1️⃣ Seek medical support: Long Covid symptoms can vary widely, so it’s crucial to consult with healthcare professionals who specialize in post-acute Covid care. They can help diagnose and manage your symptoms, provide guidance on treatment options, and offer support throughout your recovery journey.

2️⃣ Pace yourself: One of the key aspects of managing Long Covid is pacing your activities. Listen to your body and give yourself permission to rest when needed. Pushing yourself too hard can exacerbate symptoms and delay recovery. Establish a balanced routine that includes periods of activity and rest, gradually increasing your activity level as your energy improves.

3️⃣ Engage in gentle exercise: While it’s important to rest, gentle exercise can also play a vital role in your recovery. Start with low-impact activities such as walking, stretching, or yoga, and gradually increase intensity based on your tolerance. Exercise can help improve stamina, reduce fatigue, and boost your overall well-being. Remember to consult your healthcare provider before starting any exercise program.

4️⃣ Manage stress: Long Covid can be emotionally challenging, and stress can exacerbate symptoms. Find healthy coping mechanisms to manage stress, such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, or engaging in activities you enjoy. Consider seeking support from mental health professionals who can provide strategies to navigate the emotional impact of Long Covid.

5️⃣ Connect with support networks: Reach out to support groups, both online and in-person, where you can connect with others facing similar challenges. Sharing experiences, seeking advice, and receiving encouragement from individuals who understand what you’re going through can provide a sense of validation and support during difficult times.

6️⃣ Prioritize self-care: Practicing self-care is crucial in managing Long Covid. Make sure to nourish your body with a healthy diet, get enough sleep, and establish a consistent sleep schedule. Engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation, such as reading, listening to music, or spending time in nature. Remember to be kind to yourself and celebrate small victories along the way.

7️⃣ Communicate with your employer or school: If you’re facing challenges at work or school due to Long Covid, have an open and honest conversation with your employer or educators. Explore possible accommodations, such as flexible work hours, reduced workload, or modified schedules, to help you manage your symptoms while still fulfilling your responsibilities.

8️⃣ Stay informed: Long Covid research is ongoing, and new information is constantly emerging. Stay updated on the latest findings, treatment options, and self-care strategies through reputable sources. This knowledge will not only help you make informed decisions but also empower you to advocate for your needs.

Remember, Long Covid is a complex and individualised condition, and recovery timelines can vary. Be patient with yourself, celebrate small victories, and focus on progress rather than setbacks. With the right support, nursing care, self-care, and determination, you can manage Long Covid and find a way to embrace life once again. You are not alone, and together we can navigate the challenges of Long Covid and embrace a fulfilling future!

The post Managing Long Covid and Getting on With Life appeared first on Promoting Health.

The changes will not automatically apply across the rest of the UK unless the other nations choose to adopt them.

What is the plan for England?

From 21 February:

staff and students in most education and childcare settings without symptoms no longer have to test twice weekly from 24 February:

> people with Covid will no longer be legally required to self-isolate
> guidance will remain in place for those who test positive to stay at home and avoid contact with others for at least five full days
> self-isolation support payments of £500 for those on low incomes will no longer be available
> routine contact tracing will end – people in contact with someone with Covid will no longer be advised to self-isolate or take daily tests
> workers will no longer be required to tell their employer if they need to self-isolate

From 1 April:

> Covid tests will no longer be free for most people
> the use of Covid passports will no longer be recommended, except for international travel
> employers will no longer have to consider Covid as a separate risk when working out how to keep employees safe
> Speaking alongside the prime minister, the chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance warned that Covid would continue to evolve over the next few years. He said that further variants of > > > Covid were expected – and that they could be more severe than those previously seen.

Therefore, although most of the free testing system is being dismantled in England, the government insists that the UK will continue to do detailed checks and surveillance to look for resurgences of Covid and any concerning new variants which may emerge.

It says it will be also possible to scale up testing and tracing operations again if needed.

