People who have had two jabs may avoid self-isolation after infectious contact, expert suggests

Published

3 years ago

June 19, 2021

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People who have had both COVID-19 jabs and come into contact with someone infected may not have to self-isolate for 10 days in the future, a public health expert has suggested.

Linda Bauld, professor of public health at the University of Edinburgh, says Britain may follow the US which has changed its quarantine guidance for those who had received both coronavirus doses.

She highlighted repeated statements by the UK government’s chief medical adviser Professor Chris Whitty and others that COVID-19 would not disappear and society would have to learn to live with it.

Prof Bauld made her comments as it was warned that a third wave of coronavirus infections “is definitely under way” and the “race is firmly on” between the vaccine rollout and the highly transmissible Delta or Indian variant.

Latest data showed the Delta variant now accounts for almost all of the UK’s coronavirus cases, according to Public Health England.

It comes as everyone aged 18 and over can now book to get vaccinated in England.

On the likelihood of a change in the quarantine rules for those fully vaccinated, Prof Bauld told Times Radio: “It’s already in place in the US.

“The Centre for Disease Control changed their guidance a while ago to say that people who had had both doses of the vaccine and about 10-14 days after the second dose didn’t have to self-isolate, so I think we are moving in that direction.”

She added: “As we’ve heard repeatedly from Chris Whitty and others, this virus isn’t going to disappear.

“We’re going to have to live alongside it, means we are going to have infections in future, so being a contact of someone infected will always be a possibility.”

Professor Adam Finn, who advises the government on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), described as “interesting” the idea of scrapping 10-day self-isolation for double-jabbed people.

He told Times Radio: “We know that the vaccine, particularly after two doses, is highly effective at stopping you from getting seriously ill, 20 times less likely to end up in hospital.

“We also know that it will reduce your chances of getting milder illness and infecting other people, but it’s probably less good at doing that than it is preventing you getting seriously ill, so it’s a kind of balance of risk thing.”

Highlighting the rising number of cases, the University of Bristol academic told the BBC: “It’s going up, perhaps we can be a little bit optimistic it’s not going up any faster, but nevertheless it’s going up, so this third wave is definitely under way.

“We can conclude that the race is firmly on between the vaccine programme, particularly getting older people’s second doses done, and the Delta variant third wave.”

Immunologist Professor Paul Moss told Sky News: “The vaccines that we have are very, very effective at preventing severe disease from the Delta variant.”

Highlighting the move to start vaccinating the over-18s, he said: “There’s no doubt if we can get that first dose in we will reduce the number of infections.”

While having to be aware of new strains of the virus, Prof Moss added: “There’s no evidence yet of a variant emerging that is resistant to the vaccines.”

The latest figures from NHS England show that an estimated four in five adults in England have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The data shows that 35,507,916 first doses have been delivered up to 17 June, the equivalent of 80.2% of all people aged 18 and over.

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Patients forced into ‘pharmacy bingo’ – as survey says medicine shortages ‘beyond critical’

Published

1 hour ago

May 9, 2024

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Patients forced into 'pharmacy bingo' - as survey says medicine shortages 'beyond critical'

People are having to play “pharmacy bingo” – going from shop to shop to find stocks – as medicine shortages are worsening, experts have said.

Health leaders say some patients are even having to “ration” their drugs, with a new poll suggesting shortages are a “daily occurrence” for many of England’s pharmacies.

Treatments for ADHD, diabetes and epilepsy are among those affected this year, according to trade body Community Pharmacy England.

Its survey of more than 6,000 pharmacies and 2,000 staff found shortages are “wreaking havoc” on patients.

Nearly all (97%) of staff said patients were being inconvenienced, while 79% said health was being put at risk.

Some 98% said they were also giving out more “I owe yous” – where they can only fulfil part of the prescription.

Nearly all (99%) pharmacies reported supply problems at least weekly, and 72% said they were having “multiple issues a day”.

Another survey last month, by the Nuffield Trust thinktank, said drug shortages had more than doubled between 2020 and 2023 and that Brexit was likely to “significantly weaken” the UK’s ability to deal with the issues.

Shortages have also been a growing problem in Europe and the US in recent years.

However, the UK leaving EU supply chains is said to have added complications such as custom checks at borders and drug makers facing extra regulation.

The falling value of the pound after Brexit has also made it more expensive for the NHS to buy medicines.

Community Pharmacy England boss Janet Morrison said the supply problems were “beyond critical” and had become an “ongoing battle” for pharmacies.

“Patients with a wide range of clinical and therapeutic needs are being affected on a daily basis and this is going far beyond inconvenience, leading to frustration, anxiety and affecting their health,” she added.

