A US conservative radio host and vaccine skeptic, who said he wouldn’t get vaccinated because he had a “low risk” of getting Covid-19 and dying from it, has died after being hospitalised with the virus, his employer said.
Phil Valentine’s death at age 61 was announced Saturday by Nashville radio station SuperTalk 99.7 WTN. The Tennessee-based talk radio host was first hospitalised in late July with the virus.
A statement from his family at the time of his hospitalisation said his illness led him to have second thoughts and regrets about the vaccines’ significance and encouraged people to “go get vaccinated.”
John Partipilo via APConservative talk show host Phil Valentine, seen in 2009, has died after being hospitalised with Covid-19, his employer announced.
“Phil would like for his listeners to know that while he has never been an ‘anti-vaxer’ he regrets not being more vehemently ‘Pro-Vaccine’, and looks forward to being able to more vigorously advocate that position as soon as he is back on the air, which we all hope will be soon,” his family said in a statement posted to Facebook by the radio station.
Valentine had expressed his skepticism of the coronavirus vaccines and masks on his radio program and social media, with one of his last tweets on July 15 questioning the safety of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Back in December, he tweeted that people should do a “risk assessment” on whether they should get vaccinated.
“I have a very low risk of A) Getting COVID and B) dying of it if I do. Why would I risk getting a heart attack or paralysis by getting the vaccine?” he posted.
He also recorded a Beatles parody song, “Vaxman,” that mocked the vaccine.
PeopleImages via Getty ImagesLearn to say no to social invitations and carve out time for self-care.
After the initial portion of the Covid-19 pandemic kept us apart for so long, many people pledged to take advantage of every opportunity to see loved ones again once vaccines were available. Thus, “hot vax summer” was born, with a focus on filling our social calendars with parties, trips, weddings and more.
Now, as coronavirus variants continue to spread and, with the onset of autumn, opportunities for socialisation could start to shrink again, we may be feeling even more pressure to cram in a bunch of activities.
But saying yes to every single social invitation can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and to burnout. We let our FOMO (fear of missing out) create a sense of obligation that can negatively impact mental health. The solution? Embracing JOMO or the “joy of missing out.”
“JOMO allows you to redefine what actually brings joy into your life, instead of allowing other people, events or society dictate it for you,” Michelle Wax, founder of the American Happiness Project, tells HuffPost.
“While in the past having a packed schedule of trips, events and activities may have been the norm, the past 18 months have allowed many of us to re-evaluate our lives and decide if how we’re spending our time and energy is what we actually want,” she adds. “JOMO allows you to choose the events, people and activities that will bring the most happiness into your life, and remove the ‘shoulds’ that are draining and time-consuming.”
If you’re someone who feels the pressure to go to every wedding, birthday party, picnic and day trip because you fear missing out, it will take more than just flipping a switch to feel the JOMO. But that doesn’t mean the situation is hopeless. Below, experts share their advice for how to embrace missing out.
Stop saying ‘yes’ to everything
“While meaningful social connections are critical to our physical and emotional well-being, finding a balance is also key,” says Sophie Lazarus, a psychologist with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Saying yes to and needing to be a part of everything can be exhausting and paradoxically reduce our ability to get the most out of the time that we do spend with others.”
Of course, caring about other people is important, but this shouldn’t come at the expense of your needs. Don’t feel obligated to attend events or do things you don’t enjoy simply because you feel like you “should.” It’s helpful to disconnect from guilt and obligation and use your time and resources for meaningful things in life.
“For the next month, just say ‘no,’” recommends Matthew Ferry, a happiness coach and author of Quiet Mind Epic Life. “Intentionally abstain from doing more and saying yes. Practise being picky and selective with your time. Ask this question, ‘Will saying yes to this help me realise that all is well in my world?’ If not, then say no.”
JGI/Jamie Grill via Getty ImagesMake a list of the things that bring you joy.
Do a ‘joy audit’
“To embrace JOMO, it’s helpful to become self-aware of what really lights you up and rejuvenates you personally,” Wax says. “I recommend taking a ‘Joy Audit’ and writing down what people, places and activities bring joy to your life, and on the flip side, what people, places and activities drain your joy.”
