Public Health Wales urges eligible people to come forward for Covid-19 spring vaccination
Following the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), in Wales the COVID-19 spring vaccination is being offered to: people aged 75 years and over; residents in a care home for older adults; and individuals aged six months and over who have a weakened immune system because of a health condition or medical treatment
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Huge surge in blood donations as NHS faces Red Alert and dangerously low stocks
Mirror appeal sparks 100,000 blood donations to stop routine operations having to be cancelled due to NHS shortages More than 100,000 appointments to give blood were booked in the week after the Mirror spearheaded an urgent appeal for donations. Our front page last week revealed a million people need to give blood to avoid a first ever Red Alert as the NHS struggles with dangerously low stocks. NHS Blood and Transplant said it is going through its worst ever shortage and around 200,000 more donors are needed in England to stabilise blood supply. Routine transfusions for cancer patients and women after childbirth which aid recovery are among those which may be halted if a Red Alert is declared. In the week after the appeal over 29,000 people registered as new blood donors and over 100,000 appointments were booked. Gerry Gogarty, Director of Blood Supply, said: "We are extremely grateful to the support of the Daily Mirror which played a significant part in generating this response from so many thousands of people across the country. 'We are so grateful for the response we have seen from new and existing donors across the country over this past week. Over 29,000 new donors registered and 100,000 booked appointments is an incredible response. 'However, with 50,000 appointments in need of filling each week, we urge people not to lose this momentum. As we head into the summer, we still have many appointments available to book – with 50,000 donor centre appointments still available over the next six weeks.' A Red Alert would mean less than one day's blood stocks are available and must be prioritised for immediately life threatening cases. The NHS aims to have six days' stock at any one time but currently has around three days' supply. It comes after the Mirror launched the Give a Pint, Save a Life campaign to help blood stocks recover after the Covid-19 pandemic amid ongoing shortages. One donation can save up to three lives. The NHS remains in its longest ever Amber Alert for low blood stocks which was declared last July. Red Alert which would mean demand far exceeds capacity, threatening public safety and causing widespread surgery postponements. Donations have been falling in part due to changing habits as more people work from home since the pandemic. Most available donation slots are at larger town and city centres. Of the 29,000 people who registered last week, 1,000 were from a Black heritage background. This is crucial because sickle cell disease is the country's fastest growing inherited blood disorder and it disproportionately affects Black African and Black Caribbean communities. Around 250 babies a year are born with the condition in the UK over 13,000 sickle cell patients currently rely on regular blood transfusions. The best matched blood will often come from donors of the same ethnicity. The NHS needs around 250 donations per day from Black heritage donors in order to meet current need and demand continues to grow. Mr Gogarty said: 'While we have seen a great response to our calls for more Black heritage donors to sign up to become blood donors, there remains an urgent need for more to register and give, as the demand for blood continues to grow.' Sickle cell disease is when red blood cells are sickle shaped rather than circular. This leads to agonising blockages that damage organs and can lead to blindness or a fatal stroke. These sickle cell 'crises' are so painful that more severely affected patients can be prescribed morphine - more typically given during end of life care - just to get them through the day. NHS Blood and Transplant needs over 17,000 regular donors of Black heritage to help meet growing demand for sickle cell patients. More than half of donors of Black heritage are likely to have the Ro blood type, compared with just 2.4% of other ethnicities. Aliya Gladyng from Sydenham, relies on regular six-weekly blood transfusions to help manage her sickle cell disease. She said: 'As an exchange patient, I receive blood transfusions every six weeks. Each time, I have eight units taken out of my body and eight more units of donated blood put back in. This means I need around 70 bags of blood every year. Please donate blood. You really have no idea how much it helps people like me.' The NHS needs over 5,000 blood donations every day - or around 1.8 million a year in England. This requires around one million donors who regularly donate to help maintain a reliable blood supply. Mr Gogarty added: 'We very much hope that people who have registered, booked or donated for the first time over this past week, will become regular donors to help stabilise blood stocks and more people will continue to keep coming forward to help us save more lives in the future.' To register as a blood donor with the NHS you can sign up online through the NHS Give Blood website or by downloading the NHS Give Blood app. You can also sign up by calling 0300 123 23 23. Once registered, you can book your appointment online, through the app or by calling.
