Monthly Updates from Burnham Health Centre
Monthly Updates from Burnham Health Centre
Hello Everyone,
Some researchers think that we have reached another peak of Covid infections and this may now flatten out. However, this flattening effect may be due to the effects of half term which has reduced classroom transmission. This school break also means there are fewer lateral flow tests (LFTs) and PCRs being carried out which are then not being counted. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) sends out tests to thousands of people and its data is thought to be a more reliable indicator of case numbers as it does not rely on people themselves coming forward for a test. These ONS figures show that cases in school children may have peaked but cases in adults are not reducing yet. The slightly better news is that we probably won’t get as many deaths as we did last winter as many of us are now vaccinated. Deaths are now a tenth of what they were in January although they are rising.
Covid is still a major problem in the UK with 1 in 53 people being affected with over 37,000 cases per day and 1000 deaths per week. Covid patients in ITU who need a ventilator has gone up steadily over the last 6 months. In some areas, almost a third of the critically ill are taken up by Covid patients. Five million people are still unvaccinated in the UK and they make up the biggest proportion of people being admitted to hospital.
However, in October 2,500, fully vaccinated people over 70years of age died. Not because vaccines don’t work but because there is such a high level of circulating virus and because in many vulnerable people immunity is waning. Doctors, nurses and volunteer jabbers have done a tremendous job with the vaccination programme but still, only about 55% of those who had their 2nd dose 6 months ago have been boosted. The vaccination programme in the UK has slowed down and needs much more government resources and larger centres to open up to cover all those that need their boosters now. New changes now mean that if you know the date of your 2nd jab and it's been over 6 months (officially - 182 days) then you can go along to a walk-in centre and have your booster. The concern is that 5 million people are due their booster now and we may not be able to get through them all until January. So mixing at Xmas and New year may leave a lot of people susceptible to infection. Research shows that the booster works very well and reduces the risk of death by 85-90% which is even better than after the 2nd jab.
Cases seem to be driven by school-age kids who catch it from freely mixing in classrooms then passing the infection on to more vulnerable relatives and friends. There are no plans for better ventilation or compulsory mask-wearing in schools at the moment so this pattern will probably repeat itself. As expected households with children have a higher number of cases and unlike other medical problems or pandemics cases are highest in the least deprived areas. Children don’t only pass on Covid infection. They can also get very ill, end up in a hospital and die from it. Thousands of children in the UK are also suffering the effects of Long Covid – persistent symptoms of fatigue, joint pains, memory fog and breathlessness. The vaccination programme for children from 12 yrs and upwards is still slow in the UK compared to other countries. We need this to get much quicker so that transmission from children can be significantly reduced as well as protect them.
Things are not much better in the continent with surges of cases and deaths in Eastern Europe with their much lower vaccination rates. Cases have risen dramatically in Germany in what they are calling a ‘fourth wave.’ Belgium and The Netherlands are going back to compulsory mask-wearing. Spain, Italy, France and Portugal are steady at the moment. They have higher vaccination rates than us but also have other measures such as Covid passports and masks.
In the USA they have started to vaccinate 5-11-year-olds as the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) feel that the coronavirus poses a greater risk to children than many other illnesses that they are already vaccinated against. Two million children in the US have been infected with the virus – 8000 have been admitted to hospital and 172 have died.
The more the virus circulates and reproduces the higher the chance of another variant developing. We have a new one in the UK called ‘Delta-plus’ or ‘Delta’s grandchild’. It now accounts for about 6% of all UK cases. Scientists estimate it is about 10% more infectious than Delta – which first originated in India – but does not think it is a ‘super variant’ that might sweep the country. However, the virus is changing all the time. Most of these changes or variants are harmless and die out but eventually one will develop which will be immune to antibodies and vaccines. That is why we may need boosters every 1-2 years to cover these new variants. As always to stop this virus from circulating – we all need to do our bit - wear masks in public places, meet people in well-ventilated areas and maintain good hand hygiene.