Things that bring joy to your life could be as simple as cooking a new meal, reading a novel, turning off the news, getting out in nature or calling a loved one. When you find yourself with the opportunity to experience the joy of missing out, look to your list and choose one of these activities.
Develop a healthy routine
Self-care is the name of the game when it comes to finding joy in “missing out” or taking a break from the endless chaos of life. Make this part of your daily routine, so that you can get used to prioritising your needs.
“Take your ‘MEDS’ daily – meditation, exercise, diet and sleep,” Ferry says. He emphasises the power of nurturing our bodies with movement, nourishing food, mindfulness and rest. “When you do that, you feel empowered and satisfied with the moment,” Ferry adds.
Substitute this social media time with something more fulfilling to you on a personal level – whether that’s spending time with people in person or taking a nature walk alone.
“Any changes that help you make wise decisions and also minimise the potential for FOMO can be really helpful,” Lazarus says. “If you know social media is going to make it hard for you to feel good about your decision, then unplug for a bit. Maybe make a plan to engage in a favourite solo activity to help you make the most out of the time you gained from ‘missing out.’”
katleho Seisa via Getty ImagesTake breaks from social media or reframe the way you look at people’s posts.
Reframe how you engage with social media
“You don’t have to unplug from social media altogether to avoid feeling the fear of missing out, but when you see people enjoying life online or on social media, another trick you can use is the ‘I am Next’ Strategy,” says Ken Honda, a happiness expert and author of Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace With Your Money.
“Whenever you feel jealousy or think other people are all out having a great time while you’re not, you can say to yourself, ‘Good for them! I’m next,’” he adds.
Rather than feeling bad about not being part of a certain event or trip, you can also think about how much more enjoyable your current and future life experiences are because you’re taking care of yourself and not getting burned out in the process. And remind yourself that individuals enjoy different things, so every little experience is not necessarily for you.
Take stock of what you have
The joy of missing out can encompass social events and other experiences, as well as spending money on objects. JOMO is about realising that you cannot do or have everything – and it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“There is much in human psychology that drives us towards more, achieving more, earning more money, experiencing more and so on,” Brinkmann says. “But as they rightly say, less can be more, and JOMO is about reminding oneself that more is not always better, but in the consumer society that we have constructed over the last 100 years, it takes a disciplined effort to go against these tendencies.”
To counter these instincts, Honda recommends taking stock of all of the wonderful experiences and items you can already call your own and making time to appreciate them. You can keep physical lists in a gratitude journal or make it a regular mental exercise.
“The hard truth is that you cannot get everything in life anyway. There are thousands of events and chances happening every day that we just don’t know about, so we just enjoy the bliss of ignorance,” Honda explains. “It’s all about where you place your attention. Instead of purposely putting your attention on things you can’t have, it’s better to put your attention on things that you either can have or things you already have that make you happy.”
AsiaVision via Getty ImagesEngage with and appreciate the objects and memories you already have to shift your mind away from what you don’t have.
Let go of false urgency
“Oftentimes we don’t realise the impact of reacting to the assumption, ‘I have to show up to everything I am invited to,’” Ferry says.“We automatically assume that there will be a negative consequence for not attending the party, accepting the dinner invite, or participating in an event that is important to someone else in our life.”
This assumption creates a false sense of urgency, so we assign undue importance to things that are actually more commonplace and routine.
“We behave like the relationship is on the line if I turn down an invitation,” Ferry explains. “Yet, accepting that invitation might not be what’s best for you mentally, emotionally, physically or financially. We are pack animals. We accidentally prioritise other people above ourselves. Put your needs first. Demand to be treated well. Demand to be at peace. Release false urgency and practice just being.”
Make time for reflection and mindfulness
“Since the pandemic started, our daily routines stretched, shifting us positively and negatively, causing us to turn inwards and witness our signals during uncertainty,” says life coach and Behaving Bravely author Anita Kanti. “It revealed a time to ponder life’s interpretations resulting in more gratification, an unexpected gift for many.”