What are the rules in Scotland?
Later on Tuesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will set out Scotland’s plans for managing Covid in the future.

The current restrictions include:

> shops and businesses need to take measures to limit the spread of Covid
> face coverings are compulsory on public transport and most indoor spaces, including shops and secondary schools
> a Covid certification scheme is in place for venues including nightclubs, meaning people must provide proof of their vaccination status or a recent negative test
> a 2m distancing rule remains in healthcare settings such as hospitals, doctors’ surgeries and dentists
> anyone who had their second dose more than four months ago must also have received a booster to be considered fully vaccinated.

Work from home advice has ended, although the government wants some staff to continue working remotely.

What are the rules in Wales?
A gradual easing of Covid restrictions is under way but some measures remain in place:

compulsory face coverings in schools, on public transport, and in shops and hospitals
secondary school pupils are asked to test for Covid three times a week

What rules have been lifted in Northern Ireland?
Covid certificates in nightclubs, mandatory face coverings, track and trace requirements and the cap on 30 people in private homes are no longer legal requirements.

Legal measures have been replaced by guidance, such as recommending face masks are still worn in certain public settings.

The post UK Living with Covid plan appeared first on Promoting Health.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid says the rollout will be “non-urgent”, with an emphasis on parental choice.

Northern Ireland also said on Wednesday it will be following Wales and Scotland in offering young children the vaccine.

Children are at a much lower risk of becoming severely ill from a Covid infection, so the health benefits of vaccinating them are smaller than in other age-groups. Also, many will have some protection from already having caught the virus.

So the scientists on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises governments across the UK, have been weighing up the evidence for immunising five to 11-year-olds. It concluded vaccination should go ahead to prevent a “very small number of children from serious illness and hospitalisation” in a future wave of Covid.

Prof Wei Shen Lim, from the JCVI, said: “We’re offering this to five to 11-year-olds now in order to future-proof their defences against a future wave of infection.” He suggested parents consider getting their children vaccinated during school holidays to minimise disruption to their education from any flu-like side effects of the jab.

The full guidance says fewer than two children would develop inflamed heart muscle (myocarditis) out of every million vaccinated. However, it estimates vaccinating one million children would prevent:

Prof Lim warned other childhood vaccinations including the MMR and HPV campaigns have “fallen behind due to the pandemic” and it was “vital” that Covid jabs did not disrupt these immunisations.

Mr Javid said: “The NHS will prepare to extend this non-urgent offer to all children during April so parents can if they want, take up the offer to increase protection against potential future waves of Covid-19 as we learn to live with this virus.”

He emphasised that children are at low risk from Covid and that the “priority remains for the NHS to offer vaccines and boosters to adults and vulnerable young people” and to catch up with other childhood immunisation programmes”.

The vaccine, which contains just a third of the adult dose, has already been used widely in other countries. The US alone has given it to eight million children in this age group. However, the JCVI denied it had been slow to act and said the vaccine had received regulatory approval only in December.

Children aged from five to 11 who have other medical conditions that put them at greater risk are already eligible for the vaccine.

In total, about six million children in the UK in that age group will be offered the jab.

Two 10 microgram doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, with at least 12 weeks between each dose, would be administered to those whose parents decide to take up the offer.

The Welsh government announced on Tuesday that it would be offering jabs to children after seeing the JCVI ruling. It followed reports the committee’s announcement was delayed due to a disagreement with the UK government, which says it is “reviewing the JCVI’s advice as part of wider decision-making”.

Scotland then followed the next day, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon saying Scottish ministers had received and considered the same JCVI advice and were “content to accept it”. She told parents and carers of children in the five to 11 age group that more information would be given when plans had been finalised.

Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson said the JCVI decision was “important and welcome news” but accused the government of treating children as “an afterthought” during the pandemic. “Ministers must now ensure all children can access the jab to avoid further disruption to their education,” she said.

The post England to Offer Covid Jab to 5 to 11 Year Olds appeared first on Promoting Health.

