Covid: Military help could be sought in Northamptonshire

Covid: Military help could be sought in Northamptonshire Military help could be sought to deal with a major Covid-19 incident, according to council boss.

Northamptonshire declared a major incident on Friday, with critical services facing staff shortages.

West Northamptonshire Council's chief executive Anna Earnshaw said the decision would help keep residents and patients safe. BBC Northampton

See also:

• Northamptonshire: Health director to leave Covid major incident county BBC Northampton
• Northampton vaccination site gives more than 1,300 Covid-19 jabs in a single day with just eight vaccinators Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northamptonshire will get TWO £100,000-a-year public health directors under latest local government shake-up Northampton Chronicle and Echo
• Northamptonshire's director of public health quits to take new job Northamptonshire Telegraph
• Crucial Covid rule change affecting use of PCR tests takes effect today Northamptonshire Telegraph

Hundreds of Northamptonshire patients don't discover they've got cancer until it's already at most deadly stage, figures show

Hundreds of Northamptonshire patients don't discover they've got cancer until it's already at most deadly stage, figures show Hundreds of cancers are not discovered until they have progressed to the most deadly stage of illness in Northamptonshire, new figures show.

And a leading charity fears a 'cancer catastrophe' could be on the cards if more is not done to reduce the number of people receiving late diagnoses. Northamptonshire Telegraph 

The Health and Care Bill: House of Lords, Committee of the whole House, 11 & 13 January 2022, consideration of clauses 1-34

The Health and Care Bill: House of Lords, Committee of the whole House, 11 & 13 January 2022, consideration of clauses 1-34 This briefing on the Health and Care Bill provides commentary on amendments tabled for the Committee Stage in the House of Lords, scheduled to take place on 11 and 13 January 2022. NHS Providers 

NHS strikes new COVID surge deal with independent sector

NHS strikes new COVID surge deal with independent sector Local hospitals will be able to quickly activate surge capacity in the independent sector as part of the national COVID response, under a new deal announced today.

A three-month agreement with multiple independent healthcare organisations will see their staff and facilities put on standby to support the NHS should the Omicron variant lead to unsustainable levels of hospitalisations or staff absences. NHS England 

Covid PCR tests end for asymptomatic cases in England

Covid PCR tests end for asymptomatic cases in England People without Covid symptoms no longer need a PCR test to confirm a positive lateral flow in England.

The change reflects the high prevalence of coronavirus in the community and the accuracy of rapid tests, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.

The surge in Omicron cases has seen many with positive lateral flow tests struggling to book a follow-up PCR. BBC News

See also: 

• 100 invited to Downing Street garden lockdown drinks BBC News
• 'Is this for real?' No escape for No 10 from party claims BBC News
• PM on Covid testing: We'll look at science over shortening isolation BBC News
• Covid-19: Common cold may give some protection, study suggests BBC News
• Covid: Fact-checking the doctor who challenged the health secretary BBC News
• UK's Covid cases fall 10% in a week to 142,224 while hospitalisations flatten out The Daily Mail
• Ministers brace to live with Covid amid push for five-day isolation The Daily Mail
• Britain is close to 'living with Covid' as pressure on NHS and public services diminishes The Daily Telegraph
• Covid patient numbers in hospital continue to rise in England and Scotland The Guardian
• NHS England had no choice but turn to private hospitals during Covid surge The Guardian
• What the latest Covid-19 data does, and doesn’t, tell us about Omicron surge The Independent
• Boris Johnson ‘attended No 10 lockdown-breaking party’ with 100 Downing Street staff invited The Independent
• Top doctors urge Government to act on NHS staff exodus with record numbers quitting over Covid trauma iNews
• Email proves Downing Street staff held drinks party at height of lockdown ITV News
• In full: The Westminster parties alleged to have happened during 2020 Covid restrictions ITV News

NHS staff: 'We're doing the absolute best we can'

NHS staff: 'We're doing the absolute best we can' "Just had a cry in the meds room - the NHS is at breaking point and so are many of its staff."

That's what Emma Scott-Spivey, a student paramedic, tweeted after a January shift in a North Yorkshire hospital. BBC News 

First pig heart to human transplant is a game-changer, say surgeons

First pig heart to human transplant is a game-changer, say surgeons Surgeons at the University of Maryland in the US have successfully completed the world's first pig to human heart transplant.

Muhammad Mohiuddin, who co-founded the university's xenotransplantation programme, said that the heart is beating very well and beyond expectations.

David Bennett, 57, who received the pig heart in a seven-hour experimental operation, had been deemed ineligible for a human heart transplant. BBC News