Even as aspects of “normal life” become possible again, it’s important to continue setting aside time for reflection. Listen to what you need and let that guide you. Consider talking to a professional therapist if you don’t already.
Kanti also recommends mindfulness exercises to help with that process and mind shift. “Choosing JOMO while managing unproductive FOMO stimulates us to go deeper within ourselves,” she explains. “Try belly breathing exercises lying down, breathe by bringing the air down toward the belly. Do simple grounding techniques to detach, repeat affirmations, or focus on humour.”
Covid-19 is more than a news story – it has changed every aspect of life in the UK. We are following how Britain is experiencing this crisis, the different stages of collective emotion, reaction and resilience. You can tell us how you are feeling and find further advice and resources here.
Employees who decide to continue working from home could see a deduction in their wages, even though the level of work they produce remains the same.
That’s according to rumours swirling, after a number of US corporations have introduced post-pandemic pay policies – and a cabinet minster suggested the same should happen in the UK.
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Facebook and Twitter have already told US employees their salaries will be adjusted if they choose to work remotely and live in a lower cost area. Now, it’s been reported that Google has launched an internal pay calculator, allowing workers to see pay adjustments based on location.
Google’s internal calculator, seen by Reuters, is supposedly designed to enable employees to see the effects of a house move, but concerns have been raised that it’ll be used to alter the pay of existing, long-distance commuters.
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The UK government has now dropped the pandemic demand that individuals must work from home where possible. Instead, it now recommends staff to safely return to the workplace.
So, could UK remote workers have pay docked, too?
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Earlier this week, an unnamed cabinet minster suggested that civil servants who refuse to return to the office, after working from home throughout the pandemic, should have their pay penalised.
“If people aren’t going into work, they don’t deserve the terms and conditions they get if they are going into work,” the senior minister told the Daily Mail.
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA civil service union, described the comments as “insulting”.
“What should matter to ministers is whether public services are being delivered effectively, not where individual civil servants are sitting on a particular day,” he told PA.
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What does this mean for UK employee rights?
Doreen Reeves, a senior employment lawyer at Slater and Gordon, warns employers they could face legal challenges when making drastic changes to staff salaries – which is ultimately good news for employees.
“An employer should be careful making detrimental changes to an employee’s salary which would amount to a change to terms and conditions of employment,” she tells HuffPost UK. “If the change is by mutual consent, it is not likely to cause legal or practical problems as an employee may be willing to consent to a change in salary in exchange for home-working.
“However, if the employer unilaterally imposes a change to the agreed rate of salary or other financial benefits, it will amount to a breach of contract.”
If your employer docks your wages without your agreement, you may have a claim for “unlawful deductions from wages”. If you resign over this, you could also bring a claim for constructive dismissal. “However this claim is only available for employees with two years’ service,” Reeves says.
“Salaries are not means tested but are based on skill, experience and qualifications,” she adds. “If an employee is required to take a pay cut as a condition of home-working or flexible working arrangements, an employer should consider the discrimination risks as employees working from home should not be treated less favourably than a comparable employee.”
A Google spokesperson claimed the company would not deduct money from an employee’s salary based on them deciding to work remotely full time – if this is in the city where the office is located. Workers based in the New York City office will be paid exactly the same as those working remotely from another location in New York. However, Google did not address the concerns for commuters in areas like Stamford, Connecticut, outside of New York City.
If you’ve been taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously – you’ve worn your mask, social distanced and been fully vaccinated – you might be feeling anxious and angry that Covid-19 has not been beaten yet.
It’s understandable: you did your part, and yet here we are. What else can you do at this point to help end the pandemic? How do you still try to be responsible without sacrificing your mental health?
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If you’re feeling anxious right now, experts offer some advice on how you can still move the needle in the fight against Covid-19, while protecting your sanity.
Approach the conversation with empathy and compassion
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The thought of trying to convince an unvaccinated family member, friend or neighbour to get the jabs might feel like a futile (not to mention infuriating) task at this point.
