Tag: ethnicity and Covid 19

Covid 19

Current Awareness Updates

COVID-19: advice for smokers and vapers.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Advice for people who smoke or vape during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. People who smoke generally have an increased risk of contracting respiratory infection and of more severe symptoms once infected. Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms may therefore be more severe for smokers. This guidance advises how to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19 for those who smoke or vape, and how to access support to stop smoking and remain smokefree.)

Crisis, Communities, Change: demands for an equitable recovery.
Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA); 2021.

(This report explores how communities have fared during the pandemic. The survey of 2,600 people in Great Britain found that discrimination in local services was twice as high among ethnic minorities: 52 per cent of Asian and 50 per cent of black respondents have faced discrimination when accessing local services – compared with 19 per cent of the white population. The data suggests that institutional distrust because of discrimination may play a role in vaccine hesitancy.)

Covid 19 and the BAME population Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust

Levelling up health All Party Parliamentary Group for Longevity

(This report states that Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the United Kingdom, exposing the nation’s poor health and health inequalities – 90 per cent of those who died with Covid had significant prior poor health. The report explains why a new health care system is essential to confront how unhealthy the UK population is. It proposes a 10-year health improvement plan and new health improvement fund, a shift in political attitudes that have impeded progress, clear priorities for action, and the need to challenge and change organisations that harm children and health.)

NHS Covid-19 app: early adopter evaluation report Department of Health and Social Care

(An NHS Covid-19 app was developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The NHS Covid-19 app has been trialled in the London Borough of Newham, the Isle of Wight and among NHS Volunteer Responders. This trial period is referred to as the early adopter phase. The NHS Covid-19 app programme commissioned a formal evaluation to ascertain perceptions of the NHS Covid-19 app and (intended) usage of its features during the early adopter phase.)

Longer waits, missing patients and catching up The Health Foundation

(This analysis looks at the impact of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic on elective care in England. The waiting list has now reached the highest level since comparable records began, with more patients experiencing long delays in diagnosis and treatment.)


Covid

Current Awareness Updates

Covid-19 recovery and resilience: what can health and care learn from other disasters? The King’s Fund

What do communities need to be able to recover from Covid-19 and build resilience? This long read identifies key insights from people involved in disaster recovery around the world.

Covid-19: rapid point of care or near-person testing for service providers Public Health England

(This guidance, aimed at service providers, describes the main types of coronavirus (Covid-19) tests currently available for use in point of care or near-person settings.)

Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among minority ethnic groups, 17 December 2020.
Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE); 2021.

(Paper by the ethnicity sub-group on factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among minority ethnic groups. It was considered at SAGE 73 on 17 December 2020. The paper is the assessment of the evidence at the time of writing.)

COVID-19 Clinical management: living guidance.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.

(This document is the update of interim guidance published in May 2020. This guideline now also includes Best Practice Statement on caring for COVID-19 patients after their acute illness and 5 new recommendations.)

Prioritising the first COVID-19 vaccine dose: JCVI statement.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); 2021.

(Statement from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) about increasing the short-term impact of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Updated 26 January 2021: Added document ‘Annex B: comparison between 1 and 2 dose prioritisation for a fixed number of doses’.)

COVID-19: Ensuring a quality patient experience with the rise of digitisation in a healthcare setting.
Mobiquity; 2021.

(This report, commissioned by Mobiquity and conducted by Censuswide, reveals that half of UK patients aged over 55 preferred digital tools instead of in-person consultations during COVID-19. The most preferred digital tools used by over 55s included remote monitoring (50%) and video examinations (50%).)


Covid Virtual Ward (secondary care).
Wessex Academic Health Science Network (AHSN); 2021.

(The Covid Virtual Ward model is a secondary care led initiative to support early and safe discharge (step down) for Covid patients and builds on the Covid Oximetry @home model. NHS England and Improvement has now written out to all ICSs and trusts in the country; outlining why this work must be implemented, and how to do it.)

Covid 19

Current awareness updates

Ethnic inequalities in Covid-19 mortality: a consequence of persistent racism Runnymede Trust

(This briefing (published in collaboration with the Centre of Dynamics of Ethnicity) discusses the reasons for ethnic minority people experiencing a much higher risk of Covid-19-related death. Ethnic inequalities in relation to Covid-19 mirror longstanding ethnic inequalities in health. A large body of evidence has shown that these inequalities are driven by social and economic inequalities, many of which are the result of racial discrimination.)

PPE portal: how to order COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) – Public Health England; Updated 26th January 2021

(Eligible health and social care providers can order PPE through the portal to meet the increased need that has arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic)

COVID-19 variants: genomically confirmed case numbers Public Health England; Updated 28th January 2021

(Genomically confirmed case numbers for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation.)

Risk related to the spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in the EU/EEA – first update European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

(This risk assessment presents the latest available information on the recent emergence of three variants of concern, VOC 202012/01 identified in the United Kingdom (UK), 501Y.V2 identified in South Africa, and P.1 identified in Brazil and Japan)

COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in transmission – first update European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

(The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the experience in the EU from August–December, 2020. This document also addresses transmission to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing and the efficacy of partial and full school closures. This document draws upon and updates evidence presented in the previous report from ECDC on this topic, which was published on August 6, 2020 [4]. This report does not consider educational settings related to young adults or adults, such as universities or vocational schools or any school with overnight stays, such as boarding schools. This report does not consider the epidemiology of COVID-19 in relation to new variants of SARS-CoV-2, for which robust evidence on the potential impact in school settings is not yet available, such as one recently observed in the United Kingdom [2].)

COVID-19 rapid evidence summary: Sarilumab for COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.

(Preliminary evidence from the REMAP‑CAP study has suggested that sarilumab is beneficial in adults with severe COVID‑19 who are critically ill and receiving respiratory or cardiovascular organ support in an intensive care setting. Sarilumab was given within about 24 hours of starting organ support.)


COVID-19 rapid evidence summary: Tocilizumab for COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.

(Unpublished preliminary evidence from the REMAP‑CAP study has suggested that tocilizumab is beneficial in adults with severe COVID‑19 who are critically ill and receiving respiratory or cardiovascular organ support in an intensive care setting (all randomised within 24 hours of starting organ support).)

Perspectives from the front line: The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BME communities.
NHS Confederation BME Leadership Network; 2020.

(A report into the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on BAME communities based on interviews with BME NHS leaders, clinicians, community organisations and service users, as well as a survey of more than 100 members of the BME Leadership Network. Overwhelmingly, participants point to long-standing inequalities and institutional racism as root causes.)