This week's message from the doctor.
The Dr's last weekly update! He will be sending monthly from now in. (I hope I still get sent them). It's a long one but very informative:
Hello Everyone,
The Covid booster programme has now jabbed over 2 million in England so far. People eligible for a booster include those aged 50 and over, front line health and social care staff, and those aged between 16-49 with a significant underlying health condition. Locally in Burnham, we are well ahead and those of you who are due their booster will be getting a text message shortly. If you do not have a mobile then we will call your landline. The booster jabs are being given at least 6 months after a second dose of the Covid vaccine. No matter which first vaccines you have had – Pfizer or Astra-Zeneca – the booster will be the Pfizer jab. It’s best to get the jab as soon as possible after you are called but your immunity does not suddenly fall after 6 months so don’t worry if there is an unexpected delay – eg you are away on holiday. If you become ill from another infection (such as flu) causing fever you may also need to delay the booster. The advice is similar to when you are due a flu jab – if you have a mild illness such as a cold or sinus infection you are ok but if you have a fever or have just started antibiotics then it would be best to delay the jab until you have recovered. All the recent research shows that the booster jabs are safe and will raise your antibody levels back up to those achieved after the second dose. Most side-effects of the booster are similar to those from earlier Covid vaccines including pain at the injection site, fatigue, mild fever, and headaches. You can take paracetamol (2 tablets up to four times daily) for these symptoms together with rest and plenty of fluids. There is usually complete recovery in 2-3 days.
If you are fully vaccinated there is much less chance of you catching the virus and of passing it on. However, a few fully vaccinated people will still get Covid but you will probably just have mild effects. Previously people were getting loss of smell, cough, and fever as their main symptoms. With the change in the variant and vaccination – presenting symptoms have now changed to headache, runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat. Cough and fever seem to be further down the list. These can be difficult to tell from an ordinary cold so it’s best to arrange a Covid test. Most people recover within a couple of weeks but if you find that your breathing becomes worse – such as getting short of breath using the stairs or even at rest then please call the surgery or 111. This is particularly important for people with significant other underlying health conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), severe asthma, and heart failure. At Burnham Health Centre we have set up an Oximetry Service – we can lend you an oximeter which measures the oxygen levels at the tip of your finger. We will also give you instructions on how often to take the readings and the warning signs to look for. The service is being run by a doctor, social prescriber, and pharmacist. So if you get a nasty chest infection and you also have other underlying health conditions that might severely affect your breathing then let us know and we can use the oximetry service to monitor your breathing whilst you are being treated.
Even though its been a little late in coming the vaccination programme for young people has also started nationwide. The logic behind this is that the vaccine will not only protect the young person but the community at large by providing a barrier that stops transmission to other more vulnerable people. This is not a new strategy – the same was done in the past for another highly contagious disease – measles. This is now an extremely uncommon illness in the UK, Europe, and North America. In parts of the world where there are low vaccination rates for measles the disease is still common and causes many childhood deaths especially in the under 5-year-olds.
At the moment most well young people are only being offered just one jab of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. This may change with time and they may be offered a second jab later on as has been recommended by the drug company and researchers in other countries.
(part 2 to follow)
Hello Everyone,
The Covid booster programme has now jabbed over 2 million in England so far. People eligible for a booster include those aged 50 and over, front line health and social care staff, and those aged between 16-49 with a significant underlying health condition. Locally in Burnham, we are well ahead and those of you who are due their booster will be getting a text message shortly. If you do not have a mobile then we will call your landline. The booster jabs are being given at least 6 months after a second dose of the Covid vaccine. No matter which first vaccines you have had – Pfizer or Astra-Zeneca – the booster will be the Pfizer jab. It’s best to get the jab as soon as possible after you are called but your immunity does not suddenly fall after 6 months so don’t worry if there is an unexpected delay – eg you are away on holiday. If you become ill from another infection (such as flu) causing fever you may also need to delay the booster. The advice is similar to when you are due a flu jab – if you have a mild illness such as a cold or sinus infection you are ok but if you have a fever or have just started antibiotics then it would be best to delay the jab until you have recovered. All the recent research shows that the booster jabs are safe and will raise your antibody levels back up to those achieved after the second dose. Most side-effects of the booster are similar to those from earlier Covid vaccines including pain at the injection site, fatigue, mild fever, and headaches. You can take paracetamol (2 tablets up to four times daily) for these symptoms together with rest and plenty of fluids. There is usually complete recovery in 2-3 days.
If you are fully vaccinated there is much less chance of you catching the virus and of passing it on. However, a few fully vaccinated people will still get Covid but you will probably just have mild effects. Previously people were getting loss of smell, cough, and fever as their main symptoms. With the change in the variant and vaccination – presenting symptoms have now changed to headache, runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat. Cough and fever seem to be further down the list. These can be difficult to tell from an ordinary cold so it’s best to arrange a Covid test. Most people recover within a couple of weeks but if you find that your breathing becomes worse – such as getting short of breath using the stairs or even at rest then please call the surgery or 111. This is particularly important for people with significant other underlying health conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), severe asthma, and heart failure. At Burnham Health Centre we have set up an Oximetry Service – we can lend you an oximeter which measures the oxygen levels at the tip of your finger. We will also give you instructions on how often to take the readings and the warning signs to look for. The service is being run by a doctor, social prescriber, and pharmacist. So if you get a nasty chest infection and you also have other underlying health conditions that might severely affect your breathing then let us know and we can use the oximetry service to monitor your breathing whilst you are being treated.
Even though its been a little late in coming the vaccination programme for young people has also started nationwide. The logic behind this is that the vaccine will not only protect the young person but the community at large by providing a barrier that stops transmission to other more vulnerable people. This is not a new strategy – the same was done in the past for another highly contagious disease – measles. This is now an extremely uncommon illness in the UK, Europe, and North America. In parts of the world where there are low vaccination rates for measles the disease is still common and causes many childhood deaths especially in the under 5-year-olds.
At the moment most well young people are only being offered just one jab of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. This may change with time and they may be offered a second jab later on as has been recommended by the drug company and researchers in other countries.
(part 2 to follow)
