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      Proposed law would make HRT free on prescription for women

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      Menopausal women treated with hormone replacement therapy would not have to pay for their prescriptions under a proposed law. HRT is available on prescription in England for £9.35 a time but Labour MP Carolyn Harris is hoping to abolish the charges, The Sunday Times reported. Ms Harris said that she had enough support for a private member’s bill to change legislation. The bill will receive its second reading this month. NHS prescriptions for HRT are already free in Scotland and Wales and the therapy is used to top up levels of womens’ oestrogen and progesterone hormones during menopause.Many of the 3.4m women aged between 50 and 64 in the UK will experience symptoms of the menopause, with side effects including heart palpitations, hot flushes, anxiety and depression. The average age for a woman to reach the menopause is 51, according to the NHS. Many women are prescribed hormone replacement therapy for five years or longer, and treatments can often add up to thousands of pounds, The Independent’has previously reported. Carolyn Harris MP said that she was “extremely confident” MPs would back her bill, adding: “We have the numbers. I have so much support from across the House of Commons and I am very confident we will get this bill passed.“Is this government really prepared to let women in England suffer if they can’t afford to treat the symptoms of their menopause, while women in Wales and Scotland get access to their medications for free? Talk about doing English women a disservice.”She told The Sunday Times: “There are so many people out there who are not prepared for this and they don’t imagine it’s going to be as awful as it is.”The bill will go before MPs on 29 October/A Department of Health source said: “If we make HRT free for everyone who wants it, where does that stop, especially given that a large number of women on HRT get free prescriptions anyway. “We think the problem is more complex – for example, doctors not recognising the impact on women during the perimenopause.”A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “The menopause affects half our population and is a huge concern to women across the country. The impact can be very difficult to live with and it’s crucial this is taken seriously and women get the support they need. “We’re deeply committed to ensuring those who want access to HRT get it and are taking immediate steps to drive women’s health to the top of the agenda through the first government-led women’s health strategy for England.” More

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      ‘Get out and get another job,’ Sajid Javid tells unvaccinated care workers

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      Care home workers who are not willing to get the Covid jab should “get out and get another job”, the health secretary Sajid Javid has said in a stinging attack on vaccine refuseniks.Trade unions and care home providers have warned that the sector faces a staffing crisis if thousands of workers lose their jobs for failing a legal requirement to get the vaccine.The National Care Association has called for a pause in compulsory vaccinations, arguing that the policy could lead to substandard care or see some homes having to shut their doors.Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme if he would consider a pause, Mr Javid said: “No, I won’t. What I don’t accept is slowing down the requirement to vaccinate.”The health secretary said: “Look, if you want to work in care home, you are working with some of the most vulnerable people in our country. And if you can’t be bothered to go and get vaccinated, then get out and go and get another job.”Mr Javid added: “If you want to look after [vulnerable people], if you want to feed them, if you want to put them to bed, then you should get vaccinated. If you’re not going to get vaccinated then why are working in care?”Asked how the country would cope with staff shortages if tens of thousands of care workers quit the sector, Mr Javid said: “There are other people … who will come forward.”Mr Javid also said he was disappointed by reports that at least five members of the men’s England football squad are refusing to be vaccinated against Covid.“It is disappointing, of course it is … They are role models in society,” he told Times Radio. “People, especially young people, I think will look up to them and they should recognise that and the difference that can make in terms of encouraging others.”Nadra Ahmed, executive chairman of the National Care Association, has estimated that 70,000 people could be forced to leave the sector because of mandatory vaccination.She told the BMJ some the departure of staff was already having a serious impact. “We’ve heard of providers shutting the doors, they just can’t go on any more.”Care home workers in England were told to have their first Covid jab by the end of 16 September to meet the government’s deadline for full vaccination of 11 November.Mr Javid also said he was disappointed by reports that at least five members of the men’s England football squad are refusing to be vaccinated against Covid.Last month the Department of Health and Social Care said that more than 90 per cent of eligible social care staff had received a first dose by the deadline, and around 84 per cent had already been given a second dose.Mr Javid also waded into a row over the push to get GPs doing more face-to-face appointments – insisting that the return to pre-pandemic normality “needs to move much faster”.Leading professional bodies has pushed back against calls for face-to-face appointments to become the default again, warned that Covid infection levels were still too high for practices to return to packed waiting rooms.Professor Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, told MPs last month: “There’s no point in having a right if it’s undeliverable at the moment because of the workload pressures.”The health secretary told Today: “We are in discussion with GP leaders. We need to work together to make sure we can give patients more of the choice they are asking for.”Mr Javid added: “There are patients who might prefer remote consultation. But there are others who prefer face to face. To get where we need to be there has to be a partnership with GPs, working together to alleviate some of the pressures they face.”It comes as ministers have drafted in a former senior military commander to carry out a far-ranging overhaul of leadership in the health and social care sector.The government said General Sir Gordon Messenger, an ex-vice chief of the defence staff, would conduct the most far-reaching review the sector in England has seen in 40 years. More

