What you need to know about coronavirus on Tuesday 19 January

Fazilah, an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse at a central hospital in London, told CNN that she was overwhelmed by a wave of depression for months during the first wave of the pandemic, but that she was too busy save their lives to be able to identify it, or process it. Now she’s working through another nightmare.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned last week that the country’s hospitals are at significant risk of being overwhelmed if cases continue to increase. According to Our World in Data, the country had the highest death rate in the world last week. There are currently more than 37,400 Covid-19 patients in UK hospitals.

ICU nurses working for the UK National Health Service (NHS) are bearing the brunt of this boom. A number of ICU workers interviewed by CNN said they were pressured to “dilute” the level of care due to the increase in admissions, and in some cases say they were treating up to eight patients at a time – much higher as the ‘safe’ NHS nurse to patient ratio between 1: 1 and 1: 2 recommended.

While the NHS did not respond to CNN’s request for comment, NHS chief executive Simon Stevens told the BBC on Sunday that the ratio of nurses to patients between hospitals ranged from 1: 1 to 1: 2 to 1: 3 , and that staff are making dynamic adjustments in real time. “

This is a situation that not only jeopardizes the level of care for the sick, but also contributes to the stress and well-being of the health workers who provide it, said Ameera Sheikh, an ICU nurse and a trade union representative of ‘ a London hospital, said. CNN. Even on days off, it is almost impossible to eliminate. “Feelings of guilt suddenly shoot in because you are not helping at work,” she said.

And when a patient dies, there is little time to mourn before the next patient arrives. “It’s like you have a constant carousel and can’t get off,” Fazilah said.

YOU ASKED. OUR ANSWER

V: How can I determine if my age group is eligible for a Covid-19 vaccination in the US?

A: First, start with a call to your GP. They can confirm what phase you should be in – definitions can change from state to state – and give you an idea of ​​when vaccinations are expected to start in your local health and hospital system.

Then check out the vaccination page of Covid-19 on the website of your state health department. Most have links to provincial-level dating sites where you can sign up, and emails where you can direct questions.

For those who are less internet friendly, each state also provides a phone number. Be patient, experts suggest, as the lines are often busy. To help, CNN has compiled a list of information pages for all 50 states and territories here:
Send your questions here. Are you a health worker fighting Covid-19? Send us a message on WhatsApp about the challenges you face: +1 347-322-0415.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TODAY

China strikes back at critique of its vaccines with dangerous disinformation campaign

With Chinese medical company Sinovac facing questions about the effectiveness of the coronavirus shot, China’s propaganda apparatus has chosen to attack other vaccines. This is a dangerous opportunity that could undermine the overall confidence in mass vaccinations just as the world urgently needs people to be vaccinated, reports James Griffiths.

For example, the state-run tabloid Global Times paved the way for the defense of vaccines manufactured by China, not by determining their effectiveness, but by the reputation of other candidates – especially those produced by the American company Pfizer. be, to break.

Trump removes some travel restrictions from US Covid-19, despite Biden being against the order

Days before Joe Biden took over the presidency, US President Donald Trump lifted coronavirus-related travel restrictions for much of Europe, the United Kingdom and Brazil from January 26.

Biden’s government has promised to block the move due to concerns about ‘more contagious variants popping up around the world,’ Jen Psaki, Biden’s upcoming press secretary, said on Twitter.

While new business in the US has been declining since peaking last week, experts are urging Americans not to give up.

The country, which surpassed 24 million cases on Monday, averaged about 207,000 new cases daily over the past seven days – with California becoming the first state to reach 3 million cases. Meanwhile, health officials in the hard-hit state have told medical providers not to administer doses of one amount of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine – which contains more than 330,000 doses – while investigating possible serious allergic reactions last week.

Unrest in the Australian Open raises questions for the Tokyo Olympics

The controversy over tennis’ Australian Open, in which 72 players were placed under strict hotel quarantine, has raised questions about whether large-scale international sporting events can take place amid a pandemic and provide a preview of the problems facing summer. stare. Tokyo Olympics, Helen Regan, Paul Devitt and Angus Watson report.
Serbian Novak Djokovic is standing on the balcony of his home in Adelaide.

ON OUR RADAR

  • Biden and its administration promise to ensure black and colored people have equal access to the Covid-19 vaccine through mobile clinics, vaccination centers and partnerships with local communities.
  • An independent review panel on Monday said China and the World Health Organization could act faster and more forcefully to curb the onset of coronavirus outbreaks.
  • Singapore Airlines hopes to become the world’s first airline to vaccinate all its crew members.
  • If Kim Jong Un destroys North Korea’s economy to keep Covid-19 out, will sanctions ever be enough to stop him from pursuing nuclear weapons?

BO-WENK

Those who are already exhausted by 2021 – and indeed, by 2020 – can get some relief by calling a hotline and shouting along the line. Just Scream !, a hotline created by Chris Gollmar, the elementary school teacher, aims to reduce stress for those who need an outlet. All you have to do is call up and shout as loud as you want, for as long as you want – and then hang up.

TODAY’S PODCAST

“For the vast majority of Americans, the testing program they sell … is merely an illusion of public health.” – Dr Michael Mina, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at TH Chan School of Public Health at Harvard.

In today’s episode, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, dr. Sanjay Gupta, with Mina on the game-changing potential of affordable quick testing at home. Listen now.

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