The number of reported new cases of infections and Covid 19 deaths in every country globally is alarming. The rising number of new infection cases daily is causing congestion in the hospitals, especially the ICU, which is overwhelming the health workers. Every government is trying to implement methods to counter this challenge.

That effort has given rise to healthcare & nursing pods, commonly known as isolation pods, regarding Covid 19. A nursing pod is a small unit designed to fit only one person. The patient is protected from infection or from infecting others through the air handling system.

How the Healthcare and Nursing Pod Works
The new and advanced technology aims at partitioning the existing hospital rooms and buildings to create spaces that can accommodate a single Covid 19 patient and large-scale ones for more patients. A healthcare provider can then attend to one patient at a time. The setup is more like an ICU. In addition, new nursing pods are made in the healthcare facility’s open spaces to receive incoming new Covid 19 cases.

The installation of these isolation pods in hospitals has ensured high hygiene and infection control standards. The standalone pods isolate Covid 19 positive patients from the surrounding environment, allowing medical procedures to continue efficiently and safely. The new advanced technology used to create the pods serve a vital role in managing Covid 19. Installing the pods is easy, and it would be best to install them in all healthcare facilities.

Benefits of Nursing Pods in Managing COVID 19
The introduction of the isolation pods in the healthcare sector comes with many benefits in fighting the Covid 19 pandemic.

Negative Pressure Single Occupancy
The most effective method of dealing with Covid 19 is through quarantine. The single-patient units are self-contained, meaning there is zero interaction with the outside environment, hence no transmission. Negative pressure means that the air pressure inside the pod is lower than the one outside the room.

Contaminated air will not escape from inside the pod
Instead, the Covid- free filtered air flows into the room. The contaminated air escapes through exhaust systems that have filters to purify the air before being released outside the facility. The negative pressure nursing pods have many features that help manage the pandemic’s spread.

HEPA Filtration Integration and Ventilation
Most nursing pods have high-efficiency particulate air filters built in them. The HEPA mechanical filter can eliminate at least 99.9% of air contaminants, including airborne particles. These filters in the isolation pod mean that any Covid 19 viruses released into the air do not last, thus protecting the patients and the healthcare practitioners outside the room.

The pods are vented to the outside atmosphere to ensure constant fresh and clean airflow. However, it is good to clean the HEPA filters regularly to make them more effective.

Available in Various Sizes
The isolation pods come in many different sizes. The doctor decides how many patients go in a single space depending on the treatment requirements. The acute patients can use single-occupant units for intensive care, while recovering patients may fit in the large-scale unit if singles are not enough. Many healthcare facilities install different sizes to handle the rising Covid 19 cases.

UV Treatment of Exhaust Air From Internal Venting
Some of the pods have in-room air cleaners and upper-room UV germicidal irradiation to reduce airborne bacteria and viruses in the environment. The work of these features is to treat the exhaust air from the internal venting before expelling it to the environment. A healthcare facility can integrate these features as they are optional yet effective.

Easy Installation and Technical Support
Most healthcare facilities using this advanced technology are locally manufactured. The manufacturer offers technical support in installation, which is a simple process. It also means that you can get additional features not integrated with the original pod.

The units are fully wired, and all you need is to connect to a 120v socket. There are options for standalone units or bank row combinations; you choose the one that suits the hospital’s needs.

Ultimate Nursing Pods
The battle to eradicate Covid 19 is a challenge to the entire globe. Many scientists and medical experts are trying all means to find a solution. However, thanks to the Covid 19 nursing pods, the spread is controlled in most countries that embraced the technology.

Therefore to mitigate the effects of Covid 19, adopting proven and tested healthcare pods is essential to keep the spread at bay.

More Information on Healthcare & Isolation Pods
If you are a healthcare professional who is interested in setting up another base, pod, or hospital area then please visit the Architectural Wallsz website. Contact us today on 0121 374 0070 and we will be more than happy to work with you to give you the support you need throughout every phase of the construction.

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