People who have delayed getting a vaccine might seem as though they’ve made up their mind. But a lot of people who’ve held off are finally realising just how serious this all is; it’s possible that you can help reiterate that message.
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“Encouraging and facilitating every single person to get vaccinated is one of the most valuable anti-Covid actions one can possible take,” said Sten Vermund, an infectious disease epidemiologist with Yale School of Public Health.
Many unvaccinated people actually aren’t stubborn anti-vaxxers, but rather victims of harmful misinformation campaigns or people genuinely worried about the safety of the jabs. Instead of blaming, lecturing and shaming unvaccinated people, have a conversation in an open, nonjudgmental and safe way.
“Help answer questions, and help direct people to trusted guides and the facts,” said Lucy McBride, a practicing internal medicine physician in Washington DC.
As we come out of this highly charged, emotional time, it’s easy to feel anxious and angry when you learn someone has chosen not to get vaccinated.
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But McBride said you’ll be able to make the greatest impact if you engage people with empathy and compassion. “If you can try to understand and listen more and shout less, you might actually change a heart or a mind,” she said.
Matej Kastelic / EyeEm via Getty Images
Adjusting your behaviour based on transmission in your community is vital – even if you’ve already received your shots.
Behave based on local transmission
You should also keep an eye on what’s going on with Covid in your community. When case rates are low and vaccination rates are high, know that you – and even those around you who aren’t vaccinated – are extremely well-protected.
On the flip side, if you’re in an area where Covid cases and hospitilisations are higher, you may want to consider wearing a mask in indoor, unventilated situations where vaccinated and unvaccinated people are mixing. The risk of getting infected and passing the virus onto others, while still rare if you’re vaccinated, increases in these high-risk environments.
“Masks are a well-documented way of reducing the risk of droplet and aerosol transmission,” Vermund said.
Set firm boundaries and consider vaxxed-only events
If you want to play hardball, you can consider socialising exclusively with people who are vaccinated. Make vaccinations a requirement for your get-togethers. Not only are you unlikely to get seriously affected by Covid, but your social circles are also less likely to contract the virus and transmit it to others in their communities.
“The likelihood of any kind of serious event emerging from such an activity is vanishingly small,” said Vermund, who noted that this approach might be somewhat controversial and unpleasant — but potentially impactful.
If you do host an event where vaccinated and unvaccinated people are mixing in an area with high transmission, it would be prudent to ask people to mask up.
Maskot via Getty Images
Maskless interactions are safest with vaccinated people, and there’s nothing wrong with limiting your interactions to only those who have gotten the shots.
Share stories about your own experience
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Telling your story can be a powerful way to encourage people in your community to get vaccinated. Open up about how the pandemic has impacted your family or uprooted your life, and explain how the vaccine is our ticket back to all the things we love – work, play and school. This can be on social media, in conversations with loved ones or through local campaigns or advocacy groups.
“Be local educators,” Vermund said. “Tell your story, share your experience.”
Be flexible
The unfortunate truth about the pandemic is that things change, and we have to adjust to that change at a moment’s notice. What we know now about Covid-19 is different from what we knew back in April 2020, and will be different from what we understand six months from now.
The virus evolves, as do the treatment options, restrictions and recommendations. Perhaps the most impactful thing vaccinated people can do is follow the science – stay up to date with the latest learnings and behave accordingly.
Covid-19 is more than a news story – it has changed every aspect of life in the UK. We are following how Britain is experiencing this crisis, the different stages of collective emotion, reaction and resilience. You can tell us how you are feeling and find further advice and resources here.
My two sons always got some screen time daily, but my husband and I tried to set relatively clear limits about what they could play and watch, and for how long. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and like so many other parents and caregivers, we leaned into screens hard. Our 6-year-old got an iPad. Our toddler grew accustomed to multihour Blippi marathons while my husband and I worked. My children have become legitimate screen monsters.
I haven’t fretted too much about any of this yet, because I do believe my sons’ screen use was a matter of necessity. Screens babysat my kids when we were locked down together in our tiny apartment and didn’t have outside childcare. They gave me a much-needed break when my stress levels were so high I felt like I was practically vibrating.
