HOST: JAMES DAVIS FROM ISLE OF MAN ADVERTISING AND PR
FEATURING: KATHRYN MAGSON, DR H AND THE GREAT MANX PUBLIC
ANNETTE QN: WHY IS THE IOM VACCINE ROLLOT SO MUCH SLOWER THAN GUERNSEYS?
KATHRYN: WE DON’T BELIEVE OUR PROGRAM IS BEHIND, WE STARTED A WEEK LATER THAN GUERNSEY.
WE WILL BE CATCHING UP WITH THEM BY NEXT WEEK
WE WENT THROUGH A STRINGENT PROCESS TO MAKE SURE PAPERWORK WAS CORRECT AND IN PLACE
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT’S DONE WELL AND CLINICALLY WELL
WE’VE NOW GOT OUR VAX DASHBOARD SO YOU CAN SEE HOW WE’RE DOING
WE’VE HAD SOME FEEDBACK SO WE WILL TRY AND UPDATE THIS
IT UPDATES EVERY 90 MINUTES
KATHRYN ON VACCINES
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4678 TOTAL
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4290 1ST DOSES
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629 2ND DOSES
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3000 JABS IN THE NEXT 7 DAYS
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6500 JABS BOOKED AFTER THOSE 7 DAYS
AIM IS TO VACCINATE AS SOON AS WE RECEIVE THE VACCINES
WE HAVE 1 PFIZER TRAY IN STOCK
AND 4 TRAYS SET ASIDE FOR THE SECOND DOSE
EVERY WEEK WE RECEIVE A TRAY OF VACCINES
WE’RE STARTING JABS IN THE AIRPORT TOMORROW
PFIZER AND ASTRAZENECA TRAYS
WE GOT AN UNEXPECTED TRAY THIS WEEK AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MOVE UP VACCINE APPOINTMENTS
WE’RE MOVING FIRST WEEK IN FEB JABS TO NEXT WEEK AND 111 TEAM ARE ON IT
BACK TO QNS
LESLEY QN: WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING THE VACCINE?
DR H: THE TRIALS MEASURED CERTAIN THINGS AND WE KNOW THESE VACCINES PREVENT PEOPLE FROM BEING ILL AND SERIOUSLY ILL WITH COVID
AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE GET VACCINATED WE WILL KNOW/ LEARN IF IT STOPS PEOPLE TRANSMITTING THE VIRUS.
JOHN QN: ANNUAL VAX MIGHT BECOME THE NORM IF IT TRANSPIRES THAT THE VACCINE STOPS THE SYMPTOMS BUT NOT SPREAD WILL THE REMAINING NUMBER OF PEOPLE NOT VACCINATED LEAD TO BIGGER ISSUES?
DR H: WE HOPE 80% OF POPULATION WILL GET VACCINATED
THE 20% WILL BE PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT IT OR CLINICALLY CAN’T HAVE THE JABS
JOHN QN: WILL BORDERS OPEN IF WE’RE VACCINATED?
DR H: POLITICAL QUESTION – DEPENDS ON HOW UK ARE DOING AND STRAINS OF VIRUS. THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT STRAINS IDENTIFIED AND WE ARE STILL MONITORING HOW THEY AFFECT THE VACCINE.
BUT WE DON’T KNOW THE ANSWERS YET
JAMES: IS THERE A POINT WHERE THE IOM WILL BE VACCINATED AND THE BORDER RESTRICTIONS BE EASED?
DR H: POLITICAL QUESTION – ALSO DEPENDS HOW THE UK IS DOING AND THE RISKS OF CATCHING COVID ACROSS
MONITORING STRAIN SITUATIONS
AND VACCINE TAKE UP AND EFFECTIVENESS
SOLOMON QN: HOW CAN WE STOP WHAT’S HAPPENING IN GUERNSEY HAPPENING HERE?
