These are the UK coronavirus stories you need to know about today.
'No Indication' Oxford Jab Causes Blood Clots
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) again said the benefits of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine continue to outweigh the risks, although expert investigations are continuing.
More than 12 European countries, including Sweden and Latvia today, have suspended use of the jab after thromboembolism concerns first raised by Norway.
EMA Executive Director Emer Cooke said there was no indication that clotting incidents were due to vaccination. "The benefits continue to outweigh the risks, but this is a serious concern and it does need serious and detailed scientific evaluation. This is what we are involved in at the moment," she told a news conference.
The results of the EMA's review will be released on Thursday.
Yesterday, the UK JCVI Deputy Chair, Professor Anthony Harnden, said: "The UK has administered 11 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and there has been no demonstrable difference in the number of blood clots since the vaccine was introduced."
Unvaccinated NHS Redeployments
NHS England HR guidance says frontline staff who decline COVID-19 vaccination may be redeployed: "If a staff member declines to disclose their vaccine status or following a sensitive one-to-one conversation, supported by occupational health colleagues, decides to decline the vaccine, a conversation on job adjustments will need to be conducted to move them into a less exposure prone setting. These conversations may require input from local trade union representatives."
The document says: "We recognise that not all staff will be eligible to take the vaccine (eg, medical contraindications) and therefore universal coverage may not be achieved."
It confirms that vaccination is strongly encouraged but remains a personal choice: "At present, there are no plans to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine."
Local record keeping and data submitted centrally, it said "should accurately reflect staffuptake/declines in frontline settings".
Surge Testing
Harrow and Southwark in London are the latest areas targeted for surge testing to identify cases of the South African variant.
Enhanced contact tracing will also be used.
Scotland's Lockdown
Scotland will lift its 'stay-at-home' order on 2 April replacing it with 'stay local'.
Non-essential retail and hairdressers can reopen 3 days later.
Scotland would leave lockdown and go into a 'modified Level 3' on 26 April.
"The precise detail of any continued restrictions will depend on an assessment of the situation closer to the time," First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said.
Antibodies Rising
Office for National Statistics (ONS) infection survey data suggest the vaccination programme is increasing the number of people testing positive for antibodies. Around 1 in 3 people in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland would have tested positive for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the 28 days up to 3 March. The figure is 1 in 4 for Scotland.
Antibodies were more common in older people in line with vaccination priority groups.
Sarah Crofts from ONS said: "The positive impact of the vaccine rollout is clearly seen in our data. Whilst antibody rates continue to increase across the whole of the UK, those age groups prioritised for vaccination now show the most people testing positive for antibodies.
"Increases in antibody rates across other age groups are to be expected following a period of high infections when more people have been exposed to the virus.
"Women are more likely to test positive for antibodies than men across most of the UK. The reasons for this likely vary from biological reasons to more women being employed in some jobs prioritised for vaccination, such as carers."
NHS Tech Concerns
Remote consultations and technology use have increased as a response to the pandemic but a Health Foundation report finds improvements are needed before these innovations are 'locked in'.
YouGov carried out online surveys of more than 4000 UK adults and more than 1000 NHS staff.
Around three fifths of NHS users increased their use of technology to access care and 83% of these had a positive experience. However, 42% said increased technology worsened quality of care.
For staff, 78% who increased technology use reported positive experiences but 33% said this resulted in worse quality of care.
The Health Foundation’s Assistant Director of Improvement, Tim Horton, said: "Given the immense pressure the NHS has been under, it is impressive that so many patients and staff reported positive experiences as new technologies were rolled out. However, the fast pace at which they were introduced means that important steps – such as evaluation and codesign with patients – will necessarily have been shortcut. As we emerge from the shadow of the pandemic, the NHS must evaluate and improve these approaches before locking them in for the future."
Long COVID
UK Biobank is starting a study into long COVID using infection data from its 500,000 participants who'll be sent antibody home self-test kits.
Chief Scientist, Professor Naomi Allen, said: "Much is known about the short-term effects
of SARS-CoV-2, but very little is known about its longer-term health effects. The addition of
information on which participants in UK Biobank have been infected will provide researchers across the world with a unique data set to assess any long-term health impacts of the virus."
Routine Health Data & Trials
Use of NHS routine health data will become the new normal for trials, the Association of Physicians Great Britain & Ireland annual meeting, held online, heard today.
Ahead of the event, Professor Martin Landray from Oxford's RECOVERY trial said: "Accessing routine health data and putting these data to maximum use, is a huge opportunity to improve the evaluation of treatments through clinical trials."
He continued: "The challenge was how to use routine data in the context of clinical trials to understand if a treatment was beneficial or not. The steroid, dexamethasone, is a case in point. It was found to cut the risk of death by a third for [COVID] patients on ventilators.
"When I started RECOVERY, nobody believed it was possible to draw on routine data in a way that could inform such a large trial.
"RECOVERY is a new standard in using big data in clinical trials. The challenge going forward is making that business as usual."
Prince Philip
The Duke of Edinburgh, 99, left King Edward VII's hospital in London earlier today following a successful heart procedure at St Barts.
The reason for his initial hospital admission was not disclosed but it was not COVID-related.
The 28 nights as an inpatient were the longest Prince Philip has stayed in hospital.
Buckingham Palace said he wishes to thank the medical staff who treated him.
See more global coronavirus updates in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Centre.