As well as vaccines that are designed to prevent infection scientists are now developing new oral drugs to treat patients with Covid. The antiviral drug molnupiravir was originally developed to treat influenza. It has now been found to be very effective against the coronavirus which causes Covid infection. This is the first drug that can be given at home as a pill at the early stages of Covid to those who may be particularly prone to a bad infection such as the elderly, those who are immunocompromised or those that might have significant chest or heart problems. Research shows that molnupiravir (developed by the drug company Merck) halves the risk of hospitalisation and death in at-risk patients. It’s given twice daily and works by stopping the virus from making copies of itself and spreading in the body. Ideally, it will be given as soon as possible (or within 5 days) after a positive Covid test to at-risk individuals with mild to moderate Covid with at least one risk factor (eg. heart disease, diabetes, COPD, old age). We don’t quite yet know when it will be rolled out or how it will be made available. We do know that it will not be available on a simple prescription from your GP - not at first anyway. Pfizer has also developed a similar drug to molnupiravir. In the future, both drugs could also be used to reduce the chances of adults getting infected after exposure to the coronavirus.
At the Burnham Health Centre, we are trying to manage as many of our patients as we can. We have a whole host of clinicians including paramedics, physicians assistants, pharmacists, specialist practice nurses as well as the GPs offering telephone and face to face appointments. This combination of telephone and face to face seems very popular with most of our patients and it is a system we plan to continue. Apologies that the ‘Patient Access’ system has not been working recently. This is due to a central problem with IT. We hope this will be fixed as soon as possible. As always it is incredibly busy at the surgery as is the whole of the NHS. I know that many of you have even had difficulty in calling 111. The basic problem is that demand for the NHS is huge but there is a national shortage of doctors and nurses available. The NHS needs much greater investment for the well being of its patients and staff. We will all suffer if the NHS is failing.
Bowel cancer. 1 in 20 people will get this in their lifetime. NHS bowel screening is being offered but at the moment only just over 60% take this up in our area. If you are 55yrs you will be invited for a one-off ‘bowel- scope’ which involves a camera up the back passage. If you are 60-74yrs you will automatically be invited to do a home test every 2 years. Please watch out for this information through the post and please do go for your bowel screening or submit a home stool test. It might save your life. If you are over 75 yrs then you can ask for a home testing kit every 2 years by calling the bowel screening helpline on 0800 707 6060.
The NHS breast screening programme invites all women from the age of 50-70 for screening every 3 years. This can mean that you do not get your first screening mammogram until you are 52 or 53. Please attend when you receive your invitation.
Cervical screening is a smear test that checks the health of the neck of your womb (cervix). It’s a test to help prevent cancer and all women aged 25 to 64 are invited for screening. You get an invite every 3 years if you are aged 25 to 49. After that, it is every 5 years until the age of 64. Cervical screening is carried out at the health centre – please make an appointment when you are sent an invitation.
Burnham Vaccination Programme:
We are progressing through Covid vaccinations with a mixture of first doses, second doses, "third doses" (for those patients contacted who are generally on chemotherapy or immunotherapy) and boosters. We are mainly doing boosters at present. Patients will receive a text message when they are 6 months after their second dose and will be able to book electronically by clicking on the link. We will also have some appointments on the National Booking System (NBS). These can be booked by putting "book a covid vaccination" on the internet. We continue to try and vaccinate as many patients as possible and we are continually adding more appointments. You are also welcome to attend the mass vaccination centres such as Salt Hill via the NBS or their walk-in services. Please let the receptionists know if you are totally housebound and unable to leave the house for any reason and we will arrange a home visit.
If you are anxious about coming forward for your vaccination - especially a first dose - we have an amazing team of vaccinators who can reassure you and talk you through the whole process. You are not under obligation to have a vaccination but best to talk to the experts if you are worried and we have a great team who can help.
