Webchat with Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, Wednesday 25 March at 11.30-NEW ANSWERS ADDED

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We're pleased to announce a webchat with Dr Jenny Harries, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, at 11.30am on Wednesday March 25.

Jenny Harries was appointed Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England in July 2019, taking on a broad portfolio including the health service and commissioning support. Jenny’s previous roles include: PHE Deputy Medical Director, PHE Executive Lead for specialised commissioning and Welsh National Health and Healthcare Director. Alongside these roles, Jenny has been a member of the Welsh Medicines Committee and the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group. Jenny has an extensive clinical and public health background (BSc (Hons) Pharmacology; MPH; FFPH) and her work has extended overseas as far afield as New Zealand, Pakistan and Kenya. She was awarded an OBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours List for services to Public Health. She advises the government on its response to coronavirus.

Dr Harries' time is at a premium at the moment, to put it mildly, so we will only have her for 45 minutes.

As always, please remember our guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil. Also if one topic is dominating a thread, mods might request that people don't continue to post what's effectively the same question or point. (We may suspend the accounts of anyone who continues after we've posted to ask people to stop, so please take note.) Rest assured we will ALWAYS let the guest know that it's an area of concern to multiple users and will encourage them to engage with those questions.

Many thanks,
MNHQ

*[Message edited by MNHQ to give the preferred title of Dr rather than Professor]

Hi,

Thank you for everything you are doing right now.
Is there a coordinated attempt to give NHS workers mental health support at the moment?
Lewisham hospital chaplaincy is asking local counsellors to offer free support to NHS support for the duration.
Is this a nationwide thing?
If not then a good way to contact counsellors is via Counselling Directory (I'm going to be asking them the same question)

I like seeing you on the news. You are utterly professional, calm and reassuring.

Just like Proff Chris Whitty!

Two questions

1. can a viral rash be a symptom? My baby had a high fever, respiratory issues and a viral rash. She didn’t need admitting so no test but I’ve not seen a rash mentioned anywhere as a possible symptom.

2. will baby imms carry on? We’ve missed scheduled appointments due to isolation but are worried about the impact of delay if we can’t get them done (and what happens if thousands of parents are in the same boat).

Further to my question upthread. The FT reported that modelling at Oxford estimates that 50% may have already had the virus, hence the importance of antibody testing. It describes the government mainly following modelling by Imperial College, which is obviously more worst case scenario and so wiser to follow. How much have you been taking into account this model and is this why antibody testing is being pushed?

Why aren't the WHO also recommending antibody testing?

The modellingg* by Oxford’s Evolutionary Ecology of Infectious Disease group indicates that Covid-19 reached the UK by mid-January at the latest. Like many emerging infections, it spread invisibly for more than a month before the first transmissions within the UK were officially recorded at the end of February.
The research presents a very different view of the epidemic to the modellingg** at Imperial College London, which has strongly influenced government policy. “I am surprised that there has been such unqualified acceptance of the Imperial model,” said Prof Gupta.
However, she was reluctant to criticise the government for shutting down the country to suppress viral spread, because the accuracy of the Oxford model has not yet been confirmed and, even if it is correct, social distancing will reduce the number of people becoming seriously ill and relieve severe pressure on the NHS during the peak of the epidemic.*

Note; if not a subscriber, can only read once.

Coronavirus may have infected half of UK population — Oxford study

https://www.ft.com/content/5ff6469a-6dd8-11ea-89df-41bea055720b

It feels like we’re very slow to ramp up on the testing, which is what we’ll need to lift the lockdown restrictions. My company are about to furlough us, which means my whole team of microbiologists will be sitting at home, while our PCR machines sit unused in a BSL 2 lab. Surely the government should be looking to academic and private institutions for help, while stepping up on recruitment for sampling centres and teams to do contact tracing?

Hi Dr Jenny,

Why are the RCOG and RCM able to say that the general public who are pregnant should practice social distancing to reduce risk of covid 19 and the government have classed those who are pregnant as vulnerable, but if you are a health care professional and pregnant under 28 weeks it is safe to continue working in your normal capacity and over 28 weeks should socially distance at work. It is contradictory. The "evidence" is very small based on 9 in their 3rd trimester, we have no evidence of how this effects 1st and 2nd trimester pregnancies. Alot in healthcare feel like genuine pigs in a social experiment. Other services such as the police I'm told have sent all pregnant employees home. How is it fair to put pregnant healthcare workers in danger without full facts about this virus on their unborn baby?

Thank you for taking the time to read, I look forward to your reply.

My question relates to this issue. 4 weeks ago I was put on an urgent list and had the pre-op to have my thyroid removed. This is because I have an adenoma that may be cancerous but this won’t be confirmed until after surgery. I have not heard from my hospital and anxious about both having the operation at this time but also not having the operation in time. I am the main breadwinner for my family. I’m currently self isolating for 2 weeks with my family as have mild symptoms (dry cough). As a key worker in local government after this period I will be expected to be available to be redeployed where needed. what are your thoughts about this situation and do you have any advice for people in a similar position?

Hello

Thank you for your time. I can't find an answer online to this and have seen various stories and 'warnings' on social media. Are those severely ill with Covid19 in hospital unable to be visited by family and does this apply to all age groups?

