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UK COVID-19 Update: GPs 'Right Professionals' for Vaccination Campaign

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

GPs 'Right Professionals' for Vaccination Campaign 

GPs are the "right professionals" to lead England's coronavirus vaccination campaign, the BMA said.

A deal has been reached with NHS England and NHS Improvement to deliver the jabs once vaccines are approved, possibly as soon as next month.

BMA GP committee Chair, Dr Richard Vautrey, commented: "GPs and their teams are uniquely placed to ensure that their communities are properly protected from this deadly virus."

He continued: "But we are under no illusion that this will be an easy task. Not only are these very complex vaccines – for example they need special storage conditions – but a campaign of this scale will be a huge undertaking for practices already struggling to cope with the impact of the pandemic, as well as supporting the large number of patients with other healthcare concerns."

And he said: "The campaign is likely to lead to changes in the way practices operate as they prioritise this vital work for our nation."'

Cash for Jabs?

Governments should consider incentives to encourage coronavirus vaccine uptake, argues ethicist Professor Julian Savulescu, University of Oxford, in The Journal of Medical Ethics.

He writes that mandatory vaccination may not be "ethically justified".

"However, another way of looking at this is that those at low risk are being asked to do a job which entails some risk, albeit a very low one. So they should be paid for the risk they are taking for the sake of providing a public good."

Keith Neal, emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases, University of Nottingham, commented: "Paying people to get vaccinated would set a very dangerous precedent."

He added: "If we did this, people will expect it for other vaccines and also social media falsehoods would have a field day suggesting it can’t be safe if... you need to be paid to have it."

Birmingham Cancels Planned Ops

University Hospitals Birmingham has postponed many planned operations and procedures due to "the significant increase in the number of very sick patients (COVID and non-COVID) admitted to our hospitals as an emergency".

However, cancer treatment and life-saving operations will continue. A hospital statement continued: "This is an extremely difficult decision and has not been taken lightly. We know that affected patients will be distressed and upset with this decision, and for this we can only apologise. However, we must ensure that all those needing urgent care are able to access treatment safely."

ONS Infection Survey

Latest data from the Office for National Statistics Infection Survey show some early signs of infection rates levelling off in England. "The rate of increase is less steep compared to previous weeks," ONS said in a news release.

An estimated 618,700 people in England had COVID-19 from 25 to 31 October, the equivalent to around 1 in 90 people.

There were around 8.38 new COVID-19 infections for every 10,000 people per day, equating to around 45,700 new cases per day.

"This incidence rate appears to have stabilised at around 50,000 new infections per day," ONS said.

In Northern Ireland, 24,900 people had COVID-19, equating to 1 in 75 people.

In Wales, ONS estimated that 27,100 people in Wales had COVID-19, equating to 1 in 110 people.

In Scotland, an average of 47,300 people in Scotland had COVID-19 over 2 weeks, equating to around 1 in 110 people.

The UK's R number is unchanged this week at 1.1-1.3.

The growth rate is +2% to +4% per day.

In today's daily data another 23,287 UK positive tests were reported and 355 deaths.

There are 12,999 COVID-19 patients in hospital and 1181 ventilator beds are in use.

Liverpool's Mass Testing Begins

Liverpool's city-wide mass coronavirus testing began today with military support.

Rapid lateral flow tests giving results within an hour are on offer alongside existing swab tests.

The city's Director of Public Health, Matt Ashton, said in a statement: "This is a pilot scheme and we won’t get everything right, but it is a huge chance to drive down transmission rates and get life back to normal more quickly."

Meanwhile, The Guardian reported the 20 minute coronavirus tests used for Operation Moonshot missed more than 50% of positive cases in a pilot programme in Manchester and Salford last month.

It noted the Department of Health and Social Care said the test had been validated in other trials but the data has not been made public.

Babies Harmed

Around 64 infants have been deliberately injured, with eight deaths, as family tensions spiked under lockdown ITV News reported.

It said Amanda Spielman chief inspector of Ofsted will tell the National Children and Adults Services Conference that local authority professionals need to be "alive to this hidden danger" to help protect vulnerable young children.

Statistics Regulator Criticises CMO's Data

The UK Statistics Authority has criticised the way Professor Chris Whitty presented data in last Saturday's Downing Street news briefing supporting England's second national lockdown.

It called for more transparency about data and how any predictions were being made.

Also critical was Professor Carl Heneghan, University of Oxford, writing in The Telegraph (paywall): "The Government's use of data is not just confusing – the errors are positively misleading."

Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News the Government will "strive to improve" its data.

Ethnicity and Stroke Risk

Asian ethnicity is strongly linked to COVID-related stroke risk, according to first wave data from England and Scotland published in The Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

The UCL and UCLH-led study authors wrote: "Cases with ischaemic stroke were more likely than ischaemic controls to occur in Asians (18.8% vs 6.7%)."

Stroke patients with COVID-19 also appear to be left with greater disability.

They concluded: "Our study provides the most compelling evidence yet that COVID-19-associated ischaemic strokes are more severe and more likely to result in severe disability or death, although the outlook is not quite as bleak as previous studies have suggested."

Commenting via the Science Media Centre, Dr David Strain, senior clinical lecturer, University of Exeter, said an earlier risk of stroke in South Asian people was already established: "The only surprise in this, therefore, is the rather large incidence of stroke in those of South Asian descent. One important confounder that is not mentioned, however is the geographical location the data was collated from. At the time these data were collected, regions of the country with a greater South Asian population were also those with a higher prevalence of COVID-19."

Care Home Staff Testing

Northern Ireland is increasing the frequency of COVID-19 testing for care home staff, Univadis from Medscape reported.

Regular testing of care staff will now be performed once a week instead of every 2 weeks. The new cycle will be implemented from next week.

Health Minister Robin Swann emphasised that care homes remain a key area of focus in the battle against COVID-19 and are under immense pressure. He also clarified that logistical challenges associated with the expanded testing are not being underestimated.

Mr Swann said: "No one should be taking any false assurance from the welcome drop in positive cases we have seen in Northern Ireland in recent days. The more prevalent the virus is in our community, the greater the risk of it spreading into our care homes."

UK Tracking Apps Work Together

The UK's COVID-19 tracking apps can now 'talk' to each other.

Previously, anyone travelling from England and Wales to Scotland, or to Northern Ireland, would need different apps.

Gaby Appleton from England's Test and Trace programme blogged: "While the majority of us will not be travelling under the current restrictions, this update will provide protection for those who have to continue to travel to other areas of the UK for essential reasons, such as work."

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

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