Updated downloadable information from the ME Association (MEA).
The ME Association: 2024 Autumn Covid Booster Information
October 21, 2024
Even though Covid-19 hasn't gone away, many people have been returning to normal or near normal life. However, while official statistics indicate that levels of Covid infection are still fairly low this reflects the fact that very little testing is being carried out. There are new variants of the virus still appearing, hospital admissions remain a cause for concern, and other indicators of Covid in the community confirm that Covid is still causing problems.
So, as we have been regularly pointing out on ME Association social media, people still need to take sensible precautions to reduce the risk of catching Covid and should seriously consider having a Covid Autumn booster.
NHS UK website information on all aspects of the autumn Covid booster - including how to book an appointment, different vaccines, common side effects.
The MEA continued by giving a link to the NHS Covid-19 vaccine website, plus a detailed letter from -
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS committee,
Member of the 2002 Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on ME/CFS.
You can download PDF files of these items.
Updated Booklet: Flu Vaccination & ME/CFS 2024/25
October 11, 2024
Flu vaccination is important because, although flu is often unpleasant, it can be dangerous. This is especially so for anyone with certain chronic health conditions, including ME/CFS. And with Covid still around, a combination of flu and Covid could be even more serious.
As there is no simple yes/no answer as to whether people with ME/CFS should have a flu vaccine, the purpose of this information is to supply you with everything you need to know about flu vaccines and ME/CFS. You and your doctor can then decide whether you ought to have this protection.
The ME Association (MEA) publicised the Guardian’s article at the end of October.
The cost of restricting COVID boosters in the UK could be huge
October 31, 2024
Britain has closed its eyes to long Covid - which means it will ravage even more lives and livelihoods
Devi Sridhar -The Guardian
Extracts
The trauma of those pandemic years is burnt into our minds. But, whether we want to deal with it or not, Covid-19 is still affecting all of us, and circulating at fairly high levels in Britain this month. While community surveys are no longer conducted by the Office for National Statistics to estimate overall cases, hospital data from England indicates that the weekly hospital admission rate for Covid-19 is at 4.64 for every 100,000 people, with the north-east region at 8.91.
The longer legacy concerns people who had and cleared the infection, but are still suffering - what is usually referred to as Long Covid.
Recent concerns about economic inactivity are tied to the growing percentage of those unable to function due to Long Covid. A study in the Lancet in August 2021 estimated that 22% of people with long Covid were unable to work, and 45% were on reduced hours.
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that vaccination strongly reduces the chance of serious problems of Long Covid. The study found that the incidence of experiencing symptoms one year after infection decreased during the pandemic from 10.42 cases for every 100 people for unvaccinated individuals in the pre-Delta period, to 3.5 cases a 100 people for vaccinated individuals in the Omicron period. They estimate that roughly 72% of the reduction in Long Covid was due to the vaccines, while 28% was linked to changing variants.
But very few groups in the UK are eligible for a 2024 autumn booster: adults 65 and older; residents in care homes; frontline NHS and social care workers; as well as those in high-risk groups.
The general population can get the Covid-19 vaccine, but it’s pricey, at nearly £100 a dose at Boots, for example. Compare this with the private cost of a flu jab at just under £22.
Looking at other countries’ policies, the UK is the outlier in continuing to restrict free boosters to certain groups. Constrained NHS budget means decisions have to be made on a cost-benefit basis, but avoiding the population-level effects of illness would not only benefit the individual but also the NHS and wider economy.
Read Full Article on The Guardian
• Coronavirus (COVID 19) • M.E. Association • National Newspapers • N.H.S. • N.I.C.E.
The ME Association: 2024 Autumn Covid Booster Information
October 21, 2024
Even though Covid-19 hasn't gone away, many people have been returning to normal or near normal life. However, while official statistics indicate that levels of Covid infection are still fairly low this reflects the fact that very little testing is being carried out. There are new variants of the virus still appearing, hospital admissions remain a cause for concern, and other indicators of Covid in the community confirm that Covid is still causing problems.
So, as we have been regularly pointing out on ME Association social media, people still need to take sensible precautions to reduce the risk of catching Covid and should seriously consider having a Covid Autumn booster.
NHS UK website information on all aspects of the autumn Covid booster - including how to book an appointment, different vaccines, common side effects.
The MEA continued by giving a link to the NHS Covid-19 vaccine website, plus a detailed letter from -
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS committee,
Member of the 2002 Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on ME/CFS.
You can download PDF files of these items.
- Template: Covid Autumn Booster Vaccine (2024)
- Template: Flu Vaccine (2024-25)
- Flu Vaccination and ME/CFS (2024-2025)
Updated Booklet: Flu Vaccination & ME/CFS 2024/25
October 11, 2024
Flu vaccination is important because, although flu is often unpleasant, it can be dangerous. This is especially so for anyone with certain chronic health conditions, including ME/CFS. And with Covid still around, a combination of flu and Covid could be even more serious.
As there is no simple yes/no answer as to whether people with ME/CFS should have a flu vaccine, the purpose of this information is to supply you with everything you need to know about flu vaccines and ME/CFS. You and your doctor can then decide whether you ought to have this protection.
The ME Association (MEA) publicised the Guardian’s article at the end of October.
The cost of restricting COVID boosters in the UK could be huge
October 31, 2024
Britain has closed its eyes to long Covid - which means it will ravage even more lives and livelihoods
Devi Sridhar -The Guardian
Extracts
The trauma of those pandemic years is burnt into our minds. But, whether we want to deal with it or not, Covid-19 is still affecting all of us, and circulating at fairly high levels in Britain this month. While community surveys are no longer conducted by the Office for National Statistics to estimate overall cases, hospital data from England indicates that the weekly hospital admission rate for Covid-19 is at 4.64 for every 100,000 people, with the north-east region at 8.91.
The longer legacy concerns people who had and cleared the infection, but are still suffering - what is usually referred to as Long Covid.
Recent concerns about economic inactivity are tied to the growing percentage of those unable to function due to Long Covid. A study in the Lancet in August 2021 estimated that 22% of people with long Covid were unable to work, and 45% were on reduced hours.
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that vaccination strongly reduces the chance of serious problems of Long Covid. The study found that the incidence of experiencing symptoms one year after infection decreased during the pandemic from 10.42 cases for every 100 people for unvaccinated individuals in the pre-Delta period, to 3.5 cases a 100 people for vaccinated individuals in the Omicron period. They estimate that roughly 72% of the reduction in Long Covid was due to the vaccines, while 28% was linked to changing variants.
But very few groups in the UK are eligible for a 2024 autumn booster: adults 65 and older; residents in care homes; frontline NHS and social care workers; as well as those in high-risk groups.
The general population can get the Covid-19 vaccine, but it’s pricey, at nearly £100 a dose at Boots, for example. Compare this with the private cost of a flu jab at just under £22.
Looking at other countries’ policies, the UK is the outlier in continuing to restrict free boosters to certain groups. Constrained NHS budget means decisions have to be made on a cost-benefit basis, but avoiding the population-level effects of illness would not only benefit the individual but also the NHS and wider economy.
Read Full Article on The Guardian
• Coronavirus (COVID 19) • M.E. Association • National Newspapers • N.H.S. • N.I.C.E.
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