North America Analysis

Health & Social Care News

Within, Open Access Government’s Health and Social Care news section, we offer a variety of diverse material. With a focus on the most noteworthy stories in the sector from around the world.

Providing information on the most popular and interesting topics such as the NHS digital transformation and its ongoing developments along with the latest research on diabetes, rare diseases and potential cures. This section also offers articles on the funding to healthcare services and has a strong focus on mental health issues/research and much more.

This category also offers information on how environmental changes are affecting peoples health today along with how the LGBT community deals with health stigma surrounding it.

astrazeneca vaccines, dose

European Commission will get 60% less AstraZeneca vaccines

EU leaders are investigating why AstraZeneca are not following through with the pre-agreed number of vaccines for the Member States - taking a 60% cut to the expected amount.
RBD-SpyVLP

Studies show promising results for new Oxford COVID-19 vaccine

Studies show that the new Oxford-produced RBD-SpyVLP COVID-19 vaccine produces a strong antibody response in mice and pigs.
asian COVID patients, ICU

Asian COVID patients are 1.5 times more likely to die

Data from Queen Mary University of London suggests that Asian COVID patients are 1.5 times as likely to die as white patients - with Black patients 1.3 times more likely to die.
one dose, pfizer

Scientist warns UK not to rely on one dose of COVID vaccine

Professor Herb Sewell, expert in immunology, wrote that the UK Government should not rely on one dose of the vaccine - suggesting that the diluted vaccine could encourage mutations to evolve.
react study, react

REACT study: There is “extreme pressure on healthcare services”

New data from the REACT study says that there have been more than 20 hospitals' worth of new patients since Christmas Eve, putting "extreme pressure" on the NHS.
COVID-19 spike proteins, research

COVID-19 spike proteins could evolve against immune responses

A new study suggests that COVID-19 spike proteins could evolve to disguise themselves from the human immune system.
key actions

European Commission outlines key actions to beat COVID-19

The European Commission has set out the key actions needed to step up the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
supply chain workers

2,000 supply chain workers will be offered the COVID-19 vaccine

Up to 2,000 supply chain workers who are crucial to the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine will be offered the vaccination themselves.
first dose

Over 4 million people receive first dose of COVID-19 vaccine

More than 4 million people have now received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the UK, according to the latest statistics.
care staff

Social care sector to receive further £120 million for additional care staff

The Government has allocated a further £120 million for the social care sector to help with staff shortages due to the pandemic.
long COVID, severe

Scientists use immune system to predict likelihood of long COVID

Cambridge researchers have published their findings on how the immune system could be an early clue for the later development of severe or long COVID.
Over 70s

Over 70s will begin to receive COVID-19 vaccine today

People aged 70 and over and those clinically extremely vulnerable will be invited to get their COVID-19 vaccinations from today.
E-rostering

NHS awarded £7.5 million to digitally schedule shifts

Government allocates £7.5 million to NHS hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across 38 trusts to implement digital shift planning.
pneumonia in COVID-19 patients

DNA testing can rapidly identify pneumonia in COVID-19 patients

Researchers have developed a DNA test to rapidly identify pneumonia in COVID-19 patients, aiding faster treatment.
over 80

More than a third of people over 80 have received the COVID-19 vaccine

New data from Public Health England (PHE) shows that more than a third of people aged 80 and over have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
elderly care

The vaccine isn’t a silver bullet for longstanding pressures in elderly care  

Jitesh Patel, Project Director at Kajima Partnerships discusses why the vaccine is not a silver bullet for longstanding pressures in elderly care and how the sector must adapt post-pandemic.
sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, butantan

New data shows that Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine is 50.4% effective

The São Paulo Government and Butantan Institute revealed that the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine is 15.6% less effective than officials previously suggested.
transmit the virus

People with COVID-19 immunity can still carry and transmit the virus

A new Public Health England (PHE) study has found that past coronavirus infection provides some immunity but people may still carry and transmit the virus.
musculoskeletal pain

How to prevent musculoskeletal pain when working from home

Rachel Brammer, Physiotherapist and Clinical Lead at Vitrue Health, explains how you can ensure your work from home set-up isn't harming your mental and physical health with problems such as musculoskeletal pain.
COVID-19 vaccination, dose

Will COVID-19 vaccination centres be open all night?

Today (13 January) Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that COVID-19 vaccination centres would be running 24/7 "as soon as we can".

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