DR H: WE CAN’T, WE WERE ALMOST IN THEIR POSITION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR
GUERNSEY ARE ONE STEP DOWN THE LINE TO US, WHERE THEY CAN’T TRACK WHERE IT CAME FROM
OURS WE KNOW WHICH LINE OF TRANSMISSION WE HAD FROM TESTING
WIDESPREAD COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH – GUERNSEY ARE DOING HUGE LEVEL OF TESTINGS AND CONTACT TRACING
TRAVEL PASSPORTS? LOOKS LIKE SOME COUNTRIES ARE NOW WANTING NEGATIVE COVID TEST BEFORE YOU ENTER. COULD WE DO THAT?
POLITICAL DECISION
DR H: COVID TEST WON’T PROVE THAT YOU HAVEN’T GOT COVID AS IT’S ONLY A SNAPSHOT AND YOU CAN ALREADY BE IN THE INCUBATION PERIOD ETC
BUT NEGATIVE TEST PASSPORTS WORKS FOR COUNTRIES WHO HAVE HIGH LEVELS OF COVID
HOWEVER, FOR US GOING FOR ELIMINATION IT’S NOT A GOOD IDEA AS WE ONLY NEED ONE PERSON TO BRING IT OVER AND SPREAD IT EVERYWHERE
WE WOULD STILL NEED TO DO THE ISOLATION TO MAKE SURE THIS DOESN’T HAPPEN
JOHN QN: ARE YOU GOING TO ACHIEVE YOUR SEPTEMBER VACCINATION TARGET
KATHRYN: YES, WE BELIEVE WE WILL
SUBJECT TO THE DELIVERY SCHEDULES OF THE VACCINES
ROBERT QN: VACCINE CONCERNS AND SUPPLY CHAIN?
KATHRYN: THEY ARE LICENCED UNDER EMERGENCY MEDICATION
WE’RE A SMALL ISLAND AND OUR SOURCE WILL BE THE UK
EILEEN QN: HOW DO YOU ALLOCATE VACCINE APPOINTMENT LETTERS IS IT ALPHABETICALLY OR DATE OF BIRTH ETC?
WE ARE FOLLOWING THE JCVI PROTOCOLS –
THE FIRST GROUP: RESIDENTIAL AND CARE HOMES AND PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THEM
SECOND GROUP: OVER 80S AND FRONT HEALTH CARE WORKERS
WE HAD TO SWAP THEM AROUND THOUGH BECAUSE PFIZER VACCINE WASN’T PRACTICAL FOR RESIDENTIAL AND CARE HOMES – BECAUSE OF TRANSPORTATION
OVER 75 LETTERS WILL BE GOING OUT END OF THIS WEEK
MORE THAN 4000 PEOPLE IN EACH GROUP
TAKES TEN DAYS FOR POST OFFICE TO ISSUE THOSE LETTERS
MICHAEL QN: HOW MANY FALSE POSITIVES AND HOW MANY FALSE NEGATIVES INFO
KATHRYN: OUR MAIN PLATFORM AND THROUGHOUT ‘THE REAL-TIME PCR PLATFORM’
IF WE PICK UP ANY FALSE POSITIVES THEN IT’S LESS THAN 0.2%
NORMALLY FROM INACCURATE SWABBING
DR H: THE TEST WE USE IS JUST SHY OF 100% ACCURATE AND IS UNIVERSALLY RECOGNISED WORLDWIDE
ISSUES HAPPEN IF, THE SWAB WASN’T DONE PROPERLY OR THE PERSON GOT TESTED TOO EARLY – THESE CAN CREATE FALSE NEGATIVES
MIX UP OF SWABS WOULD CREATE FALSE POSITIVES – NOT REALLY HAPPENED HERE
QN: WASTEWATER TESTING? WOULD WE DO WASTE WATER TESTING TO CHECK IF THE VIRUS HAS GONE MORE WIDESPREAD?
