Health

Covid measures ‘plan C’ has been discussed, senior official tells MPs

A “plan C” for tougher coronavirus restrictions has been discussed in official circles, a senior civil servant has confirmed, despite ministers denying that tougher measures are an option this Christmas should the rate of new cases continue to rise.

The indication of planning for potentially harsher restrictions comes as senior scientists and Labour push for the rollout of “plan B”, an existing package of “light-touch” measures including advice to work from home and compulsory face masks in some settings.

Last week the health minster Edward Argar denied that anything of the order of a plan C – which could include restrictions on household mixing at Christmas – was being contemplated by the government.

However, the term was used on Tuesday by Prof Lucy Chappell, the chief scientific adviser for the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), when MPs asked whether a failure to bring in plan B actions now may mean tighter restrictions are needed later.

“I think it suggests that plan A and plan B and whatever the plan C looks like are mutually exclusive, but they are not,” she told the science and technology select committee on Covid transmission.

Chappell was then questioned on whether a plan C did, in fact, exist.

“It has been proposed … The name has been mentioned. It has not been extensively worked up,” she said, adding that at the DHSC, “at the moment, the focus is on plan B”.

Dr Thomas Waite, the interim deputy chief medical officer at the DHSC, said it was up to the government, not scientific advisers, to decide whether plan B should be introduced. He suggested there was no single measure or threshold that would inform the move, rather a consideration of various factors, including age-stratified case rates, the rate of change in hospital admissions, the impact of waning immunity, and the influence of booster jabs.

The evidence session also included testimony from Prof Sir Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, who suggested that although transmission in the UK was high, focusing on daily figures of Covid hospitalisations and deaths was misleading, noting they included people who needed medical help or had died for another reason.

Pollard also suggested that regular testing in schools was problematic.

“Clearly, the large amount of testing in schools is very disruptive to the system, whether that is the individual child who is then isolating, because they’ve tested positive, but they’re completely well, or it’s because of the concerns that that raises more widely in the school,” he said.

“I think probably we need to move in the pandemic, over this winter, maybe towards the end of the winter, to a completely different system of clinically driven testing,” he said. “In other words, testing people who are unwell rather than having a regular testing of those people who are well.”

Pollard said that while vaccinating people who have yet to have a Covid jab would make a big difference for intensive care, and booster doses may reduce hospital admissions, vaccinations alone would not be enough to remove pressures on the NHS.

“When you look at where the NHS is today, it is incredibly fragile, whether it’s in primary care and secondary care or in social care, and that fragility is only contributed [to] a small amount by Covid,” he said.

Health

Akwa Ibom records five monkeypox cases

The Akwa Ibom State Government has raised the alarm over the increasing cases of monkeypox in the state, with five confirmed cases recorded so far.

The government has urged residents to be vigilant as the disease spreads across local government areas.

During an update on Friday, September 6, the state government revealed that out of 30 samples collected for diagnosis, five tested positive. The initial four confirmed cases included three males and one female, aged 2, 4, 12, and 41.

Samuel Etuk, the official in charge of disease surveillance and notification at the state Ministry of Health, confirmed the fifth case and noted that contact tracing efforts are underway while the affected individuals are in isolation.

Etuk provided details at a Media Review Meeting organized by Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-N) in collaboration with the State Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (STBLCP).

He emphasized the importance of community involvement in monitoring the disease, with 10 informants engaged in each of the state’s 368 political wards to report cases to health authorities.

Etuk explained that Mpox can be transmitted from animals to humans (a zoonotic process), as well as through direct or indirect human contact. Transmission can occur through contact with urine, blood, faeces, skin lesions, and oral secretions.

Symptoms of Mpox typically appear after an incubation period of 5 to 21 days and include fever, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, back pain, rashes, and muscle pain. The rashes often start on the face and spread to other parts of the body.

To prevent further spread, residents are advised to avoid contact with sick animals or humans, maintain proper hygiene, and report any suspected cases to health authorities or the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Etuk reminded the public that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared Mpox a global public health emergency of international concern in August 2024, signaling the need for heightened awareness and preventive measures.

Health

FG to establish blood collection centres in 774 LGAs

The Federal Government has announced plans to establish Blood Collection Centres in all 774 local government areas, including the FCT, to ensure availability of blood during medical emergencies and transfusions.

Abdullahi Haruna, Head, Media and Publicity, National Blood Service Agency (NBSA), made this known in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

The statement quoted Prof. Saleh Yuguda, the Director-General, NBSA, as reiterating government’s commitment towards addressing blood shortages in the country as the initiative would save lives.

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“We are working tirelessly to ensure that blood needs are adequately addressed, and this initiative is a significant step towards achieving that goal.

“NBSA has partnered with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to establish a formidable blood bank at the Corp’s medical facility.

“This collaboration aims to mitigate blood shortages during medical emergencies and provide critical support to sister security agencies,” he said.

He explained that to kickstart the blood collection project, the FCT will host strategic blood collection facilities in easily accessible locations.

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“This move is expected to increase blood donation rates and ensure a steady supply of blood for medical purposes.

“The establishment of blood collection centers across Nigeria is a testament to the government’s commitment to improving the country’s healthcare system.

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“As the project rolls out, Nigerians should expect improved access to blood transfusions and better health outcomes,” he said.

The statement also disclosed that the Deputy Commandant Emeka Okeke of the NSCDC said: “this initiative will play a vital role in addressing blood shortages and saving lives.”

Health

WHO sets targets to end Mpox outbreaks in Africa

The World Health Organisation, WHO, has set a target of halting mpox outbreaks in Africa within the next six months.

This announcement came as the first vaccine shipments are expected to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, in the coming days.

Africa, particularly the DRC, with over 18,000 suspected cases and 629 deaths, has received only a fraction of the vaccines to combat the virus.

At a press briefing on Monday, September 2, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed confidence in ending the outbreaks, citing strong government leadership and collaborative partnerships.

In August, WHO declared mpox outbreaks a global emergency to spur a more robust international response even though a new strain of mpox known as clade1b, has been identified in many countries, including Burundi, Cameroon, Rwanda, and Kenya.

The potentially more contagious variant of the virus was detected in Congo in May, prompting heightened concerns among health officials.

WHO estimates that approximately 230,000 vaccines could soon be sent to Congo and other affected countries. The WHO is also implementing educational campaigns to inform people in outbreak areas about preventing the spread of the disease.

Africa’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it aims to receive 380,000 vaccine doses from donors, including the US and the EU, which falls short of the quantity required to eradicate the outbreaks.