Page 32 - Londra Gazete Sayı 1098

Londra Gazete, 24 March 2022 LondraGazete.com/English 9

Spring booster jab launches

for over-75s in England

PEOPLE aged 75 and over, re-
sidents in care homes and those
with weakened immune systems
can now book an extra booster
jab against Covid in England.
It comes as official figures show
infection rates are rising in all age
groups – including the over-70s.
The rollout follows recommen-
dations from the UK’s vaccine
Private hospitals offered for advisers who say additional jabs
will help boost protection for the
NHS patients waiting too long most vulnerable.
Spring boosters are already be-
ing rolled out in Wales and Scot-
PATIENTS will be able to have than 18 months as of April 2022 or land. A wider booster programme
surgery within private hospitals if patients who hit this milestone by – involving more people – is expe-
they are waiting for more than a year December. cted this autumn. very best form of defence and over, residents in a care home for
and a half as the government pushes According to the release patients It comes as the UK is seeing ri- that’s the vaccination program- older adults, individuals aged 12
for more “choice”. will also be supported by the NHS sing cases of Covid, with an esti- me,” he said. years and over who are immu-
In a speech on Tuesday afternoon, will be with travel costs “if feasible.” mated one in every 20 people in- While vaccines have been nosuppressed, or have weakened
health and social care secretary Sa- The government said it will review fected, according to latest figures. shown to provide good protection immune systems.
jid Javid, is expected to say the UK data on waiting times with the NHS, Health Secretary Sajid Javid against severe disease, protection About five million people in
is coming to a “crossroads” where it to allow GPs to offer patients “more said that people with symptoms wanes over time. And as many of the UK will be eligible to book
must choose between “endlessly put- choice, including in the private sec- of the virus should “behave sen- the oldest received their last jab the extra booster jab – with the
ting in more and more money, or re- tor.” sibly” but he said that it would be in autumn 2021, their immunity first 600,000 people to be invited
forming how we do healthcare.” Those waiting for more than two down to the individual to decide may now be declining, experts from this week.
In an announcement of measures, years for care, which the govern- whether or not to take a test. say. Now, a second booster – to A first booster dose is current-
which have previously been mooted, ment has promised to reduce to zero “I think we need to step back be administered six months after ly available for everyone aged
the government said patients wait- by July 2022, increased again from and think about how we learn to the previous dose – will be offe- 16 and over, and at-risk children
ing for 18 months or more will be 18,585 in November to 20,065 in live with Covid and focus on our red to: adults aged 75 years and aged 12 to 15.
contacted to discuss changing their December.
provider, which includes private It is not clear whether the new
providers, by the end of the year. “patient choice” rules will apply to `
Although it is not clear how exactly patients waiting too long for men-
this will be measured and whether tal health services or just physical Fewer stomach
this means patients waiting more healthcare.
bugs recorded during UK's lockdown

Can you still get a PCR test? How to
order Covid tests and who can get them? THE UK's Covid lockdown ap-
pears to have had a massive im-
FREE lateral flow tests will also be for free by the NHS. pact on stomach bugs, slashing
scrapped, meaning people who want Twice-weekly testing for staff and outbreaks by more than half
to check if they have the virus will students in education and childcare in England during the first six
soon have to pay to do so. has already ended. months of the pandemic.
It comes as cases rise sharply again Businesses will be liable to pay for Far fewer people suffered vo-
across the country, thanks to restric- their testing regime if they want to miting and diarrhoea than usu-
tions ending and the emergence of continue checking whether their em- al, data show.
a highly infectious BA.2 offshoot of ployees have coronavirus. People staying at home,
the Omicron variant. Who still gets free tests after 1 mixing less and washing their
More than 552,000 reported test- April? Care home residents, hospital hands will have had an impact,
ing positive in the seven days up to patients and other vulnerable groups say public health experts in a
Monday 21 March – a 38.1 per cent will still be given free tests if they new article published by BMJ
increase on the week prior. have symptoms. Open. This perk may continue
Hospitalisations have also risen by However, the general population if we all carry on being more
almost 25 per cent, though deaths will be unable to access both free lat- germ-aware, they say. surfaces. Symptoms include sudden
Prof Saheer Gharbia, from onset of nausea, projectile vo-
have remained relatively flat. eral flow and PCR tests. Routine surveillance in Eng-
Here’s when the free provision of How much will tests cost? land shows the number of the UK Health Security Agency miting and diarrhoea. Althou-
PCR tests will end, and how to get People who want to order a PCR outbreaks caused by the win- and one of the authors of the gh it can be very unpleasant, it
them after they disappear from the test after they stop being free face ter vomiting bug norovirus has BMJ study, said: "Norovirus, usually goes away in a couple of
government website. paying around £40 per test. increased in recent weeks, alt- commonly known as the win- days.
When will PCR tests stop being They may decide instead to use hough they are still below the ter vomiting bug, has been at The advice is to stay at home if
free? The Government will stop cheaper lateral flow tests. Boots has five-year-average or usual level lower levels than normal th- you are experiencing norovirus
providing universally free Covid-19 said it will offer the devices for £2.50 for this time of year. roughout the pandemic but, as symptoms and do not return to
tests from 1 April. each or £12 for a pack of five, or £17 Norovirus is easily transmit- people have begun to mix more, work or send children to school
Until that point, both lateral flows for a pack of four with the extra op- ted through contact with peop- the numbers of outbreaks have or nursery until 48 hours after
and PCRs (for those eligible to order tion to send results to the UK Health le who have it, or contaminated started to increase again." symptoms have cleared.
them) will continue to be provided Security Agency (UKHSA).