Latest
advice to pet owners as vets start to re-open
AS Vets start to
re-open the latest advice from the British Veterinary
Association (BVA)
or pet owners who are diagnosed with Covid-19 or self isolating
with symptoms remains the same as when it was 1st issued, early
on in the lockdown. It reflects current World Organisation for
Animal Health guidance, {Formerly the Office International des
Epizooties (OIE)}
which recommends that people who are sick with Covid-19 should
limit contact with companion and other animals until more
information is known about the virus. It is also in line with
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
advice, which states that owners of pets in households with
confirmed or suspected Covid-19 who think their pet may need
veterinary treatment, should make contact with the practice
first and alert them to the household’s status.
BVA's advice for pet
owners diagnosed with Covid-19 or self isolating with symptoms
is:-
► Restrict contact with pets as a
precautionary animal health measure until more information is
known about the virus.
► If your pet requires care, wash your
hands before and after any interaction with them and wear a face
mask if possible.
► Keep cats indoors if possible, and
only if they are happy to be indoors, and try to arrange for
someone else to exercise dogs, taking care to restrict any
contact with the person walking your dog and making sure they
practise good hand hygiene. This is to reduce the likelihood of
your pet spreading the disease through environmental
contamination on their fur; there is no evidence that pet
animals can pass Covid-19 to humans.
► If your pet shows clinical signs,
please do not take it to the vet, but call the practice for
advice and alert them to the household’s status.
► If your pet requires essential
treatment, call your Veterinary Practice for further advice. Do
not take your pet to the surgery unless the vet instructs you
to. You may need to arrange for someone else to transport your
pet for treatment.
LGA responds
to ONS figures on Covid-19 deaths
RESPONDING to the
latest ONS figures on Coronavirus deaths, which show that deaths
involving COVID-19 as a percentage of all deaths in care homes
continued to rise to 39.2% in the week upto 8 May 2020, compared
with 37.8% in the previous week, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, Chairman of
the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board,
said:- "No 1 in care should have to suffer from this
dreadful disease and every death from this virus is a tragedy.
Every week, these figures act as a heart breaking reminder of
how many of our older and most vulnerable people have lost their
lives, leaving behind family and friends in mourning. Social
care is on the frontline in the fight against Coronavirus. While
we have started to thankfully see a decline in some figures, it
is still incredibly worrying that the percentage of all deaths
in care homes attributed to COVID-19 has increased. We must
continue doing all we can to shield those in our care homes and
those who receive care in their own homes. Councils want to play
their full part in the national effort to overcome Coronavirus,
but need help and information to understand where the outbreaks
are happening more widely and be able to act quickly to contain
them. The Government needs to share this vital and up to date
data with councils, as part of the contact tracing programme. It
is also crucial the Government’s online PPE ordering system is
fully operational as soon as possible, so that councils and care
providers can directly request that critical protective
equipment gets to the frontline where it is desperately needed."
MHRA issues
important alert for Emerade 500mcg auto injectors
A warning has been
issued to allergy patients who carry Emerade 500 microgram
adrenaline auto injector pens that they should contact their
prescriber and seek replacement pens of a different brand. The
recall of Emerade 500 microgram auto injectors follows the
previous recalls of Emerade 150 and 300 microgram auto
injectors. More information on the previous alerts can be found
on the following links:- 150mcg recall and 300 mcg recall. The
recall comes after a fault was detected in the pens, that means
the dose of adrenaline may not be delivered when needed for
people with severe allergies.
The recall is due to reports of difficulty in activating the
pens, meaning the dose of adrenaline may not be delivered when
needed by a patient for a severe, acute allergic reaction
(anaphylaxis). Most of the pens will still activate, but more
force may need to be applied.
We are told that results from the manufacturer's testing of
Emerade auto injectors that have been recalled from patients in
Europe indicates that approximately 13% of pens need higher than
normal force to activate, implying a higher risk of activation
failure than was previously understood. This applies to all
strengths of Emerade. Previous estimations of activation failure
were obtained from tests on pens that had been stored in the
manufacturing facility. Whereas, the recent results were
obtained on pens carried by patients, suggesting an
environmental contribution to the risk. Investigations are
ongoing to understand this.
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
have said that:- "Patients should return all Emerade 500
microgram pens to their local pharmacy once they have a new
prescription and have been supplied with pens of an alternative
brand."
The recall of Emerade 500 microgram auto injectors from patients
follows a previous recall of Emerade 150 microgram auto
injectors and Emerade 300 microgram auto injectors from
patients.
