Ben Wallace says Covid screening of travelers from China ‘under review’
this U.K. not ready for another Coronavirus Experts sound the alarm as the “highly contagious” subvariant XBB.1.5 continues to spread in the UK.
Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, told independent The UK is simply not prepared for another wave if the highly transmissible subvariant continues to spread rapidly.
People are being urged to wear masks and stay home if they feel unwell as the novel coronavirus XBB.1.5 raises concerns about rising Covid-19 cases.
XBB.1.5 is the highly transmissible version of Covid that caused a spike in cases in the UK last winter. The variant is thought to account for at least 4% of the Covid viruses being sequenced.
people from China People entering the UK are required to show a negative Covid test before entering the country. However, a cabinet minister has announced that there will be no mandatory quarantine for travelers who test positive for coronavirus after arriving from China.
Britain’s Department of Health and Social Care said China had been hit by new rules due to a “lack of comprehensive health information” as Chinese state media continued to downplay the severity of the current outbreak.
What is XBB Covid?New Omicron variant leads to surge in cases
As the world ushers in 2023, new strains of Covid are causing new health concerns across the globe.
Descendants of the highly transmissible Omicron variants XBB and XBB.1.5 experienced spikes in winter cases in many countries.
But what are they?
What is XBB Covid?New Omicron variant leads to surge in cases
As the world ushers in 2023, new strains of the Covid virus are causing new health concerns across the globe. Descendants of the highly transmissible Omicron variants XBB and XBB.1.5 have experienced winter spikes in many countries. But what are they? XBB is a subvariant of the Omicron BA.2 variant, and XBB.1.5 is a subvariant of XBB. Japanese researchers studied the properties of XBB and showed that this subvariant is highly transmissible and has developed immune resistance. Countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, China, India, Pakistan and Australia have reported cases of XBB and XBB.1.5. Sign up for our newsletter.
Eleanor SlayJanuary 5, 2023 at 03:10
Pharmacy chief issues cold and flu drug warning
Pharmacy leaders have warned of shortages of cough and cold medicine, with some pharmacists “difficult to obtain the most basic supplies”.
Throat lozenges, cough medicines and some pain relievers are among the over-the-counter medicines that are in short supply, according to the Independent Pharmacy Association.
The industry group has warned about availability of brand-name and generic drugs to treat seasonal ailments.
Eleanor SlayJanuary 5, 2023 at 02:10
Is 2023 finally the biggest year of the decade for international travelers?
A few minutes after midnight on January 1, 2020, I gleefully tweeted that for travelers, the new decade will be the best in human history. All the evidence points in that direction.
Things have only gotten better since the start of the jumbo jet age half a century ago. Field of view has expanded, real costs have steadily decreased, and safety has increased almost immeasurably.
The travel industry has been optimistic, I pay little attention to foreign news independent Breaking the previous afternoon, it began: “China’s health chief is investigating an outbreak of respiratory disease.”
Eleanor SlayJanuary 5, 2023 at 01:10
Biden worried about China’s handling of Covid-19 pandemic
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he was concerned about China’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
China’s Covid-19 data does not accurately reflect the situation there.
That was significantly lower than the number of hospitalizations and deaths from the disease, a senior World Health Organization official said earlier in the day.
Eleanor SlayJanuary 5, 2023 at 00:10
Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the HSA, warned that a lack of government planning had led to pharmacies running out of products.
“For cold and flu, for example, we knew for months that cases were rising and expected higher demand for these products,” the CEO said.
“So you’d think that a plan would be in place to manage that in terms of liaising with manufacturers and getting products.
“The lack of access to self-care products in pharmacies is putting more pressure on the NHS,” she added.
“What we’ve seen is worrying is when people go to the pharmacy and try to buy products over the counter, especially for small children, and then people start to get stressed and panic, and what we don’t want to happen is when the NHS is already suffering More people go to their GP or A&E when they are stressed,” Ms Hannbeck added.
“It comes back to the broader issue of our supply chain not functioning properly.” Every time there is a demand – say Strep A (a surge in demand for antibiotics), cases go up in October, then in early December the government says there is no There was a supply problem – there was clearly a supply problem at the time – and then they had to issue a severe shortage agreement proving that there was indeed a supply problem.
“So it becomes problem solving rather than having a strong plan to solve the problem.”
