Seven days in medicine: 13-19 July

ABSTRACT

Covid-19 BMA calls for long term plan to keep cases low The BMA urged the UK government to develop a long term plan to keep covid cases at low levels after the latest Office for National Statistics survey showed that an estimated one in 19 people in England, one in 17 in Wales and Northern Ireland, and one in 16 in Scotland tested positive in the week to 6 July.1 Philip Banfield, BMA council chair, said, “There must be recognition from the government that heightened waves of infection lead to greater staff illness and absences, stretching health and care settings to the limit and beyond.” For adults over 40, consuming a small amount of alcohol (one to two small glasses of red wine) can provide some health benefits, such as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, said the study. Many factors contributed to the decline, including an increased number of children living in conflict and fragile settings, increased vaccine misinformation, and covid-19 related issues such as service and supply chain disruptions.8 NHS 111 Online service made no difference to call handlers’ workload The introduction of an online version of NHS 111 in England made no discernible difference to the workload of the existing telephone helpline service being provided to the public, a study published in BMJ Open concluded.