Stay Safe Everyone
Bye for now
Dr M Tanvir Jamil
Senior Partner
Burnham Health Centre
Hello Everyone,
Some researchers think that we have reached another peak of Covid infections and this may now flatten out. However, this flattening effect may be due to the effects of half term which has reduced classroom transmission. This school break also means there are fewer lateral flow tests (LFTs) and PCRs being carried out which are then not being counted. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) sends out tests to thousands of people and its data is thought to be a more reliable indicator of case numbers as it does not rely on people themselves coming forward for a test. These ONS figures show that cases in school children may have peaked but cases in adults are not reducing yet. The slightly better news is that we probably won’t get as many deaths as we did last winter as many of us are now vaccinated. Deaths are now a tenth of what they were in January although they are rising.
Covid is still a major problem in the UK with 1 in 53 people being affected with over 37,000 cases per day and 1000 deaths per week. Covid patients in ITU who need a ventilator has gone up steadily over the last 6 months. In some areas, almost a third of the critically ill are taken up by Covid patients. Five million people are still unvaccinated in the UK and they make up the biggest proportion of people being admitted to hospital.
However, in October 2,500, fully vaccinated people over 70years of age died. Not because vaccines don’t work but because there is such a high level of circulating virus and because in many vulnerable people immunity is waning. Doctors, nurses and volunteer jabbers have done a tremendous job with the vaccination programme but still, only about 55% of those who had their 2nd dose 6 months ago have been boosted. The vaccination programme in the UK has slowed down and needs much more government resources and larger centres to open up to cover all those that need their boosters now. New changes now mean that if you know the date of your 2nd jab and it's been over 6 months (officially - 182 days) then you can go along to a walk-in centre and have your booster. The concern is that 5 million people are due their booster now and we may not be able to get through them all until January. So mixing at Xmas and New year may leave a lot of people susceptible to infection. Research shows that the booster works very well and reduces the risk of death by 85-90% which is even better than after the 2nd jab.
Cases seem to be driven by school-age kids who catch it from freely mixing in classrooms then passing the infection on to more vulnerable relatives and friends. There are no plans for better ventilation or compulsory mask-wearing in schools at the moment so this pattern will probably repeat itself. As expected households with children have a higher number of cases and unlike other medical problems or pandemics cases are highest in the least deprived areas. Children don’t only pass on Covid infection. They can also get very ill, end up in a hospital and die from it. Thousands of children in the UK are also suffering the effects of Long Covid – persistent symptoms of fatigue, joint pains, memory fog and breathlessness. The vaccination programme for children from 12 yrs and upwards is still slow in the UK compared to other countries. We need this to get much quicker so that transmission from children can be significantly reduced as well as protect them.
Things are not much better in the continent with surges of cases and deaths in Eastern Europe with their much lower vaccination rates. Cases have risen dramatically in Germany in what they are calling a ‘fourth wave.’ Belgium and The Netherlands are going back to compulsory mask-wearing. Spain, Italy, France and Portugal are steady at the moment. They have higher vaccination rates than us but also have other measures such as Covid passports and masks.
In the USA they have started to vaccinate 5-11-year-olds as the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) feel that the coronavirus poses a greater risk to children than many other illnesses that they are already vaccinated against. Two million children in the US have been infected with the virus – 8000 have been admitted to hospital and 172 have died.
The more the virus circulates and reproduces the higher the chance of another variant developing. We have a new one in the UK called ‘Delta-plus’ or ‘Delta’s grandchild’. It now accounts for about 6% of all UK cases. Scientists estimate it is about 10% more infectious than Delta – which first originated in India – but does not think it is a ‘super variant’ that might sweep the country. However, the virus is changing all the time. Most of these changes or variants are harmless and die out but eventually one will develop which will be immune to antibodies and vaccines. That is why we may need boosters every 1-2 years to cover these new variants. As always to stop this virus from circulating – we all need to do our bit - wear masks in public places, meet people in well-ventilated areas and maintain good hand hygiene.