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      Scotland vaccine passport app launch hit by technical problems

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      The launch of Scotland’s coronavirus vaccine passport app has been hit by widespread reports of technical problems.Members of the public complained they were unable to get the NHS Scotland Covid Status app to work, after it was made available to download on Apple and Android devices on Thursday afternoon.Proof of vaccination is now needed to enter nightclubs and large events in Scotland, although the Scottish Government has agreed a grace period during which the scheme will not be legally enforced.Addressing the reports of a glitch with the app, a Holyrood spokesperson suggested “extremely high initial traffic” was to blame, advising people to “try again a couple of hours later”.Users reported being unable to register on the app, while others shared screenshots showing they were unable to get past the first log-in page.It comes after a legal bid by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) Scotland to delay the vaccine passport scheme’s rollout was rejected by the Court of Session.Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Roddy Dunlop QC, who was appointed to represent the NTIA, described the app as “the worst I have ever tried to use”.“I am not prone to hyperbole. I promise,” he said. “And I instantly recognise that I was originally instructed to challenge the introduction of Covid passports and so am not neutral.“But try the app; look at the comments below. This is, literally, the worst app I have ever tried to use.”Former Scottish Tory leader Jackson Carlaw called the launch a “farce”, claiming the app “is the SNP government in a nutshell. Rushed, ill conceived, ignorant to opposition and fundamentally doesn’t work”.Dr Christine Tait-Burkard, an infection expert at Edinburgh University, also revealed she had been unable to get the new app to work, as she appeared on BBC Radio Scotland on Friday morning, arguing the scheme “may persuade some of the hesitant people” to get jabbed.“Larger studies on international travel showed that [proof of vaccination] is increasing the vaccine uptake between 5 per cent and 10 per cent in the younger generation, which is exactly what we need,” Dr Tait-Burkard said.“And in France, we see that the more day to day life gets curtailed by the need of having a vaccine passport, that has again driven uptake very clearly.”Speaking about the app’s launch, deputy first minister John Swinney said: “Vaccine certificates have a role to play as part of a wider package of measures. They add a further layer of protection in certain higher risk settings.“This is a very limited scheme and we hope this will allow businesses to remain open and prevent any further restrictions as we head into autumn and winter.”There are currently no plans to introduce certification for the wider hospitality industry but this will be kept under review over the autumn and winter months, according to the Scottish Government.Exemptions to the scheme include the under-18s, participants in vaccine trials, people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, and those working or performing in the venues.While the scheme will not be legally enforced until 18 October, the legal requirement for businesses to keep information about certification status confidential and not use it for other purposes came into effect on Friday.A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Some people may be experiencing issues which are likely to be caused by extremely high initial traffic and a large number of users trying to access the app at once.“We advise people whose data is not found to try again a couple of hours later.”Additional reporting by PA More