But things feel different now. For one, I am hopeful that – for the first time in more than a year – both of my children will soon actually be in school full-time.
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I don’t really want the amount of screen time my kids have got accustomed to to be what they expect moving forward. I also feel more pressure about how long this has been going on – and with the delta variant circulating and rates increasing again around the country, I’m aware that the pandemic is likely to continue for a while. In other words, the “survival use” of screen time is over – and I don’t want my kids to expect it in the same way every day.
Are you also thinking about dialling back your children’s screen time? Here are some strategies and ideas to have in mind.
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Consider the content and the costs
Every family develops their own screen time rules. Even groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry tend to be pretty vague with their recommendations for kids over the age of six. They urge parents to “encourage healthy habits” and “limit activities that include screens” – whatever that means.
What experts generally recommend is that you be deliberate about setting those limits, rather than winging it. And when devising your own family boundaries and rules, consider what kids are watching and playing, knowing they can absorb content from TV, movies and video games.
In her new book The Family Firm: A Data-Driven Guide to Better Decision Making in the Early School Years, economist and parenting guru Emily Oster recommends that parents also think about what she calls the “opportunity cost” of spending time in front of screens. Basically, there are only so many hours during the day. So if your child is spending time watching TV, they’re not using that time to play or learn or engage in an extracurricular activity of some kind. You might be totally OK with that, and Oster notes that kids really need a break sometimes. But it’s something to consider.
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In my house over the past 18 months, my kids were watching screens so they weren’t interrupting me during a meeting or driving me mad while I tried to get something done. Now that things have opened up more, though, their screen time is definitely replacing potentially more valuable pursuits, like hanging out with friends or reading.
Know that your child probably won’t be thrilled if you change your screen-related rules now that the opportunity costs are potentially more significant.
“As we come out of this, there are definitely going to be some moments where we are going to have make rules that take away privileges, and as our kids age that isn’t as common,” Oster told HuffPost. “They will be angry. And that’s just kind of what it is.”
Emphasise play
If you’re trying to cut down on screen time, it can really help to emphasise play in order to “balance out the equation,” according to experts with the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital.
“Carve out time specifically dedicated to play,” experts there say. “Plan activities that incorporate different types of play, including board games, balls, blocks and role play.”
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Setting aside specific time for play can help decrease how much time your kids spend looking at screens.
You may not have had the time or energy for playing with your child – or helping them get started with play – when we were really thick in the lockdown period of the pandemic and truly in survival mode, but perhaps you have some more energy for that now. (Personally, there was a point about six months into the pandemic where I could not handle more imaginary play with my kids and placed a moratorium on hide-and-seek; now I’m starting to embrace it again, and have also really learned that I’m in my sweet spot when it comes to reading and drawing together.)
The good news is, kids seem to be getting more play in their days pretty organically right now. There is evidence that kids’ boredom is down at this point in the pandemic, while their overall feelings of happiness and enjoyment are steadily increasing, too.
Really help them with transitions
As Oster warned, kids are going to react to being told they cannot be on screens as much as they may have been over the past year-plus. You should expect that and be prepared to hold your boundary – but it’s also helpful to really work with your child through transitions from screen time to something else.
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“Help your child transition from screen time to active play time. For instance, if your child is watching a cartoon, turn off the TV and encourage your child to build on the storyline themselves with toys,” the experts with CMCH say.
Previews and countdowns are other valuable tools, the Child Mind Institute’s website points out. Children can learn to switch gears from screen time to something else without too much anger or whining, but they might need you to give them a specific time frame (like: “In 10 minutes, we’re going to turn the TV off and then do XYZ”).
And being consistent about your new routines is key. “Having a predictable structure in place can be reassuring and helpful even for older kids (and adults!),” the Child Mind Institute says.
In July, Denise Delamore finally returned to working in her Colorado office after more than a year of working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic. But her space was different. Delamore, who works as an assistant supervisor for a bank’s loan servicing department, no longer had her own personal desk.