Eleanor SlayJanuary 4, 2023 at 23:10
Pharmacies struggle to deliver essential medicines due to lack of planning
The HSA has said pharmacists “are struggling to get the most basic and common cold and flu medicines.”
CEO Leyla Hannbeck explained in an interview with the PA news agency: “It’s not just branded medicines, but simple medicines like throat lozenges, cough drops or pain relievers, especially soluble medicines.
“Demand has been high as we’ve seen more cold and flu cases this season and people are obviously working really hard to take care of themselves and make sure they’re using relevant products to manage their symptoms.
“That’s causing shortages of those products that we don’t have access to.”
Ms Hannbeck added: “But it’s part of a bigger problem – from HRT to antibiotics to this, we keep finding ourselves in a situation where as soon as the demand for something goes up, we’re going to suffer on the supply side. struggling.
“Unfortunately, that’s partly down to a lack of planning by officials (the Department of Health and Social Care) in terms of anticipating problems and trying to plan ahead to fix them.”
Eleanor SlayJanuary 4, 2023 at 21:17
WHO accuses China of downplaying coronavirus surge in ‘life-threatening’ situation
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it was “concerned about the risk to lives in China,” while warning that information from Beijing did not accurately describe the impact of the coronavirus.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he understood why many countries imposed testing restrictions on travelers from China, given the lack of information from the Chinese government about the outbreak.
“WHO expressed concern about the risk to life in China and reiterated the importance of vaccination, including booster doses to prevent hospitalization, severe illness and death,” he said.
alastair jamison There are more:
Eleanor SlayJanuary 4, 2023 at 20:09
UK government ‘lack of planning’ to blame for cough medicine shortage
A “lack of planning” by the government is to blame for shortages of cough and cold medicine, the head of a pharmacy said.
The Independent Multiple Pharmacy Association has accused the government of “denying” that there is a problem with the supply chain.
Pharmacists are reporting shortages of common cold and flu remedies, including throat lozenges, cough suppressants and some pain relievers.
The HSA has warned that winter diseases including flu and Covid-19 continue to spread at “high levels”.
As a result, officials are urging people to keep children with fevers out of school and adults who are unwell to wear masks to stop the spread of infection.
Chief executive Leyla Hannbeck told PA news agency: “Pharmacists are struggling to get the most basic and common cold and flu medicines.
“It’s not just brand name medicines, but simple medicines like throat lozenges, cough drops or pain relievers – especially soluble medicines.
“Demand has been high as we’ve seen more cold and flu cases this season and people are obviously working really hard to take care of themselves and make sure they’re using relevant products to manage their symptoms.
“That’s causing shortages of those products that we don’t have access to.”
Eleanor SlayJanuary 4, 2023 at 19:10
China Covid data shows no new variant but underreported deaths, says WHO
World Health Organization officials said on Wednesday that data from China showed no new variant of the coronavirus had been detected there, but it also underestimated the number of deaths in the country’s rapidly spreading outbreak.
Since Beijing abruptly reversed its “zero Covid” policy, global unease has grown over the accuracy of China’s reported outbreak, which has overwhelmed hospitals and overwhelmed some funeral homes.
The UN agency released the data provided by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a day after WHO officials met with Chinese scientists. China has been reporting daily Covid deaths in the single digits.
Mike Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies chief, told a media briefing that the figures released by China do not adequately represent the number of hospital admissions, ICU admissions and “especially the number of deaths”.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN agency was continuing to seek more rapid and regular data on hospitalizations and deaths from China.
“WHO expressed concern about the risk to life in China and reiterated the importance of vaccination, including booster doses to prevent hospitalization, severe illness and death,” he said.
Eleanor SlayJanuary 4, 2023 at 18:30
Rishi Sunak warns welfare bill could add billions without support for long-term COVID-19 patients
Labor has warned that the government’s failure to support people with long-term coronavirus infections could add billions to the welfare bill every year.
Sir Keir Starmer’s party said Rishi Sunak and his ministers had “no plans” to help those with persistent symptoms including fatigue, headaches, muscle aches and heart palpitations.
Long-term coronavirus unemployment could cost £3bn a year in sickness benefits, according to analysis shared with attendees by Labor independent.
Eleanor SlayJanuary 4, 2023 at 18:15