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      in US Politics

      US officials optimistic Covid booster rollout will start on 20 September

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      Biden administrationUS officials optimistic Covid booster rollout will start on 20 September But they insist shots won’t be rolled out without health agencies’ authorization, leaving open possibility of delays Victoria Bekiempis in New YorkSun 5 Sep 2021 12.11 EDTLast modified on Sun 5 Sep 2021 13.08 EDTUS officials have expressed optimism that Covid-19 booster shot delivery can start for all adults on 20 September, the goal set by President Joe Biden, as cases continue to rage across the country fueled by the highly transmissible Delta variant.The officials insist, however, that boosters will not be rolled out without US health agencies’ authorization, leaving open the possibility of delays.Dr Anthony Fauci, ​​head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to Biden, was asked Sunday on CBS’s Face The Nation whether the 20 September goal remained the planned rollout date.“In some respects, it is. We were hoping that we would get both the candidates, both products, Moderna and Pfizer, rolled out by the week of the 20th. It is conceivable that we will only have one of them out, but the other one will follow soon thereafter,” Fauci said. Pfizer has submitted its data, making it likely to meet this goal, Fauci said; Moderna announced that it has started submitting data.“The bottom line is, very likely at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be.”“We’re not going to do anything unless it gets the appropriate FDA regulatory approval, and then the recommendation from the [CDC] advisory committee,” Fauci also said, explaining that he expects any possible delay with Moderna would be “at most” a few weeks.As almost all Covid-19 infections in the US are caused by the Delta variant, officials hope boosters will clamp down on its rapid spread. Covid-19 vaccines do provide incredibly strong protection against illness, hospitalization, and death against Delta, but breakthrough infections are reportedly rising with this variant.At present, 53% of the US population is fully vaccinated, and 62% have received at least one dose.Covid-19 cases have increased 6% in the past week on 4 September, and there has been a 22% increase in deaths over that same period. The seven-day average for cases and deaths over this same period is 163,716 and 1,550, respectively.The US continues to lead the world in Covid-19 cases and deaths, at 39,908,072 confirmed infections and 648,121 known fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Nearly 95% of US counties have “high” community transmission, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Fauci’s statements come amid questions on Biden’s plans for distributing Covid-19 booster shots. Leaders of the CDC and FDA have implored Biden to reconsider his plan to start offering boosters on 20 September, saying they needed more data, NPR reported.White House chief of staff Ron Klain echoed Fauci’s statements Sunday on CNN’s State of The Union, saying that 20 September was a projection, not a hard-and-fast date. Klain said that Biden’s discussion of booster implementation had always depended on FDA and CDC authorization.“I think what we said was that we would be ready as of the 20th,” Klain said. “I would be absolutely clear, no one’s going to get boosters until the FDA says they’re approved, until the CDC advisory committee makes a recommendation.”“What we want to do though is be ready as soon as that comes.”Klain also said that the recipients would be determined by FDA and CDC’s scientific guidance.As discussion of booster rollout continues, public health officials and experts have recently expressed concern that Labor Day holiday travel this weekend could worsen the ongoing surge.“As we head into Labor Day, we should all be concerned about history repeating itself. High or intense transmission around most of the country combined with population mobility with limited masking and social distancing has been a consistent predictor of major surges,” Dr John Brownstein, a Boston Children’s Hospital epidemiologist, told ABC News.Data show that holidays can spur dramatic Covid-19 transmission throughout the country. In the weeks preceding Labor Day 2020, average US daily cases dropped to about 38,000. There was a 400 percent increase in daily US cases between Labor Day weekend and Thanksgiving of 2020, however, resulting in record high deaths and hospitalizations, ABC News said.Dr Rochelle Walensky, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) director, said Tuesday during the White House Covid-19 briefing: “First and foremost, if you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling.”“Throughout the pandemic, we have seen that the vast majority of transmission takes place among unvaccinated people in closed, indoor settings,” Walensky also said.Jeff Zients, White House Covid-19 response coordinator, similarly commented during this briefing: “We need more individuals to step up, as people across the country prepare for Labor Day weekend. It’s critical that being vaccinated is part of their pre-holiday checklist.”TopicsBiden administrationJoe BidenCoronavirusVaccines and immunisationHealthUS politicsnewsReuse this content More

