COVID-19 Bulletin: Friday 1 October

October 8, 2021

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)

No. of our patients confirmed with COVID-19	No. of positive COVID-19 patients who have been discharged	No. of COVID-19 positive patients who have died in our hospitals	No.of COVID-19 positive current inpatients	No. of COVID-19 research trial participants to date
7,914 (7,838)	8032 (7,949)	1,314 (1,309)	59 (57)	1,172 (1,169)

1. New: Antibody treatment for COVID patients

As we learn more about COVID-19, treatments for the virus continue to develop.

One new drug which will soon be available to inpatients is Ronapreve, a neutralising monoclonal antibody treatment. Monoclonal antibodies are like the antibodies your body makes to fight viruses and other bugs, but are made in the labs of pharmaceutical companies. They are designed to target the coronavirus spike protein.

A webinar took place on Wednesday which explained more about the treatment rationale, pathways and prescribing information.

Panel members on the webinar included colleagues from the Medical Director’s office, Pharmacy and the Clinical Advisory Group.

In case you missed it: To learn more about the treatment you can watch the webinar below.

See below for treatment pathway and add on request process:

If you wish to review the evidence that has informed this treatment please see RECOVERY Trial – Antibody Based Therapy Outcomes

2. Updated: Boost your immunity this winter – flu jabs and COVID-19 boosters now available for colleagues

With the winter months fast approaching, it’s more important now than ever to protect yourself against flu and COVID.

Some of you may have already received text messages from your local primary care inviting you to book your COVID booster. Please be assured that flu jabs and COVID booster doses are now available to all colleagues.

Both vaccines are safe to have together and will be available for co-administration in our onsite vaccination hubs. Should you not wish to have both vaccines at the same time this can also be accommodated by booking two separate appointments. COVID-19 boosters will be Pfizer booster vaccines and those eligible include those who have had their second COVID-19 vaccine (including Pfizer or Astra Zeneca) and have no contraindications to the Pfizer vaccination.

Do you have a question? Click here to read the FAQ document.

Book your jab:

You can book your jab at one of our vaccination clinics. Clinics will be operating at City Vaccination Hub (Sheldon Block) and Sandwell Education Centre. An easy self-booking system is in place: Click here for the online booking system to register for your jab – all available time slots will be listed here.

Note: Peer vaccinators will also be visiting clinical areas to administer flu jabs but due to infection control procedures in place this provision may be limited.

The flu jab and COVID-19 booster is available to all SWB colleagues including students and temporary staff. Flu jabs are only available for Trust employees and you will need your NHS number to register for your vaccines. To find your NHS number, click here.

Receiving your COVID booster/flu jab elsewhere?

If you receive your COVID booster and/or flu vaccination elsewhere please ensure to have your place of work recorded as Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust on the system at the time of vaccination. This will help keep your occupational health records updated and avoid any further chasing for having the jabs.

Remember you can still get your first COVID jab: City Hospital vaccination hub in Sheldon Block is open for those 18 or older who would like their first jab. The hub is open daily for both walk-ins and bookings via the national booking website. If you are pregnant you can also receive your COVID-19 vaccination at clinics which are being held within our antenatal department at City Hospital every Tuesday and Friday, 1pm – 6pm.

If you have any other questions please contact occupational health on 0121 507 3306.

Boost your immunity this winter – get your flu jab and COVID-19 booster.

3. Reminder: Support available to help with stress and anxiety

Managing your stress and psychological health at this time is as important as your physical health. That’s why we offer a number of ways in which we can support you when it comes to your health and wellbeing.

The Wellbeing Hubs, which are now available at Sandwell, City and Rowley Regis, are one of our newest ways of offering help with stress and anxiety.

Focusing on ensuring that colleagues have a good day every day, the new hubs aim to help improve mental health, relieve stress, build resilience and restore balance.

Recognising that colleagues need to be able to access services easily, the new hubs are set to provide much needed health and wellbeing for colleagues closer to their work base.

Services in the new wellbeing hubs include:

Confidential chat – an opportunity for colleagues to offload and talk about anything which is troubling them
Meditation
Relaxation POD (massage chair)

The wellbeing hub is completely confidential, all services and treatments are free of charge for colleagues and delivered by trained wellbeing coaches.

The wellbeing hubs are open every week across all the sites listed below between 8am – 4pm:

Mondays in the Jayne Wright Therapy Room, Trinity House, Sandwell
Wednesdays in the therapy room Archer, 1^stfloor, Rowley Regis Hospital
Fridays in the therapy room, City Gym

To book a session contact the wellbeing team on 0121 507 5886 or 0121 507 3854.

Meanwhile, if you are looking at other ways to destress, then way not try a seated acupressure massage session at The Sanctuary, which is available to all colleagues at the Trust.

Reset your mind and body with a chair massage and help:

Relieve back, neck and shoulder pain
Improve your mood
Reduce your stress and anxiety
Lift your energy
Increase your circulation

Note: A full consultation is completed with a therapist prior to the session and the massage is carried out safely over your own clothing. Social distancing measures are in place and PPE and sanitisation is provided on site.

Available dates:

Mondays and Tuesdays, between 10am – 3.30pm
Thursdays, 10am – 5pm

The Sanctuary is based at the Learning Works on Unett Street, Smethwick, B66 3SY. To book please call 0121 507 5886/3854.

For more information about what health and wellbeing support is on available, please click here.

4. Reminder: Join the saliva testing programme to protect your patients and loved ones

Did you know saliva testing (known as LAMP – Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) is a speedy and less invasive way of detecting COVID-19?

You can book a kit collection slot for the weekly test, which requires you to spit into a tube in the morning before you brush your teeth or an hour after you have eaten.

When you arrive at work, you can deposit your sample into a red collection box. Many of these are positioned around our acute and community sites.

For a full list of drop-off points and to find out how to register and collect your kit, click here.

If you are still unsure how to complete your LAMP test, be sure to check out the step-by-step guide in the video below.

Uptake of the weekly saliva test is monitored to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect our patients, the public and each other.

The latest data by group is below:

5. Reminder: Drug safety notice: Sarilumab – for intravenous administration in COVID-19 patients

Sarilumab is a human monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to interleukin-6 receptors and blocks the activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Sarilumab is typically given via the subcutaneous route, however for COVID-19 patients Sarilumab must be administered intravenously.

Note: Sarilumab is ONLY to be administered by nurses who are trained to administer monoclonal antibodies.

For further details please see the Sarilumab information sheet.

For more information please contact the pharmacy department on ext. 5263/3783.