Currently, Delamore goes into the office one day a week, with an expectation that this will increase over time. “My day is Mondays, and I’m sharing a desk with two other loan servicing departments who are in office Tuesdays and Wednesdays, respectively,” she said. “We have to reserve a desk ahead of time, and there’s no guarantee that we’ll have the same desk every time.”
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Because other people use the desks, too, Delamore was given a small bin to store her keyboard, mouse and any other items she needs while working. But it doesn’t fit everything. She said she finds herself carrying more into work each day, as she still needs to bring home her planner and notes for the days she works remotely.
The personal touch is missing, too. Delamore used to be able to store granola bars, oatmeal, crackers and nuts in her desk for snacks, but now she carries a bag of any food she wants to eat that day.
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“I definitely felt a connection to my workspace when I was able to leave personal items on it. It was my area. I felt grounded,” Delamore said. “Now I find it hard to focus. It could be me just getting used to working in the office again, but not having a dedicated, personal workspace makes it difficult.”
Why ‘hot desks’ are here to stay at work
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Delamore is part of a growing office population using “hot desks” that aren’t assigned to any particular person. A hot desk is generally first reserved, first served. It’s not a new concept in the world of work, but the practice is gaining popularity now it’s less likely for employees to be in an office five days a week because of Covid. Many companies are moving to schedules with employees rotating in and out of the office part-time, much like the system instituted by Delamore’s employer.
Meena Krenek, an interior design director at Perkins&Will, an architecture firm that is redesigning offices in industries including accounting, tech and media, sees personal desks becoming more and more obsolete.
“Some of our clients are saying, ‘Areas where we had workstations, we want more meeting and collaborative spaces.’ We’re going in there and adjusting the furniture to… create more spaces so that our office becomes a space for collaboration, for socialising, and the individual time, what we call ‘me time,’ can get done in those home environments,” she said.
“They’re still keeping a lot of workstations, but they’re saying they’re not assigned. You go on a corporate app and you select where you sit, near a window or near the coffee machine,” she explained.
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The mileage an employee gets from not being tied down to a single desk may ultimately depend on their preferred working arrangement. Citing research by Perkins&Will, Krenek described a set of co-workers who prefer to get their social and collaboration high at the office and “jump from meeting room to meeting room, and then they’ll leave the facility, whereas there are other people that need the time in between the meetings to collect their thoughts. They definitely need a focused area or a work station,” she said.
This can explain why one colleague may genuinely miss having a personal desk as their office home, while another might sound thrilled at never working in a dedicated desk pod again.
Daniel Space, a human resources consultant with business partners in strategic staffing, said that when a company uses hot desks, it’s ideal to tie the day a person comes into the office to a work reason and not a random scheduling system, such as assigning days by last name. He said he’s seen tensions eased when people are given a heads up about who is sharing their desk and the expectations for desk etiquette.
In one job, his co-workers would get copied on emails that read, “So-and-so is happy to share their desk with you. Please be respectful of their space, their stuff, treat it as though it would be your own,” he said.
Pro tip: If you do find yourself sharing a desk, remember to clean up after yourself. People who have used shared desks told HuffPost that the best etiquette is to leave a desk the way you found it, and not to take computer chargers or chairs off of unused desks without asking first.
“My desk became kind of a dumping ground while I was out of the office,” Delamore said. “Random keyboards, office supplies, etc were just piled on it. I spent two hours my first day in the office just cleaning.”
There are Covid-19 considerations, too
Of course, this is not a normal time for sharing desks. A hot desk may be a pragmatic solution when there are fewer employees entering an office everyday, but it can also be one more deterrent for those employees who are already unenthused about going into the office during a pandemic.
Space said he consulted with a company that gave employees the option of sharing socially distant desks, as long as employees were responsible for cleaning the desk and signing in and signing out for contact tracing purposes.
“Two people used it,” he said. Especially now, with the rise of the Delta variant of Covid-19, “The idea of not only bringing employees back to work, but mandating that they share a space with another employee on alternating days, it a little bit sends a signal that they are prioritising the idea of a budget and saving on real estate costs at the risk of their employees,” Space said.
