Read on Twitter
Hello again #Barnet tweeps - I am back with another thread from #BarnetHealthChampion meeting. I am here to give you info on all things #COVID19 and ask public health @barnetcouncil any questions you have. Are you all set?
First a quick look at the numbers, which are continuing to fall across all age groups except 10-15 year olds, who saw a very small rise this week. This is because you did such a good job on lockdown.
They'll probably drop again next week, but then public health expect to see a rise after that, because of moving into Tier 2. Stick to the rules please, and remember, wear a mask, wash your hands, be outside or open a window, and stay 2m away from others. Fresh air is your friend
Remember what the message was last week - just because you can go out and do more, doesn't mean you should.
If you want to dive further into the data, check out Barnet's website. They have kindly added a new page of numbers of cases by ward, as well as rates. Hope that helps. https://www.barnet.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19-latest-information-and-advice
OK. Onto the really good news - we have a vaccine, that has been through all the trials they always do, and it has been approved by the regulator, the MHRA, which means they have crawled all over the data and made sure it is safe. Thank you science!
We know the Pfizer vaccine is good at stopping you from getting a Covid infection, AND, if you do still get it, it is very good at stopping you getting it badly. What they don't know (yet) is whether, if you do get it mildly, you can still pass it on. The rules are here for a bit
Lots of people have been surprised that a vaccine has come along so quickly, and that, like buses, there is no vaccine for years and then three come along at once. This is surprising, until you think about it bit more
First, scientist have got very good, and very fast, at sequencing the genes for viruses. The whole sequence was known and shared in January, so teams around the world could start work.
Second, vaccine developers in universtities and industry have done a lot of work in recent years, on Ebola for instance, streamlining agreements and approaches, for example heading to the front of the queue at the ethics committees (still go, but get there faster)
Finally, money makes it much faster. Governments around the world, including the UK government, and this lady, have put some serious cash into this, so no time was wasted writing grant applications at each stage. And lots of people stepped up to volunteer for trials.
So all of the normal steps happened, just faster. All the lab work, all the trials, and all the oversight and regulation. And it seems to be safe and incredibly effective (more effective than the flu vaccine)
So, the next question people have is how can I get the vaccine. That one is tricky, especially in the beginning, because the Pfizer vaccine has to be kept at minus 70 degrees C, and comes in packs of 900 doses that cannot, at the moment, be split. That is very, very cold
So, although the JCVI has said that care home residents and their careworkers are absolutely top of the list, logistically that is tricky with this vaccine. Taking it out to care homes is tricky, and so is bringing care home residents out to hospitals. See the problem?
There is a lot of useful information on priorities, strategies, different groups (like pregnant women), tackling health inequalities (esp for PoC) and how they might change on here http://Gov.uk website underJCVI priorities for vaccination.
Sorry - can't link but look out for separate tweet from me. The NHS is in charge of rollout. They will do this as quickly as possible, because everybody wants this to happen fast, but it will take time. Probably until June.
First injections will happen in hospitals, for example when people come for routine appointments. Then they will set up vaccine hubs locally, and finally GPs and pharmacies. They are REALLY busy, so please do not hassle them with phone calls about when your turn is.
You will get an invitation. And when you do, please do keep that appointment. This is going to be a lot of work, but they will get to you.
Any questions, let me know. In the meantime, take care, stay in your bubbles, and look after each other.
Hopefully this is the useful link I uselessly could not attach earlier https://twitter.com/JuliaHines/status/1335553478270312449?s=19
And now, I promise, we are done. *celebrates*
