UK: Covid-19 vaccine priority list set out

Details

Written by northsouth

Category: Europe

Published: 02 December 2020

Hits: 912

LONDON - Teachers, bus drivers and the military could be next in line for a Covid-19 jab once the highest risk groups have been vaccinated, a new report suggests.

Vaccine experts advising the Government have published a detailed list of who should get offered the Covid-19 jab as a priority.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said care home residents were among those who should be given the jab first.

The committee examined data on who suffers the worst outcomes from coronavirus and who is at highest risk of death.

It published interim guidance earlier in the year but this has now been amended slightly detailing who should be first in "phase one" of the mass vaccination programme which includes the elderly and those at highest risk of disease.

Once this phase is complete the JCVI has suggested that those who are at increased risk of Covid-19 because of their work could be offered the vaccine next.

JVCI experts have said that they have not yet offered official advice about future phases of the roll out.

But a new document published by the advisory body states: "Vaccination of those at increased risk of exposure to Sars-CoV-2 due to their occupation could also be a priority in the next phase.

"This could include first responders, the military, those involved in the justice system, teachers, transport workers and public servants essential to the pandemic response."

In the new "phase one" guidance, those who are deemed to be "clinically extremely vulnerable" have moved higher up the priority list.

The priority list for "phase one" of the Covid-19 vaccination programme is:

– Residents in a care home for older adults and their carers

– All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers

– All those 75 years of age and over

– All those 70 years of age and over and people deemed to be clinically extremely vulnerable

– All those 65 years of age and over

– All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality

– All those 60 years of age and over

– All those 55 years of age and over

– All those 50 years of age and over.

The JCVI guidance states that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine "appears to be safe and well-tolerated and there were no clinically concerning safety observations".

The document sets out why officials have come to the conclusions they have for the priority list.

It also states that the JVCI has taken a "precautionary" approach in advising that pregnant women should not get the vaccine because there is "no data as yet on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines in pregnancy".

The guidance adds: "Women should be advised not to come forward for vaccination if they may be pregnant or are planning a pregnancy within three months of the first dose."

Meanwhile only very specific high-risk children should be offered the vaccine, the document adds.

"Following infection, almost all children will have asymptomatic infection or mild disease," it said.

"There are very limited data on vaccination in adolescents, with no data on vaccination in younger children, at this time.

"The Committee advises that only those children at very high risk of exposure and serious outcomes, such as older children with severe neuro-disabilities that require residential care, should be offered vaccination."

The JCVI's chair for Covid-19 immunisation told a Downing Street briefing that the phase one of the vaccination programme would protect those most at risk as well as health and social care workers.

Professor Wei Shen Lim told a Number 10 briefing that from then on the programme would see a banding system, whereby those in the oldest age groups are vaccinated first.

He said he hoped that in the first phase of the vaccine programme 99% of the most clinically vulnerable would be covered.

He said: "Prioritisation was based on the risk of dying from Covid-19 and, in order to protect the most vulnerable, we have prioritised the most vulnerable individuals first.

"The other element is protection of the NHS and the health and social care system, because by protecting the NHS we also protect lives."

The respiratory doctor told the briefing: "The JCVI advice is aimed at maximising benefit from vaccines and therefore it's aimed at the most vulnerable people – which are people in care homes.

"Whether or not the vaccine itself can be delivered to care homes is obviously an important point, and there will be some flexibility in terms of operational constraints.

"The JCVI's advice is that every effort should be made to supply vaccines and offer vaccinations to care home residents, whether or not that is actually doable is dependent on deployment and implementation."

He added: "The whole reason why a priority listing is required is because we expect, during a pandemic, that vaccine supply will be limited in the first instance."

Remains of ‘man and his slave’ fleeing Vesuvius eruption unearthed at Pompeii

Details

Written by northsouth

Category: Europe

Published: 22 November 2020

Hits: 1040

ROME - The skeletal remains of what are believed to have been a rich man and his slave fleeing the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius nearly 2,000 years ago have been discovered in Pompeii, officials at the archaeological park said.