Scottish Sun
16 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Women at risk of ‘preventable' cancer due to ‘alarmingly' low uptake of ‘life-saving' jab, health chiefs warn
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) YOUNG women are at higher risk of a "preventable" cancer due to "alarmingly" low uptake of life-saving NHS jabs, health chiefs have warned. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines are dished out to 12 and 13-year-olds and offer protection against cancer-causing strains of the virus. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Low uptake oh HPV vaccines in certain parts of the country leaves young women vulnerable to cancer Credit: AP But low uptake of jabs in certain parts of England is leaving young women vulnerable to cervical cancer and other forms of the disease caused by HPV. HPV is a common virus that's spread through skin contact, usually during sex. Most strains are harmless but some high-risk ones can increase people's chances of developing cervical cancer, as well as mouth, anal, penile, vulval and vaginal cancer. Around 13 high-risk types of HPV are known to cause 99.7 per cent of cervical cancers. Health bosses have made it their mission to eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040. But despite efforts to increase vaccine uptake in teens, the latest data published by the UK Health Security Agency (HPV) shows gaps in coverage in certain parts of the country, leaving young women in these areas at higher risk of HPV-related cancer. The data on HPV coverage in teens for 2023/24 showed that only 64.9 per cent of Year 10 female students in London had received their jabs. Coverage was also low for boys of the same age in the capital, with only 59 per cent taking up the offer for an HPV vaccine. Meanwhile, HPV coverage was highest in the South East for both genders - where 82.7 per cent of girls and 77.3 per cent of boys had gotten vaccinated by Year 10. At local authority level, Year 10 vaccination levels in girls ranged from 38.7 per cent in Lambeth, South London, to 97.6 per cent in Northumberland. Cervical cancer could be eradicated as HPV vaccine slashes 90% of cases For boys, it ranged from 28.2 per cent in Lambeth to 92.2 per cent in West Berkshire. Cervical cancer rates are already 65 per cent higher in England's most deprived areas compared with the least, according to figures from Cancer Research UK. Dr Sharif Ismail, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: "The HPV vaccine, now just a single dose offered in schools, is one of the most powerful tools we have for cancer prevention. "Every vaccination represents a young person with better protection against the devastating impact of HPV-related cancers and we must do more to ensure that no teenage girl or boy, young woman or man is denied that protection no matter where they live. "Although we have seen some increase in the number of young people being vaccinated, uptake is still well below pre-Covid pandemic levels "Over a quarter of young people - many thousands - are missing out on this potentially life-saving vaccine." The HPV jab is given to boys and girls when they are in Year 8, though some children receive it in Year 9. It delivers a significantly stronger immune response if given before the age of 16, though getting it when older as part of a catch-up programme still creates a strong response. 2 Anyone who missed their HPV vaccination, now just a single jab, can still receive it for free until their 25th birthday through their GP surgery. Up until recently, the HPV jab was only offered to girls. But boys also have an important role to play in helping eliminate cervical cancer by being vaccinated and not passing on the HPV virus when they become sexually active, UKHSA said. Jabs were rolled out to teenage boys in 2019. 'Beat cancer for everyone' Dr Ismail said: "We're calling on all parents to return their children's HPV vaccination consent forms promptly. "This simple action could protect your child from developing cancer in the future." Dr Ismail said any young adult up to age 25 who missed their school jab can speak to their GP about catch-up options. He also urged women to still attend cervical screening to ensure they are being checked for changes that could lead to cervical cancer. "Even if you've had the HPV vaccine, it's vital you still attend your cervical screening appointments when invited," Dr Ismail said. "Both vaccination and screening together give you your best chance of protection against cervical cancer. "Screening can detect abnormal cells before they develop into cancer, allowing for early treatment and prevention." It comes after UKHSA warned earlier this year that over a quarter of schoolkids hadn't had their HPV jab. Cancer Research UK chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: "Thanks to the power of research and the efforts of NHS staff, a future where almost nobody gets cervical cancer is in sight. "This progress hinges on people's access to two life-saving offers - HPV vaccination and screening. Together, they give the best protection against the disease. "Beating cervical cancer means beating it for everyone, so I encourage all parents and guardians to ensure young people don't miss out on getting the HPV vaccine. "And if you receive your cervical screening invite, don't ignore it." Dr Amanda Doyle OBE, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, said: "The NHS HPV vaccination programme has already helped save thousands of lives and we need to go further to boost uptake of HPV vaccines and cervical screening to help eliminate cervical cancer in England by 2040. "If we can ensure that almost every Year 10 girl in some areas is protected and extremely unlikely to ever develop cervical cancer, we need to match this in every part of the country. "It's vital for boys and young men to be vaccinated too. Rates in boys still lag behind girls and HPV causes thousands of cancers in men as well as things like genital warts."