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Covid has already delayed some organisations’ plans for co-working. Twitter, which was asking employees to reserve a desk before they chose to come into an office, told HuffPost that it recently made the decision to close its opened offices in New York and San Francisco, and pause future office re-openings, in light of the CDC’s updated guidelines.
Is the loss of a personal desk always a loss of connection?
One potential advantage to a shared desk is that it may help to create some healthy professional distance between employees and employer.
“I always hated doing a termination with someone who had a bunch of stuff at their desk, because in many cases we would not allow them to return to the office,” Space said. “Having people pack up all of your boxes after you put in 10 years at a company, all of that feels gross. By removing all of that… it helps continuously reinforce that at the end of the day, it’s a business relationship.”
Even when you don’t have a desk to claim as your own small bit of office real estate, there can still be ways to connect with co-workers and make a space your own. Bk Kwakye, an operations manager for a D.C.-based nonprofit that has been using hot desks since before the pandemic, said their office uses cork boards on walls and communal fridges as spaces for people to share holiday cards and photos.
“For me, it feels like an opportunity to share a little bit of your family,” Kwakye said. Space knew of co-workers who left a crossword puzzle for their deskmate to complete, one word a day.
And even when you don’t have an assigned desk, you can still personalize it. Delamore said that one upside to sharing a desk is that she knows who her office deskmate is and she can leave notes behind for her.
A recent one she left: “Happy Tuesday Friend! 🙂 Denise.”
Denise Delamore
Even with a shared desk, there can be creative ways to make connections with co-workers you don’t see in person.
Car services such as Uber and Bolt and food delivery apps UberEats and Deliveroo are among those offering incentives for young people to get jabbed.
As the vaccine rollout continues, the government is doing everything it can to coax young people into getting the Covid-19 jab – and if that means offering discounted taxi rides and takeaways, Westminster says: whatever it takes.
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Uber has said it’s reminding all users in August to get vaccinated, offering discounts on rides and meal delivery for doing so. Deliveroo will also offer vouchers, while Bolt is offering “free ride credit” to vaccination centres.
The Department of Health said more partnerships would be released “in due course”, while some local charities and councils have also started offering free taxis to help people get to vaccination centres.
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The government remains concerned about the current Covid vaccine uptake among young people. The latest figures suggest 68% of 18 to 29-year-olds in England have had the first jab, compared to 88.6% of all UK adults.
Thanking the businesses supporting this vaccine drive, health secretary Sajid Javid then addressed young people directly, saying on Sunday: “Please go out and take advantage of the discounts.
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“The lifesaving vaccines not only protect you, your loved ones and your community, but they are helping to bring us back together by allowing you to get back to doing the things you’ve missed.”
What do young people make of the scheme? We spoke to them to find out.
?Christopher Seufert Photography via Getty Images
Abi Howe, 20, a student from Kent doesn’t think free pizza is enough to entice young people to get the vaccine. “It’s a childish and immature approach,” she tells HuffPost UK. “Hesitancy from young people is higher than the general population and that isn’t going to be eased by bribery, which suggests [the reason is] young people just aren’t bothered.”
Howe has already received her vaccination, but said that if she weren’t already vaccinated ,the discounts wouldn’t encourage her to get jabbed, nor has she seen any information as to whether incentives will be applied retroactively.
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“I think young people have sacrificed a lot and this hasn’t been recognised,” she says. “Instead, they’ve been blamed for a rise in cases and now criticised for vaccine caution without proper information which might ease their worries.”
““It’s awful, tone-deaf and reeks of people putting graffiti on a leaflet, thinking, ‘yes, that will attract the kids’.””
– Chadwick, 29
Ada Enechi, a 27-year-old producer from east London was happy to bag her free meal after a first dose of the vaccine, which up until now she’d not got round to booking. In fact, she got jabbed and fed in the same place: a festival-like tent that has been set up near her house. Once vaccinated, she says, you get your free food and a drink, and it’s all accompanied by live music.
It sounds like a party, but freelancer and fellow Londoner Chadwick, 29, who preferred not to give his surname, thinks these incentives are a terrible idea.