The partial skeletons were found during excavation of an elegant villa on the outskirts of the ancient Roman city that was destroyed by the eruption in 79AD.

It is the same area where a stable with the remains of three harnessed horses was excavated in 2017.

Pompeii officials said the two men apparently escaped the initial fall of ash, then succumbed to a powerful volcanic blast that took place the following day.

Casts were created of the entire skeletons, taking advantage of the impressions the shape of the victims made in the hardened ash.

Judging by cranial bones and skull, one of the victims was a youth, probably aged 18 to 25, with a spinal column with compressed discs.

That finding led archaeologists to hypothesise that the young man did manual labour, like that of a slave.

The other victim, found nearby, had a robust bone structure, especially in his chest area, and probably was about 30 to 40 years old, the Pompeii officials said.

Both skeletons were found in a corridor, which led to a staircase to the upper level of the villa.

Based on the impression of fabric folds left in the ash layer, it appeared the younger man was wearing a short, pleated tunic, possibly of wool.

The older victim, in addition to wearing a tunic, appeared to have had a mantle over his left shoulder.

While excavations continue at the site near Naples, tourists are currently barred from the archaeological park under national anti-coronavirus measures.

Violations continuing against Belarus protesters

Details

Written by northsouth

Category: Europe

Published: 15 November 2020

Hits: 946

MINSK - More than three months on from the disputed presidential election in Belarus, the Belarusian Government continues to “wield the machinery of the State to commit human rights violations”, the Spokesperson for the UN human rights office warned on Friday.

In a statement, OHCHR’s Rupert Colville expressed deep concern over the use of force by law enforcement officials, against Belarusians who have taken to the streets across the country in peaceful mass demonstrations to voice their grievances, since the contested result was announced of the 9 August presidential election.

Some 231 individuals, including three journalists, were reportedly detained on 1 November as suspects in a criminal case concerning the organization and active participation in actions that, it’s alleged, “grossly violate public order” – a charge that potentially carries a prison term of three years, the statement added.

Excessive use of force

Reacting to the continued reports of arbitrary mass detentions, Mr. Colville said it’s estimated that more than 25,000 people have been detained, including more than 1,000 who took part in solidarity protests in the capital, Minsk, and throughout Belarus on 8 November.

Mr. Colville, told journalists at the regular Friday press briefing in Geneva, that “Belarussian authorities were increasingly bringing criminal charges against these persons”.

Students’ right to education at risk

In recent weeks, the authorities have broadened the scope of those being targeted, with students and medical workers in particular, now facing undue restrictions and pressure, the statement detailed.

“Students who had supported people on strike were now facing undue restrictions and pressure”, being threatened with expulsion from their educational institutions”, Mr. Colville added.

Since 26 October, at least 127 students have reportedly been expelled from their courses, jeopardizing their right to education and prospects for employment.

Speaking on the latest developments in the country, Mr. Colville regretted that it “only strengthened the sense that impunity for apparently widespread human rights violations committed during the protests and in detention was continuing unchecked”.

Mr. Colville also deplored the death, on Thursday, of a 31-year-old man, Mr. Roman Bondarenko, after allegedly being ill-treated by security forces. Mr. Bondarenko’s death has led to increased tension and further protests.

Victims of violence, torture

This week, reports have surfaced that some 60 victims of violence and torture who had received financial assistance from a charity fund, had had their bank accounts frozen on the orders of the authorities, the Spokesperson said.

“The Belarusian Government has to date provided no information regarding the process and outcomes of investigations into allegations of torture and other ill-treatment against protesters, both during arrests and in detention”, he added.

He reiterated concerns that “no action seemed to have been taken to investigate such reports and bring those responsible to justice”, and reminded the Belarusian authorities of the “absolute prohibition of torture and the need for thorough, independent and impartial investigations into all allegations of human rights violations, with a view to ensuring accountability, ensuring access to an effective remedy for victims and preventing a further deterioration of the situation”.

Highlighting the need also for a thorough, transparent, and independent investigation into Mr. Bondarenko’s death, OHCHR called for the immediate liberation of “all those detained for voicing their dissent or for taking part in protests, and other peaceful actions.”