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      in US Politics

      ‘Outraged, sickened, terrified’: Guardian readers on the Texas abortion ban

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      Texas‘Outraged, sickened, terrified’: Guardian readers on the Texas abortion banNine Guardian readers share their thoughts on the ruling that bans most abortions – and what it means for reproductive rights Guardian readers and Rachel ObordoSat 4 Sep 2021 06.00 EDTLast modified on Sat 4 Sep 2021 06.01 EDTThe US supreme court voted 5-4 to allow a Texas law banning most abortions to remain in force. The law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, usually around six weeks and before most women know they’re pregnant.Nine people share their reaction to the ruling and what they think it means for women’s rights.‘Women’s rights are being stolen out from under us’We have all these yahoos down here screaming about their rights being taken away (guns, vaccines and maskless), but women’s rights are being stolen out from under us. Abortion should not be a political decision – it is a moral decision. No one has the right to tell me what I can do with my body. One day “I” will answer to my Lord, no one else will stand in place during my judgment day. It is very disheartening. Women’s rights are slowly being taken away. What will they take away next? Michelle, 52, Texas‘How can I still be afraid of my voice not mattering?’It’s absolutely not right to have control over a woman’s body like this. I had one abortion when I was 22. My now husband and I had just started dating and we weren’t financially or emotionally ready to have children. If we were not allowed to have an abortion then, our relationship would not have survived. I would have been a single mother, trying to support a baby I wasn’t ready for and didn’t want. How do you think that child would have been raised? We now have two children and we are able to support them with love and everything they need to thrive. To this day my husband and I do not regret the extremely hard choice we had to make. We were both grieving for a while but, it was the right decision and it was my body, my choice.I had to have two C-sections with both of my sons as they were too large for me to give birth naturally. During my last C-section, I chose to get sterilized and my tubes tied. This was a difficult choice, but it was my choice for a healthy life. I decided for myself that day so no one could for me another day. I live in the USA, it’s 2021, how can I still be afraid of my voice not mattering? Kelsi, 30, Arizona‘This law is deeply and blatantly misogynistic’Saying I’m appalled does not begin to cover it. I am speechless. I just want to emphasize what others have been saying: there are no laws dictating what men can do with their bodies. For there to be full equality under the law, there can be no laws dictating what a woman can do with hers. I will be boycotting Texas in every way I can. The unintended consequences of this law will be deadlier and more horrific than the unintended consequences of Prohibition. This law is deeply and blatantly misogynistic. All women everywhere should be protesting in the streets. Valerie, 69, New York‘I spent my life fighting for abortion rights and now I feel defeated’I am outraged, sickened and terrified. I spent my life fighting for abortion rights, and now I just feel defeated. I’d leave this sick and evil country if I could, but I’m too old and too poor to be able to get out. I’ll stay and battle on, but the future looks increasingly bleak and dark.I fear for the lives and health of Texas women, and for the future of anyone in America who is not a white, straight, Christian, rightwing male. I am absolutely horrified and feel like a lifetime’s worth of work by so many people just went up in smoke. American women are in grave danger, and not just in Texas. Linda, 71, Maryland‘This is not the country I fought for’This is Handmaid’s Tale stuff. When I was young, I was a Goldwater Republican, but I left the party after Newt Gingrich was elected speaker. They [the Republicans] see Trump as America’s Viktor Orbán, running a “soft” dictatorship. The abortion ruling is one more step in their plan to eliminate freedom. Their stance on gun control is to ensure that their followers will be armed to the teeth the next time they try to pull off an insurrection. As a retired disabled veteran of the Vietnam war, this is not the country I fought for. Back in 1968 it was a different country – Republicans were the good guys – I’m not sure I want to keep living here if this is the way things are going. Bill, 74, Georgia‘The burden will be on the lower socioeconomic people’An absolute outrage. How dare a white male majority make choices about our bodies? I had two negative pregnancy tests when pregnant with my daughter, and didn’t get confirmation until I was 16 weeks pregnant. I am a social worker and know there are thousands of children who are languishing in the foster care system and will never be adopted. Who will care for these unwanted children? The burden, as usual in the USA, will be on the lower socioeconomic people. We are going backwards and it is beyond distressing. The wealthy will have access to abortions and other women will be forced to carry and bear children they don’t want or can’t support financially or emotionally. What a travesty. Allison, 50, Utah‘I think the ban starts six weeks too late’I am thrilled, though I think the ban starts six weeks too late. I’m hopeful that the supreme court will at least acknowledge a state’s options to set its own standards here. My concerns are that so much of our country is comfortable with the murder of the most innocent lives among us. It’s hard to get anything right as a society when infanticide is acceptable. Michael, Kansas‘Welcome back to the dark ages’This is utterly disgusting and abhorrent. Women of all ages should and must be able to make their own choice concerning their body. Welcome back to the dark ages. It’s OK to be against abortion but you don’t get to choose for others – it’s a matter of personal choice. I went through an abortion in my late 20s when I was living in Asia. My then boyfriend was immature and stupid and so was I. Anyway, it was a traumatic experience for many reasons and I wouldn’t go through it again, but that was my choice and I’m glad I had the option. Gally, 40, California‘Saying it’s too complicated is such a lazy response’It’s cowardice supreme. Such a twisted law – pitting people against each other. The supreme court can’t even give a good reason for blocking it other than that it’s too complicated. That is such a lazy response. It’s a sad day for women. I can only imagine what other countries think of this. I worry that other states will take approaches like this and effectively ban abortion elsewhere too. Jeremy, 24, MinnesotaTopicsTexasAbortionUS politicsHealthfeaturesReuse this content More