There is strong data to show
that a single EpiPen (300 microgram) or Jext (300 microgram) pen
will be a suitable replacement for a single Emerade 500
microgram pen. We are told that alternative brands of adrenaline
auto injector (EpiPen and Jext) are available in a maximum
strength of 300 micrograms. This information is based on
recently available results from a study that compared blood
levels of adrenaline following EpiPen 300 micrograms or Jext 300
micrograms, with that following Emerade 500 micrograms. We are
also told that patients are being advised that they should
always carry 2 pens!
A MHRA spokesperson, said:- "Action has been taken to
protect patients, following detection of a fault in one
component of the Emerade adrenaline auto injector pens. Patients
should return all Emerade 500 microgram pens to their local
Pharmacy once they have a new prescription and have been
supplied with pens of an alternative brand. It is vital that
patients follow existing advice to carry 2 pens with them at all
times and to contact their Doctor when a replacement is due.
When switching to a different brand of adrenaline pen the
patient must ensure they are familiar with how to use the pen as
each brand is administered differently."
If you have any questions, you can contact the Anaphylaxis
Campaign charity's helpline, on :- 01252 542029 for support from
9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, or send them an email to:-
Info@Anaphylaxis.Org.UK.
Guidance on the use of adrenaline auto injectors within Schools,
please click on
here.
Medicines Recalls:-
► Emerade 150 micrograms solution for
injection in pre-filled syringe, PL 33616/0013 (EL(20)A/14)
► Emerade 300 micrograms solution for
injection in pre-filled syringe, PL 33616/0014 (EL(20)A/20)
► Emerade 500 micrograms solution for
injection in pre-filled syringe, PL 33616/0015 (EL(20)A/23)
Generation
Care
UK care provider
Ambient is 1 of the UK's largest care providers, employing over
1,400 people providing care across Mental Health, Learning
Disability and Older People settings in over 130 locations.
Since the Coronavirus pandemic started, the firms website data
shows that visits by the 18 to 34 age group have increased and
in the last month it climbed to 97%. Furthermore, visits to the
jobs page from the same age group are up by a staggering 61%.
Mark Milton, Ambient CEO is hugely encouraged and says:-
"During this crisis, the spotlight has been placed on care
workers with the entire nation recognising their outstanding
contribution and commitment to caring for the most vulnerable in
our society. This increased interest gives me encouragement and
hope that the younger generation are being inspired to a career
in Social Care and we must do all we can to feed this interest
to deliver the best continued quality care in the future."
However, Mark warns that care providers need to be able to
properly reward people that work tirelessly without the
recognition they so rightly deserve. Mark continues:-
"Whilst the Government has released funds to support Social Care
organisations during the crisis, this funding does not allow for
increases in staff pay. We would hope that the Government
continues to recognise the outstanding contribution that Social
Care organisations like ours makes, with additional funding to
the sector that allow providers to increase staff pay; which
will further entice people to a career in Social Care."
Whilst life is on hold for many young people, Sarah Daniels, HR
Manager at Ambient believes that they are being inspired by what
they have seen:- "I believe that many young people have
been inspired to contemplate a career in Social Care as what
they have seen on in the news and on social media has shocked
them. The lack of funding and essential equipment, the
impossible conditions in caring for the most vulnerable in our
society during this crisis. It's got to change; and the younger
generation want to be a part of that change."
Mark Milton started life as a Support Worker in 1988 and became
a Registered Manager within 3 years. In a bid to capture the
interest and passion to care for others, Ambient have
published:- 'career pathways' to clearly
demonstrate the outstanding career development opportunities on
their
website.
Ambient said that there will be many reasons why young people
may be considering a career in Social Care; from derailment of
carefully considered life plans, to a change inspired by what
they are seeing and feeling. But the interest is there, and must
be captured, Mark commented that:- "Amidst this crisis
lies hope and opportunity. We will do all we can as an
organisation to inspire people to a career in Social Care, and
we hope the Government seize the opportunity and address the
under value and under funding issues. The future of quality care
is dependent on people being appropriately rewarded for their
sterling work and the vulnerable in our society getting the
quality of care they deserve."
During the crisis Mark praises the entire Ambient team for their
unwavering passion and efforts to support those they care for in
both domiciliary and independent settings. Mark
concluded:- "Our team have gone above and beyond and
proven that a passion to care knows no limits. I urge anyone
with an interest in the care sector to take the step and find
out more, because it genuinely is 1 of the most rewarding
professions out there."
It will take
more than a loan for small businesses to bounce back from
COVID-19, warns a business leader
WITH the Government
providing backing for the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, a huge volume
of small businesses will now have access to cheap money, but
leading business growth speaker, Dean Seddon, warns that it will
take more than loans to help small businesses recover.
Dean has said that:- "Customers attitudes have changed. If
you are an online business, to some degree you will return to
normal in time and so you need money just to get through. But
for the businesses that need customers to show up, it is going
to be a very challenging year ahead."