“For some patients, not having access to the medicines they need could lead to very serious consequences, even leaving them needing to visit A&E.”

Ms Morrison said the survey was “yet another stark warning which must not be ignored”.

William Pett from Healthwatch England called it an “ongoing issue that continues to wreak havoc on patients”.

“Healthwatch England hears about how shortages can lead to rationing and desperate instances of ‘pharmacy bingo’, where patients must travel from pharmacy to pharmacy looking for stock,” he said.

Paul Rees, head of the National Pharmacy Association, urged the government “to sort out the UK’s fragile medicines supply system, so that pharmacies can do their job and patients can get their lifesaving medicines in time”.

The Department of Health and Social Care is yet to comment.

UK

British girl’s hearing restored in pioneering gene therapy trial

Published

1 hour ago

May 9, 2024

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British girl's hearing restored in pioneering gene therapy trial

A British girl has had her hearing restored after becoming the first person worldwide to take part in a pioneering new gene therapy trial.

Opal Sandy was born totally deaf due to auditory neuropathy, which disrupts nerve impulses from the inner ear to the brain.

But the 18-month-old’s hearing is now almost normal – and could improve further – after having the one-time treatment.

Opal was treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and the head of the trial, Professor Manohar Bance, said results were “better than I hoped or expected” and he hopes medics might be able to cure others with this type of deafness.

“We have results from (Opal) which are very spectacular – so close to normal hearing restoration. So we do hope it could be a potential cure,” he said.

Auditory neuropathy can be caused by a fault in the OTOF gene, which makes a protein called otoferlin and enables cells in the ear to communicate with the hearing nerve.

Opal, from Oxfordshire, had an infusion of the working gene into her right ear during surgery in September – the treatment developed by biotech firm Regeneron.

Her parents noticed changes in only four weeks and the improvements were especially noticeable 24 weeks later.

Jo and James Sandy, both 33, said they were “gobsmacked” when she responded to sound tests at home without her cochlear implant, the usual way to treat the condition.

“I thought it was a fluke or like a change in light or something that had caught her eye, but I repeated it a few times,” said Mrs Sandy.

They say she now enjoys the sound of slamming her cutlery on the table and playing with toy drums and wooden blocks.

“We were told she had near normal hearing last time,” she added. “I think they got responses at sort of 25 to 30 decibels.

“I think normal hearing is classed at 20 decibels, so she’s not far off. Before, she had no hearing whatsoever.”

Opal’s surgery was very similar to fitting a cochlear implant, according to Prof Bance.

He said the inner ear (cochlea) was opened and the treatment infused using a catheter over 16 minutes.

“We have to make a release hole in another part of the ear to let the treatment out because it has to go all the way through the ear,” he said.

“And then we just repair and close up, so it’s actually a very similar approach to a cochlear implant, except we don’t put the implant in.”

He said the gene therapy potentially “marks a new era in the treatment for deafness”.

“It was just the fact that we’ve been hearing about this for so long, and there’s been so much work, decades of work… to finally see something that actually worked in humans… It was quite spectacular and a bit awe-inspiring really,” he said.

The treatment was developed especially for children with OTOF mutations, and a second child who has had the same surgery is also seeing positive results.

The trial has three parts – with three deaf children, including Opal, getting a low dose in just one ear.

Another three children will get a high dose on one side. Then, if safe, a new set of children will get a dose in both ears at the same time.

Up to 18 people from the UK, US and Spain are being recruited and will be followed up for five years.

Results of the study were presented on Wednesday to the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy conference in Baltimore.

UK

Three men arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences

Published

4 hours ago

May 8, 2024

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Three men arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences

Three men have been arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences.

The men have been taken into custody in northern England on suspicion of “commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism”.

Greater Manchester Police said that at about 7.30pm, four warrants were executed in the Bolton, Great Lever, Abram and Hindley areas.

The men, aged 35, 36 and 51, were arrested at separate locations and have been taken into custody for questioning.

Scenes remain in place at the four addresses as inquiries are carried out, the force said, while warning the local community they may see an increased police presence in the coming days.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who holds responsibility for counter terrorism policing in the north west, said: “This evening we have executed a number of planned warrants as part of an ongoing counter terrorism investigation.

“Three men have been taken into custody for questioning and scenes remain in place as we conduct further enquiries.

“Today’s activity has been the culmination of much detailed planning and we have put measures in place to minimise disruption to local residents as much as possible.”

He added: “I want to reassure members of the public that we do not currently believe there to be any wider threat linked to today’s activity.”