As well as vaccines that are designed to prevent infection scientists are now developing new oral drugs to treat patients with Covid. The antiviral drug molnupiravir was originally developed to treat influenza. It has now been found to be very effective against the coronavirus which causes Covid infection. This is the first drug that can be given at home as a pill at the early stages of Covid to those who may be particularly prone to a bad infection such as the elderly, those who are immunocompromised or those that might have significant chest or heart problems. Research shows that molnupiravir (developed by the drug company Merck) halves the risk of hospitalisation and death in at-risk patients. It’s given twice daily and works by stopping the virus from making copies of itself and spreading in the body. Ideally, it will be given as soon as possible (or within 5 days) after a positive Covid test to at-risk individuals with mild to moderate Covid with at least one risk factor (eg. heart disease, diabetes, COPD, old age). We don’t quite yet know when it will be rolled out or how it will be made available. We do know that it will not be available on a simple prescription from your GP - not at first anyway. Pfizer has also developed a similar drug to molnupiravir. In the future, both drugs could also be used to reduce the chances of adults getting infected after exposure to the coronavirus.
At the Burnham Health Centre, we are trying to manage as many of our patients as we can. We have a whole host of clinicians including paramedics, physicians assistants, pharmacists, specialist practice nurses as well as the GPs offering telephone and face to face appointments. This combination of telephone and face to face seems very popular with most of our patients and it is a system we plan to continue. Apologies that the ‘Patient Access’ system has not been working recently. This is due to a central problem with IT. We hope this will be fixed as soon as possible. As always it is incredibly busy at the surgery as is the whole of the NHS. I know that many of you have even had difficulty in calling 111. The basic problem is that demand for the NHS is huge but there is a national shortage of doctors and nurses available. The NHS needs much greater investment for the well being of its patients and staff. We will all suffer if the NHS is failing.
Bowel cancer. 1 in 20 people will get this in their lifetime. NHS bowel screening is being offered but at the moment only just over 60% take this up in our area. If you are 55yrs you will be invited for a one-off ‘bowel- scope’ which involves a camera up the back passage. If you are 60-74yrs you will automatically be invited to do a home test every 2 years. Please watch out for this information through the post and please do go for your bowel screening or submit a home stool test. It might save your life. If you are over 75 yrs then you can ask for a home testing kit every 2 years by calling the bowel screening helpline on 0800 707 6060.
The NHS breast screening programme invites all women from the age of 50-70 for screening every 3 years. This can mean that you do not get your first screening mammogram until you are 52 or 53. Please attend when you receive your invitation.
Cervical screening is a smear test that checks the health of the neck of your womb (cervix). It’s a test to help prevent cancer and all women aged 25 to 64 are invited for screening. You get an invite every 3 years if you are aged 25 to 49. After that, it is every 5 years until the age of 64. Cervical screening is carried out at the health centre – please make an appointment when you are sent an invitation.
Burnham Vaccination Programme:
We are progressing through Covid vaccinations with a mixture of first doses, second doses, "third doses" (for those patients contacted who are generally on chemotherapy or immunotherapy) and boosters. We are mainly doing boosters at present. Patients will receive a text message when they are 6 months after their second dose and will be able to book electronically by clicking on the link. We will also have some appointments on the National Booking System (NBS). These can be booked by putting "book a covid vaccination" on the internet. We continue to try and vaccinate as many patients as possible and we are continually adding more appointments. You are also welcome to attend the mass vaccination centres such as Salt Hill via the NBS or their walk-in services. Please let the receptionists know if you are totally housebound and unable to leave the house for any reason and we will arrange a home visit.
If you are anxious about coming forward for your vaccination - especially a first dose - we have an amazing team of vaccinators who can reassure you and talk you through the whole process. You are not under obligation to have a vaccination but best to talk to the experts if you are worried and we have a great team who can help.
Stay Safe Everyone
Bye for now
Dr M Tanvir Jamil
Senior Partner
Burnham Health Centre
