Carolyn Harris says that she wants menopausal women exempted. The Daily Mail