Dr Harries
I was just wondering why the advise says it’s ok for a child to be moved between separated parents houses even though you can’t be sure how well the other parent is isolating/social distancing or who they are in contact with. Yet it’s not ok for couples who do not live together to meet inside each other’s houses? My daughter goes to her dads who lives with his partner and two other children. She was only there 1 day when he contacted to say one of his other children el bit poorly so they would have to isolate for 2 weeks just to be safe including my daughter. What if when she comes home then is due to visit again the following weekend he calls again to say another person in the house is poorly I run the risk of every time I send her it could end up being for another 2 weeks. It’s already upset her having to stay? How is this any safer than keeping children at home or non living couples meeting up indoors? Thankyou

The Financial Times is running an article on a University of Oxford study,
(Sunetra Gupta Professor of theoretical epidemiology) which seems to question the Imperial College modelling on which I believe the UK government approach is based. As I understand it, the Oxford modelling implies that 50% of us may already be immune to this disease.

Could you comment on this research ?

What is to happen with F1 and F2 rotations? Are those currently working in the community, eg in GP practices, to move to hospital placements?

Hello
My husband and I have temporarily closed our business and are interested in becoming volunteers. We also think we have both previously had corona. We would be willing to be out in the community helping if we knew we were safe by an antibody test. I am vulnerable and my more who live in a annex to our house is severely vulnerable. But if tested and safe we would be out there.

Good morning Dr Jenny. Thank you for doing this.

Could you please clarify the advice regarding high blood pressure and ACE inhibitors? The information available is very confusing, with Public Health England saying one thing and news reports out of China and Italy another. Very difficult!

Many thanks.

Hi, why are non essential work places still open ? I work in the industrial chemical sector and we have absolutely no reason to stay open but the government stay otherwise? You are gonna see massive gains in numbers of cases etc if you don’t sort it

Hi,

Is I am running what is the risk of catching/transmitting the virus as I do so? I.E As you run past someone in the street?

I also wondered the likelihood of surface transmissions from parcels and so on?

Thank you

Hi Dr Harries
First of all, your calming influence has been so helpful to me personally as have been really anxious about all of this.
I have heard this morning that RED EYES is a symptom - can you confirm this? thanks

Split family, mum key worker, where to keep kids?

I have two kids with ex. Mum is key worker. I work from home. She wants kids every other week (as usual). I want to keep kids with me until we don’t need to stay at home, to reduce risk of kids and us (partner and her kid) getting virus. What would you recommend?

Hi. I'm a 40 year old single disabled mum and I have a carer. I'm absolutely terrified of coronavirus as I am in the shielded group. I had to go out to my garage where my freezer is but I have read conflicting information saying I should not take more than 3 steps outside. I'm frequently crying and my carer is very worried about passing anything to me. She is employed by me through an independent living scheme so she has no PPE and we have just been hiding in my bedroom when she has come in to drop off supplies and clean. The fear is aggravating my asthma. Could you clearly define what the shielded group can and can't do and what do we do when we need care and they have to come into our homes. Thank you x

Can a family member (not in a high risk category) still travel to care for children of a key worker whilst they work? Sending the kids to school would increase risk as it would make it more likely key worker would be exposed?

Hi and thank you.

My question is on a vaccine. I am not medically trained but surely this is our only hope, my question is how likely is a vaccine to be effective, given that this is a coronavirus and mutates all the time? Is that why there has never been a vaccine for the common cold? What happens if this is similar and a vaccine cannot be made? What do we do for the future, we cannot live on lockdown forever.

Personally I am in the vulnerable group. I am worried sick for myself and my loved ones. It is severely impacting my mental health, I am in a right state, I feel like I am just waiting to die a horrible death, (not sleeping, nightmares, panic attacks) but I do not want to bother any professionals about this at this time, they have enough on their plate atm. If I could have hope that a vaccine will be effective, it might just be manageable to hope to help get through this.

Thank you

Dr Harries,

Thank you for everything you are doing to keep up all safe. I found it very reassuring to hear you speak yesterday.

I have just signed up to be an NHS volunteer as I am eager to help in any way that I can. Are many frontline workers and vulnerable people struggling or going without? I hope that they know that there are lots of people out there who would be more than happy to help in any way that they can safely do so.

I work in the NHS in operating theatres being used as and ITU.
We have received mask for Covid but only one type which does not fit all,we are running out of ordinary face masks and still have little in the way of eye protection.
We keep being told by government that this is fixed,it isn't.

From Gransnet user CherryCezzy:

I understand that epilepsy is not a pre-existing neurological condition that makes the person who has it more vulnerable. However, I am concerned by this messaging since some people with epilepsy can stop breathing when they have a seizure and Covid-19 affects the respiratory system. Is it not the case then that some people with epilepsy could be more vulnerable if they catch the virus?

From Gransnet user: NotTooOld

Firstly, congratulations on your TV appearances. We appreciate your clear and concise approach and your easily understood explanations.

My question is this.

Existing drugs are being currently tested to treat this infection. How long do you think it will be before scientists come up with one or more that will relieve the condition?

From Gransnet user JenniferEccles:

Is it known yet if it is possible to contract Covid-19 more than once or does one exposure to it offer immunity?