DR H LOVES THIS TOPIC
WE DON’T DO ANY WASTEWATER TESTING ON THE ISLAND AT THE MOMENT BECAUSE IT’S QUITE COMPLEX BUT WE’RE LOOKING INTO IT. ALSO RAISES QUESTIONS AROUND WHERE TO TEST IN THE WATER SYSTEMS
WASTEWATER TESTING MAY BE A GOOD SIGN OF CHECKING EARLY SIGNS OF DETECTION BUT IT IS COMPLICATED AND CAN BE VERY EXPENSIVE
PILOTS GOING ON UK
AUSTRALIA DOING IT
WE’RE MONITORING TO SEE IF THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO HERE
QN: WOULD YOU ADVISE OLD AND VULNERABLE TO CARRYING ON SHIELDING?
IF WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE LOCALLY FREE, THERE WON’T BE MUCH CONCERN
BUT IT’S DOWN TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND HOW COMFORTABLE THEY FEEL
JAMES: DIFFERENT VIBE THIS TIME? A BIT MORE CRITICAL AND ANGST THAN THE LAST LOCKDOWN?
KATHRYN: WE CONCENTRATE ON FEEDBACK FROM DIFF SOURCES, WOULDN’T BE WHERE WE ARE WITHOUT MASSIVE SUPPORT FROM PUBLIC
LOOK ACROSS TO SEE WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED
DR H: I PERSONALLY KEEP OFF SOCIAL MEDIA
I OFTEN GET EMAILS ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD OR NOT ON HOW WE’RE DOING WITH STRONG OPINIONS
WE WOULDN’T BE WHERE WE ARE NOW WITHOUT THE GREAT MANX PUBLIC
MURIEL: PANDEMIC PLAN, HOW ARE WE FOLLOWING IT?
DR H: THAT IS INTERESTING
LAST UPDATED IN FEB 2020
PLAN IS FROM HOME AFFAIRS AND IT’S AN INFLUENZA PLAN
NOT A COVID PLAN
DOESN’T FACTOR IN SOCIAL DISTANCING, FACE COVERINGS ETC
KATHRYN: JUST TO ADD – DHSC HAS HAD TO HAVE EXTENSIVE PLANS
ALICE QN: WHAT IS DEPT DOING TO TREAT PEOPLE WITH LONG COVID?
KATHRYN: AS A DEPT WE’RE AWARE OF THESE ISSUES AND WE’RE MONITORING THIS CLOSELY AND TAKING GUIDANCE FROM PHE
IT’S EARLY DAYS YET BUT LONG COVID IS A PIECE OF WORK THAT WE ARE WORKING ON
DR H: IT IS NOT AN EASY ANSWER, WE ARE FOLLOWING UK EVIDENCE BASE, GENERAL PRINCIPLES WILL APPLY AND AS WE LEARN MORE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO FINE TUNE DIFFERENT RESPONSES TO PATIENTS.
CHRIS QN: WHAT HEALTH CONDITIONS ARE EXEMPT FROM FACE COVERINGS?
DR H: THE BRITISH LUNG FOUNDATION HAVE VERY CLEAR GUIDANCE FOR PEOPLE WITH RESPIRATORY CONDITIONS
IF YOU ARE CLINICALLY HIGH RISK IT’S ADVISED YOU SHOULD WEAR ONE
BUT MASKS CAN ALSO TRIGGER MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS
IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN’T THEN YOU DON’T HAVE TO
ROB QN: HOW IS THE DEPT ADDRESSING THE HIDDEN COSTS OF THIS PANDEMIC?
KATHRYN: WE ARE EXTREMELY LUCKY ON THE ISLAND TO KEEP THE MAJORITY OF OUR SERVICES OPEN THESE LAST 6 MONTHS AND WE’VE TRIED TO KEEP SERVICES OPEN DURING THIS LOCKDOWN
PUTTING CARE AT THE CENTRE AND THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE CAN DO
WE SHOULD RECOGNISE THIS IS AS A LONG JOURNEY
JAMES
THANKS FOR YOUR INSIGHTS AND ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS
THE GREAT MANX PUBLIC – THANKS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR QUESTIONS
BONUS – CAR PARKING COSTS AT AIRPORT AND CHESTER STREET WILL BE WAIVED FOR JABS