Whilst the Government is slowly reducing the lockdown measures
on society, peoples’ fear of COVID-19 hasn't shown any signs of
abating. In recent polls, the public have felt the easing is
coming too soon.
Dean added that:- "We have hundreds of thousands of small
businesses; from:- caterers, event managers, training companies
through to hair and beauty salons; all of which may be able to
open in the coming weeks. But will the custom be there? It's
unlikely. We are not seeing widespread confidence from the
public that they would quickly return to events and visiting
businesses. It is likely the case that being 'open for business'
may mean 'open, but not trading'.”
Dean is not alone in his concern. Thousands of businesses across
social media are saying similar things, concerned that it may
take 6 months before they return to normal.
In a recent survey, conducted by Maverrik, 39% of respondents
believed their business would not get back to full operation
until September, with 14% saying 2020 had been effectively
written off.
The majority of the UK workforce is employed in small
businesses. Whilst major retailers and brands get all the
headlines, as much as 84% of the private sector workforce is
employed in a SME.
Dean continued:- "What's worrying here is that effectively
for most small businesses the Bounce Back Loan Scheme may just
be funding their losses. This means in 2021, when the
loan payments become due, not only do they have to be back to
2019 levels, they now have to find the money to pay down their
debt."
In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, many economists
believed the UK would bounce back from the pandemic by early
2021. If the economy doesn't bounce back as expected, the Bounce
Back Loan Scheme may see higher defaults and, ultimately, the
Government may have only delayed the inevitable for many small
businesses.
Dean concluded:- "What would be good to see from the
Government would be another targeted injection of grants. It is
very costly, but in the long run, will prevent unemployment
rising and will speed up the pace of the recovery. If the
Business Interruption Grants were given a second lease of life,
this would massively change the small business landscape. I just
hope Boris Johnson meant it when he said the Government would
stand behind business."
Dean believes there is still a need for bold action from central
government to make sure that the virus doesn't create a
contagion of failure in the UK's small businesses.
That is, if you can get a Bounce Back Loan, as many small
businesses are experiencing problems with the likes of Barclays
Bank, in applying for them.
What are your thoughts about Bounce Back Loans and the other
issues raised by Dean? Please email us your thoughts to:-
News24@SouthportReporter.Com.
Total UK cases
COVID-19 cases - update for Liverpool City Region and
surroundings
THE total number of Coronavirus
(COVID-19) that have been laboratory confirmed, within the UK,
has risen by 2,412 cases
and the total number now stand at 248,818, that
includes tests carried out by commercial partners which are not
included in the 4 National totals. The daily number of
laboratory confirmed UK cases is 3,142, as of Sunday,17 May
2020. The total number of deaths of people who have had a
positive test result confirmed by a Public Health or NHS
laboratory is 35,341. Daily number of COVID-19 associated UK
deaths added to the total, was sadly reported to be 545
according to the Department of Health. In England, there are a
total of 144,984 confirmed cases. North West - total of 23,937
confirmed cases. The number of laboratory
confirmed cases within the following Local Authorities, in and
around the Liverpool City Region are as follows:-
► Liverpool, 1,558 confirmed cases.
► Sefton, 892 confirmed cases.
► Wirral, 1,187 confirmed cases.
► St. Helens, 728 confirmed cases.
► Halton, 374 confirmed cases.
► Lancashire, 3,378 confirmed cases.
► Cheshire West and Chester, 1,009 confirmed cases.
► Cheshire East, 1,119 confirmed cases.
► Manchester, 1,445 confirmed cases.
► Stockport, 1,014 confirmed cases.
► Trafford, 751 confirmed cases.
► Wigan, 1,117 confirmed cases.
► Bolton, 959 confirmed cases.
► Rochdale, 729 confirmed cases.
► Bury, 675 confirmed cases.
► Tameside, 633 confirmed cases.
► Oldham, 1,012 confirmed cases.
► Blackburn with Darwen, 391 confirmed cases.
These stats are according to Public Health England as of
19/05/2020. Last updated 6.18pm GMT. UK total includes cases
detected through:- "Pillar 2" testing (tests carried out by
commercial partners) and therefore does not equate to the sum of
the 4 countries' counts, which only include:- "Pillar 1" (tests
carried out by NHS / PHE / Devolved Administration Labs)..
UK total includes cases detected through:- "Pillar 2" testing
(tests carried out by commercial partners) and therefore does
not equate to the sum of the 4 countries' counts, which only
include:- "Pillar 1" (tests carried out by NHS / PHE / Devolved
Administration Labs).
UK Government Coronavirus Press
Conference on 19 May 2020 Video