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Symptom that hits 'three times in 24 hours' could be Covid - as Nimbus variant DOUBLES in just one month and infections reach highest level this year
A new or persistent cough striking in a particular time frame could be a sign you have the new Covid variant sweeping through the UK. It comes as experts fear a hyper virulent new strain of the virus, dubbed 'Nimbus', could drive a wave of cases this summer. Official data, published yesterday, show the proportion of Covid tests testing positive for Nimbus has doubled in less than a month, jumping to eight per cent. While there are no signs the new strain causes more severe illness or death than other strains, experts warn there are signs its far more contagious. The rise of Nimbus, known scientifically as N.B.1.8.1, comes as scientists warn that many people's immunity from previous infections and Covid jabs has faded. Symptoms of Nimbus are thought to be very similar to previous Covid variants. These include a new or persistent cough, such as three coughing episodes in 24 hours or coughing a lot for more than an hour according to the NHS. The health service warns that having a high temperature, when you feel hot to touch on your chest or back, or shivering chills are also strong indicators. Other classic symptoms include a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, a sore throat, and shortness of breath. Fatigue, a runny nose, body aches, headaches, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, vomiting and nausea are also potential signs you have the virus. Whilst the new Nimbus variant is thought to have similar symptoms to other strains, a doctor recently warned it can cause 'razor blade sore throat'. This can feel like a sharp, stabbing pain while swallowing, often in the back of the throat, said to Dr Naveed Asif, a GP at The London General Practice. Other potential symptoms linked to the strain are redness in the back of the mouth and swollen glands. 'However, symptoms can vary widely so vigilance is key', Dr Asif told Manchester Evening News. Other data, published by The UK Health Security Agency, show the proportion of people testing positive for the virus in general is on the rise. The number of Covid tests returning positive for any form of the virus has increased to 6.8 per cent as of June 15, the latest available data. This is up from 5.6 per cent last month and represents the highest figure recorded so far this year. NHS guidance says patients with Covid symptoms should self-isolate, while those who test positive should stay home for five days—but these are not legal requirements. Lab studies have suggested Nimbus is better at infecting human cells and dodging the immune system, making it highly infectious. Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation revealed the new strain now accounts for 10.7 per cent of Covid infections worldwide, compared to just 2.5 per cent in May. In Britain, the latest UKHSA data reveals there have been 947 hospital admissions for Covid in the week up to May 31—a slight increase of 9.4 per cent. Infection with the virus can still be deadly, especially for more vulnerable groups. The latest data shows the virus was recorded as factor in the deaths of 68 people in England in the week up to June 6. Other UKHSA data, showed that only 59 per cent of Britons in England aged over 75 had taken up the offer of a Covid vaccine. Uptake fell to just one in four among under 75s with compromised immune systems, who are also eligible for the jab on the NHS. NHS England's spring Covid vaccine drive is drawing to an end with the system closing for bookings earlier this week. Vaccine companies are reported to be in the midst of updating their shots to fit the 'Nimbus' strain. Moderna said late last month that its updated mNEXSPIKE shot will be available by the fall. Nimbus first originated from China, where it has been linked to a rise in cases and A&E visits. The variant has taken off in the US where data suggests it now makes up over a third of Covid cases, making it the second-most common variant. Nimbus as a name, for the variant, was coined by Canadian evolutionary biologist T Ryan Gregory, the mind behind many popular Covid strain names.
