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UK COVID-19 Update: 'Indian' Variant Cases Rise, Pfizer Shelf Life Extended

These are the UK coronavirus stories you need to know about today.

Further Increase of Cases of 'Indian' Variant of Concern

Cases of the B.1.617.2 'Indian' variant of concern of SARS-CoV-2 rose sharply in the last week, official estimates showed.

An analysis by Public Health England found there were 3424 cases by May 19, up 2111 from last week's figure of 1313.

Earlier this week, the Government announced it would step up plans to tackle the variant, with an enhanced vaccination programme and additional surge testing.

This morning, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters he had not seen any signs that the Government would have to "deviate" from plans to end COVID restrictions in England later next month.

Speaking on a visit to Portsmouth, Mr Johnson said: "We will be letting everybody know exactly what sort of arrangements to expect for June 21.

"I am still seeing nothing in the data that leads me to think that we're going to have to deviate from the road map", he said, adding that "we must remain cautious".

Clinically Vulnerable 'Continue to Shield'

Half of people in England deemed clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) continued to shield even after Government advice to do so was withdrawn on April 1, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed.

It also found that 92% of CEV people, who were aware that Government advice to shield had been paused, reported completely or quite closely following the precautionary guidance in the week up to May 1.

Around two-thirds (67%) of CEV people reported having had two doses of a vaccine.

Tim Gibbs, head of the public services analysis team at the ONS, commented: "We've recently seen lockdown restrictions ease significantly. This is great to see. However, it's critical that we continue to monitor the impact of these changes on groups such as the clinically extremely vulnerable."

Meanwhile, a further analysis by the ONS showed that compliance with measures to stop the spread of COVID remained high, with 87% of adults saying they washed their hands when returning home, down from 88% last week, and 97% saying they used a face mask, unchanged since the last report.

Among other findings:

  • Of adults who left home in the last 7 days, 21% did so to eat or drink at a restaurant, bar, or pub (23% last week)
  • 26% said they shopped for items other than basic necessities (30% last week)
  • 12% reported visiting a hair salon or barber (15% last week)

The proportion of adults meeting up indoors with someone not in their household, childcare, or support bubble in the last 7 days remained similar at 20%, compared with 19% last week.

The analysis also showed that positive sentiment towards COVID-19 vaccines remained high, with 94% of adults saying they had now either received a vaccine or would be likely to have a vaccine if offered, a slight decrease when compared with 95% last week.

COVID Associated With Higher Risk of Stillbirth

Having COVID-19 around the time of giving birth could increase the chance of stillbirths, premature births, and pre-eclampsia, and caesarean delivery, a study suggested.

The research, funded by the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit, looked at data involving 342,080 women who gave birth in England between the end of May 2020 and the end of January 2021, 3527 of whom tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, calculated that 8.5 per 1000 women who had a positive test went on to experience stillbirth compared with 3.4 per 1000 who had a negative test.

It also found that 12.1% of women who had a positive COVID test experienced preterm birth compared with 5.8% of those who tested negative.

The risk of preeclampsia and eclampsia was 3.9% compared with 2.5%, and the risk of caesarean delivery was 27.6% compared with 18.5%, the researchers found.

The findings "should guide the counselling of pregnant women about risks of SARS-COV-2 infection during pregnancy and indicate that pregnant women should be prioritised for vaccination", the study concluded.

Other News

  • The Scottish Government tweaked COVID restrictions on Friday when it announced that Moray would move down to level 2 from midnight tonight. Speaking at a COVID briefing, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that "regrettably", Glasgow would remain under tighter level 3 restrictions.
  • Spain announced that it would welcome tourists from the UK from Monday. However, the UK Government has not placed Spain on its green list of countries, which allows returning travellers to avoid quarantine.
  • The EU said it had reached a provisional agreement on the technicalities of a digital COVID certificate, or 'health passport', to allow its citizens easier access between nations. It said it hoped to have the scheme ready before the start of summer.

MHRA Approves Longer Shelf Life for Pfizer Vaccine

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved new storage conditions for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine that extends the length of time the thawed vaccine can be stored at normal fridge temperatures from 5 days to 31 days.

Previously, the Pfizer vaccine had to be stored in ultra-low temperature freezers, thawed in a fridge at between 2 degrees C and 8 degrees C, and used within 5 days.

The change was approved following a detailed review of additional stability data submitted to the regulator by Pfizer.

Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive, said: "Now that the jab can be stored at normal fridge temperatures for up to 31 days, it can be used in a wider range of healthcare settings, giving patients greater access to the Pfizer vaccine."

A similar change to storage conditions for the Pfizer vaccine was implemented by the European Medicines Agency on Monday.

See more global coronavirus updates in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Centre.

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