Omicron could overwhelm NHS in Northamptonshire, says health boss

Omicron could overwhelm NHS in Northamptonshire, says health boss The rise of the Omicron variant could tip Northamptonshire's health services "into a place where the NHS does become overwhelmed," according to an NHS boss.

There are currently 164 confirmed Omicron cases across the county.

Northamptonshire Clinical Commissioning Group chief executive Toby Sanders said the situation was "very, very critical". BBC Northamptonshire

See also: 

• First UK omicron victim was 'unvaccinated pensioner hooked by online conspiracy theories' The Daily Telegraph
• ‘We could avoid further restrictions if we test, get boosters and wear masks’, says Northamptonshire health chief Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northamptonshire’s vaccine director ‘confident’ all over 18s will be offered booster by the end of the year Northamptonshire Telegraph
• 7 key things Professor Chris Whitty told MPs about the Omicron variant Northamptonshire Telegraph

Making sense of population health: a clinician's perspective

Making sense of population health: a clinician's perspective ‘What has population health got to do with me, an eye surgeon?’ 

I asked myself this after a long day working in the extra corneal clinic set up on a Saturday to cope with the backlog of patients created during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other clinicians may be pondering the same question, feeling uncertain about their role in and relevance to population health (a whole-systems approach that aims to improve health and care for populations). The King's Fund 

The global use of medicines 2022: outlook to 2026

The global use of medicines 2022: outlook to 2026 The largest driver of medicine spending through the next five years is expected to be global Covid-19 vaccinations. More widely, global spending on medicines continues to be driven by innovation and offset by losses of exclusivity and the lower costs of generics and biosimilars. This report quantifies the impact of these dynamics and examine the spending and usage of medicines in 2021 and the outlook to 2026, globally and for specific therapy areas and countries. IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science 

Policy paper: Government response to the independent inquiry report into the issues raised by former surgeon Ian Paterson

Policy paper: Government response to the independent inquiry report into the issues raised by former surgeon Ian Paterson The report of the independent inquiry into the issues raised by Paterson was published on 4 February 2020.

This publication sets out the government’s response to the 15 recommendations made in the inquiry report. Department of Health and Social Care 

25m boosters in UK as public urged to Get Boosted Now

25m boosters in UK as public urged to Get Boosted Now 25 million people in the UK have had their booster vaccine or third dose as everyone eligible is urged to keep coming forward for the vital jab. Department of Health and Social Care

See also: 

• G7 statement on the Omicron variant Department of Health and Social Care
• Top nurse says: it’s not too late to join NHS booster mission NHS England
• Research: COVID-19 variants: genomically confirmed case numbers UK Health Security Agency
• National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published UK Health Security Agency
• Research: COVID-19 vaccine: estimated coverage for people aged 18 and over UK Health Security Agency
• Pregnant women urged to come forward for COVID-19 vaccination UK Health Security Agency

Covid: Cases hit new record as booster drive continues

Covid: Cases hit new record as booster drive continues A record number of daily coronavirus cases have been reported across the UK for the second day running, with 88,376 infections confirmed on Thursday.

England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, said the Omicron variant could rise "incredibly fast", but its peak subside quickly due to boosters. BBC News

See also:

• First UK patients given take-at-home Covid pill BBC News
• Covid: How to manage it at home BBC News
• 'Covid stopped my life-saving operation' BBC News
• Some who shielded need support now say charities BBC News
• Omicron could overwhelm the NHS even if 'half as severe' as Delta, says UCL professor Channel 4 News
• Health chiefs insist lateral flows DO pick up Omicron as well as Delta The Daily Mail
• How to tell you've got Omicron: Sniffles, a headache or stomach pains are symptoms of Covid variant The Daily Mail
• Prepare for another 18 MONTHS of Covid chaos says Chris Whitty The Daily Mail
• NHS Test and Trace 'won't work' against surging Covid omicron cases, expert warns The Daily Telegraph
• Johnson’s plan B measures fall far short of what is needed to slow the spread of Covid | Chaand Nagpaul The Guardian
• What Omicron’s Covid ‘tsunami’ could mean for the UK The Guardian
• Hospitals in England draw up plans for significant Covid staff absences The Guardian
• Compulsory Covid jabs ‘calamitous’ for dental services in England, says BDA The Guardian
• No 10 slaps down Tory MP over ‘public health socialist state’ tweet The Guardian
• JCVI classifies pregnant women as at-risk group for Covid vaccination programme The Independent
• Omicron: NHS staff sickness already ‘worse than ever’ with situation set to worsen The Independent

NHS hospitals in England 94% full before start of Omicron surge

NHS hospitals in England 94% full before start of Omicron surge Four in five critical care beds are full and one in four ambulance handovers are taking more than 30 minutes.

Hospitals in England are already 94% full, with four out of five critical care beds occupied, even before the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus has started to cause a big influx of patients. The Guardian

See also: 

• Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Reports 2021-22 NHS England
• Quarter of ambulances get stuck in A&E queues BBC News

Omicron spread ‘could see 100,000 operations cancelled in England this winter’

Omicron spread ‘could see 100,000 operations cancelled in England this winter’ A new study suggests more than 100,000 elective operations could be cancelled in England over the coming months, as a result of the current Omicron wave and the anticipated hospital admissions it could cause. The Independent

See also: 

• Projecting COVID-19 disruption to elective surgery (open access) The Lancet