COVID-19 Bulletin: Thursday 4 March

March 4, 2021

Numbers not statistics: This week (last week)

1. New: Know the facts about COVID-19 vaccines and fertility

With thanks to Birmingham Women’s Hospital for sharing with us.

While there are myths on social media that the vaccine can affect fertility, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that the vaccine affects fertility or the ability to carry a child to full term.

During the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine study, there were 23 study participants who became pregnant during their vaccine trial. There was one pregnancy loss, but this was in a participant who received the placebo, not the vaccine.

The antibodies produced against the COVID-19 spike protein following immunisation will not block syncitin-1 – the protein critical for the placenta to remain attached to the uterus. While the COVID-19 spike protein shares several amino acids in common with syncitin-1, it is significantly different enough for the antibodies not to recognise and block this critical placental binding protein. It should be also acknowledged that this vaccine is not a ‘live’ vaccine and there is no known risk associated with giving other non-live vaccines.

While there is no evidence that acute COVID-19 infections themselves cause infertility in the short- or long-term, there has been evidence that the acute viral infection can lead to orchitis, or inflammation of the testicles. This would not be unique to SARS-CoV-2, as other viruses such as mumps, hepatitis, and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) can cause acute inflammation, and later scarring, of the testicles.

Some pregnant women who have contracted COVID-19 have died and/or suffered fetal loss as a result of acute COVID-19 infections therefore pregnant women who are frontline health or social care workers, including carers in a residential home, can also discuss the option of vaccination. This is because the risk of exposure to COVID-19 may be higher, even if they have a lower risk of experiencing complications if they are otherwise well. The JCVI also now advises that there is no known risk in giving these vaccines to breastfeeding women.

Additional reading is available here.

If you have concerns about your own health and the COVID-19 vaccines please talk to our occupational health department.

2. New: A roadmap for re-opening our gym facilities

Colleagues have rightly raised questions about when the on-site gym facilities at Sandwell and City Hospitals will be reopening. You are aware that the Trust took the decision to temporarily close these due to the national lockdown restrictions and associated risk assessment.

We aim to reopen the gyms when it is safe to do so, in line with the national roadmap for exiting lockdown restrictions. This means that the earliest that we will look to open these facilities is 12 April. Until that point we will complete a further risk assessment to ensure that we can establish the right infection prevention and control measures to open these facilities safely. The same approach will be taken to review treatments at the Wellbeing Sanctuary.

If you need help and support with exercising away from work, or outside, there are a range of online resources which include details on how to lose weight, get active and quit smoking. These health and wellbeing apps can be accessed here.

The NHS also has information dedicated to exercise online including access to the NHS Fitness Studio where you can choose an activity to suit you such as aerobics or yoga. Or, perhaps you’d prefer to take up a challenge such as Couch to 5K?

We also have a wealth of information about health and wellbeing on Connect.

3. Reminder: Mr Khan, community leader, they all know me! Celebrities unite to support COVID-19 vaccination programme

One of Birmingham’s much loved sons – actor, writer and presenter Adil Ray – well known as Citizen Khan from the BBC sitcom where he plays the self-appointed leader and voice of Muslim Birmingham, has worked with fellow celebrities to produce a film dispelling some common myths around the COVID vaccine.

Recognising the volume of misinformation circulating about the vaccine, and worried that ignorance would discourage people to get vaccinated, Adil mobilised his colleagues to save lives by sharing their personal thoughts, experiences and beliefs about COVID in the following film.

He commented: “After taking part in the Stay At Home campaign last year, we felt that once again we had to do something to help.  Unfortunately we are now fighting another pandemic – misinformation, where communities who are ignored are preyed upon and voices that endanger lives are amplified.

“Whilst these communities must accept some responsibility too, and take the vaccine to save lives, we all must do what we can and come together to fight this deadly virus. We hope this video can help dispel some of the myths and offer some encouragement for everyone to take the vaccine.”

You can watch the film by clicking below:

4. Reminder: REACT now!

Mental wellbeing – you can’t see it, you can’t touch it but we all have mental health. It encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing.

One in four people will experience a mental health issue of some kind each year in England. Now, more than ever, we need to take steps to look after our mental wellbeing.

The last twelve months have impacted us all differently. To help support colleagues, the Trust is training more REACT Practitioners to support mental wellbeing. The training is a half day online course that can be completed using any type of tablet or laptop and it can be done from home. The equipment used does not need to be supplied by the Trust, personal devices are fine.

Here is a link with more information.

The following dates are available with spaces, with training sessions lasting from 9am through to 1:30pm

• 8, 12, 15, 16 and 22 March.

If you would like to become a REACT Practitioner, please ask your line manager to email Mandeep.gill11@nhs.net and provide your name, place of work and which course you would prefer to attend. Where courses are full you will be asked for another date.

Staff must be willing and able to provide support to colleagues within the Trust and it is not anticipated that this would take more than a maximum of one hour per week. We especially welcome staff to complete the training from the surgical services group and also any staff who work on wards and areas that have been particularly impacted by COVID. However, all colleagues may request a place.

Please note: This training is externally purchased by the Trust and failure to attend once booked may incur a financial penalty.

5. Reminder: Get in the loop with LAMP testing

Our roll out of LAMP (Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification) testing continues and from 1 March, we went live with the following areas:

• Anaesthetics
• Specialist Surgery
• Theatres
• Ophthalmology
• General Surgery

They joined:

• Admitted Care A and B
• Emergency Care
• Gynae and Gynae Oncology.

Colleagues from the following directorates should start to register for LAMP, as they will go live on Monday, 8 March:

• iCares
• Operations
• iBeds
• Maternity & Perinatal Medicine.

LAMP testing is a weekly test where you collect a saliva sample first thing in the morning (before you brush your teeth or have your breakfast). You collect your sample at home and as you come into work, you deposit your sample in to one of collection boxes in phlebotomy on our acute and community sites which are then sent off to the lab to be tested. LAMP test results are processed quicker than the usual PCR swab tests and notifications of both positive and negative results sent back to you via text message.

Instructions on how to perform the test can be accessed by clicking here.

If the result comes back positive you and your household will need to immediately isolate for 10 days and you will not require a PCR swab test to confirm the result. By Monday, 22 March, we will have testing available for all staff. You should continue with the lateral flow testing until you move to the LAMP testing programme.

If you have kit left over from your lateral flow tests please return these to your service area and we will arrange for left over testing kit to be collected. If you are at the end of your lateral flow test kit and not due to transition over before you run out of kit, please contact the community contact centre on 0121 507 2664 option 6.

You can read the Frequently Asked Questions by clicking here.