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      Allowing mass infection of children is ‘reckless’, experts warn

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      Allowing mass infection of children is “reckless” and all over-12s should be offered a coronavirus vaccine, a group of scientists has warned.Experts from across the globe, alongside parents, carers and educational staff, have written to education secretary Gavin Williamsonto raise their concerns about the impact of the pandemic on education.They argue policies in England mean there will soon be a large population “susceptible” to the virus mixing in crowded spaces with “hardly any mitigations”.Earlier school reopenings in Scotland and the US have shown a lack of “adequate mitigations” is likely to lead to the virus spreading among children, which could further disrupt learning with significant absences due to student and staff illness, they said.In an open letter published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), they warn: “England’s policies mean that we will soon have a large susceptible population with high prevalence of infection mixing in crowded environments with hardly any mitigations.”They said children have suffered “significant harms” in the pandemic, including from long Covid, adding: “Allowing mass infection of children is therefore reckless.”Research led by University College London and Public Health England and published this week found as many as one in seven children who get coronavirus could have symptoms almost four months later.People who tested positive were twice as likely to report three or more symptoms 15 weeks later than those who tested negative, the study suggested.But lead author Professor Sir Terence Stephenson said he felt “reassured” by the data, which he believes shows it is “nowhere near what people thought in the worst-case scenario”.The group behind the letter to Mr Williamson called for vaccines to be offered “to all 12 to 15-year-olds, with rollout in schools to maximise access and uptake”.They also called for rules on face coverings for secondary school students and staff in classrooms and for bubbles to be reinstated, as well as more investment in building ventilation.The signatories included scientists from UK, US, Germany, India and Norway.Members of Independent Sage, the Parent SafeEdForAll group and the National Education Union were among those who added their names to the list.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is yet to give a recommendation on extending the jabs rollout to all healthy 12 to 15-year-olds.Mr Williamson said this week he hoped a decision would be made “very, very soon”, and indicated his support for a widening of the programme by saying a lot of people “very much hope that we’re in a position of being able to roll out vaccinations for those who are under the age of 16”.Additional reporting by Press Association More