“R” Number
The R number will be closely monitored as lockdown is relaxed and it involves lots of complex mathematics to determine the number, however the number of people dying will be a major factor…
Learning Fundamentals
Try the 6 Ws and the 6 Hs (W>W>H>H>W>W>H>H>W>W>H>H)…
Deliveries of pharmacy medicines by volunteers?
The scheme that NHS England launched to enable volunteers to deliver pharmacy medicines may result in prosecution if there is a fatal misstate made or bad advice given. The patient might ask “how do I take these?” Or “are these safe with my other medicines? The medicine could be diverted or delivered to the wrong door…
Should you buy a pulse oximeter to measure your blood oxygen saturation?
There is a lot of talk about measuring blood oxygen saturation at home using pulse oximeters to give early warning of COVID-19 symptoms and to allow the early presentation at hospital. If testing at home, you need to know what is normal and ideally the testing should be part of a management plan and under the supervision of a healthcare professional…
Are Certain Online Pharmacies putting their Patients at Risk?
In March, Public Health England announced that Coronavirus ‘home’ testing kits were not approved and there was no evidence to suggest the efficacy of such tests…
The World Health Organisation has now launched the Solidarity Trial
The solidarity trial has been launched to help develop treatments for Covid-19. The trial will result in current medicines with other licensed indications being used “off label “….
Professor Stephen Powes said during the Governments Sunday Press conference
The Isle of Wight will be trialling the new Covid-19 App, often the Island is used as a testbed as they have a defined set of variables which can be controlled. The Island has 140,000 people and this is a good size to carry out a trial. Sixty per cent of the islanders will have to download the app to make the trial effective…
Covid -19 and the Kidneys
Covid-19 does appear to attack the kidneys and affect the renal tubules and podocytes…
CPAP machines and Covid -19
CPAP machines normally used for sleep apnoea are being mass-produced by Mercedes F1 in collaboration with University College London. The CPAP machines have been approved by the MHRA after clinical trials….
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) in the Covid -19 pandemic.
Some Trusts and now insisting that patients who are in cardiac arrest and have a suspected diagnosis of Covid 19 will not be given Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or ventilated in A&E unless the emergency department staff are wearing full personal protective equipment. This is to stop the risk of virus particles being released into the air and affecting staff attending them and other patients…