Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

25 August 2020

A series of daily updates for CHO members regarding relevant updates pertaining to Coronavirus from home and abroad.

Key Announcements

• Headteachers across England  have written  to Gavin Williamson, Education Secretary, and accused  the Government of failing to collaborate in preparation of schools opening in England. There have also been  complaints  that it is unclear whether teachers and pupils can wear face coverings in schools in England.
• A study from King’s College London has  suggested  that around one in eight patients to have received hospital treatment for the virus had actually caught it on site. Due to the incubation period of coronavirus, however, it is impossible to have a sense of what this true figure would be.

• The NHS Confederation  has urged the Government to provide additional support for female health and care staff, who could leave their jobs due to “stress and exhaustion”.
• The director of the  Oxford Vaccine Group , Andrew Pollard, said on BBC Radio this morning that the  covid  vaccine being developed between Oxford University and AstraZeneca could be evaluated by regulators by the end of the year. The AZ7D7442 treatment has just started early stage trials in the UK.

Regional/ Revolved  

• In Scotland,  the Government is reportedly in the last stages of consultations with councils and teachers regarding having pupils wear face masks in educational settings. It is also being considered whether masks should be mandatory on school transport. Also ,  in schools , the GMB is trying to urge the Scottish Government to introduce covid  testing regimes in schools , following a survey that two thirds of its members did not feel safe returning to work.
• In Wales,  there are concerns that Loan Sharks are profiting off the financial instability caused by the pandemic as way of targeting struggling individuals. The Wales  Il l egal Money Lending Unit has said that the end of the furlough scheme, mortgage and card repayment holidays could lead to more people turning to loan sharks.
• In Northern Ireland , it has been decided that  Year 12 students taking their GCSE in English Literature will not need to study any novels as part of their course. It is a change that has been proposed by the Council for the Curriculum, Examination and Assessment, following much of the fallout around grade provisions during the recent summer exam diet.

International  

• In America, a top virus expert has warned that there could be dangers associated with rolling out a vaccine too quickly. The President, Donald Trump, then accused the US Food and  Drug Administration   of  trying to stall a vaccine until after the presidential election on November 3 rd .
• In Hong Kong , researchers have said they have documented the first case of reinfection, for a man who had caught  covid  four months prior  to his second infection. He reportedly had a different strain of coronavirus, and remained asymptomatic during his second infection.
• Lockdown has  began  in  Gaza  for a full 48 hours, following authorities confirmed there had been four infections at a refugee camp.

Stakeholders  

• The  District Councils Network  has said that the Government has been right to extend the eviction ban;  however  work now had to be done between the Government and councils to develop support for tenants and landlords moving forward.
• Independent Age  has said that findings that DNR orders had been placed on older care homes were very concerning. Such orders should always be made where possible with the person and their family.
• The Labour party  has warned that an indiscriminate end of the furlough scheme could entrench  r egional inequalities  due to mass redundancies in struggling sectors, such as retail and manufacturing.