“It’s awful, tone-deaf and reeks of people putting graffiti on a leaflet thinking, ‘yes, that will attract the kids’. If you have any respect for young people you would acknowledge the complexity of our existence,” he tells HuffPost UK.
Chadwick believes the vaccine is too important for such tactics and advises people seek out information about its safety, while avoiding scaremongering.
That message might resonate with Deborah Ajulo, 24, a sustainability coordinator from London, who has worries about the vaccine, as she believes scientists need several years to really understand a vaccine.
“Deals like this make me even more sceptical and push me further away from wanting to get the vaccine,” she tells HuffPost UK. “It feels like there is another agenda. This to me is not desperation, but it feels like they are trying to exclude people to peer-pressure them into getting the vaccine.”
She adds: “The government has treated young people like we’re ignorant and don’t understand what is going on. They’ve blamed young people for lockdowns and Covid spreading. I think they’ve just found it easier to blame us, rather than themselves for their lack of competency.”
People who suffer from an autoimmune disease may benefit from a third dose of the Covid vaccine to protect them from breakthrough infections, a new study suggests.
The vaccine programme is still rolling out in the UK – over 88% of adults have had their first dose and over 72% are now fully vaccinated with two doses.
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Currently, two doses of the vaccine provides 90% protection against hospitalisation against the Delta variant. The latest data from Public Health England and Cambridge University shows that around 60,000 deaths and 52,600 hospitalisations have been prevented by vaccines up to July 23.
However, autoimmune diseases often require treatment that dampens the immune system leaving the immunocompromised still vulnerable to Covid and prompting growing calls for them to get a third dose of the vaccine
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Previously medical professionals have been unsure whether Covid vaccines would work on immunocompromised people who take B-cell-depleting drugs, such as rituximab to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
However, a pre-print study from the Medical University of Vienna found patients taking rituximab were still able to develop a humoral and cellular immune response – including the antibody production necessary to fight Covid-19.
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As Michael Bonelli, senior author of the Vienna study, explains: “B cells constitute an important cell population for the development of antibodies. We were able to show that more than 50% of patients receiving B-cell-depleting treatment with rituximab still develop antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 [Covid-19], and that there is potentially additional protection via a cellular immune response.”
This underscores the importance of vaccinating immunosuppressed patients against Covid, Bonelli said, while his colleague Daniel Aletaha, head of the university’s division of rheumatology, said they also showed that a third vaccination is sometimes needed for people with autoimmune disease.
“The findings from this study formed the basis for a now completed randomised booster vaccination study, which investigated whether the group of patients receiving rituximab treatment who were unable to produce antibodies following standard vaccination can develop humoral or cellular immunity if given a third vaccination with an mRNA vaccine [such a Pfizer] again or a third vaccination with a vector vaccine [such as AstraZeneca],” Aletaha said.
The findings come as many people remain concerned the UK government’s final easing of restrictions in England on July 19 – dubbed ‘Freedom Day’ by some – came before the nation was fully vaccinated, leaving those who have previously shielded from the virus susceptible to infection.
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A third dose of the vaccine would differ from the autumn booster jab that has been suggested for the wider British public by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)
According to the JCVI’s interim plan, this booster could be offered as early as September to those living in residential care homes for older adults, all adults aged 70 years or over, adults aged 16 years and over who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable, and frontline health and social care workers.
In the meantime, the researches behind the Vienna study hope their findings will feed into the creation of guidelines for a Covid vaccination strategy for immunosuppressed patients.
Afollow-on study will extend the rituximab study to all patients with immunosuppression and different indications from the fields of rheumatology, neurology, haematology and transplantation, they added.
The Covid-19 pandemic changed all of our lives, but for developing children, its impact may have more long-term effects.
“Every child’s experience of the pandemic is different based on their temperament and their home life,” Jacqueline P Wight, director of mental health services at DotCom Therapy, told HuffPost. “Many children have experienced mental health challenges, and we anticipate that for some of these children, there will be lasting effects. For others, the challenges were more situational and will subside as life returns to normal.”
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There’s no easy way to know which camp your child may fall into, but parents can take note as the situation evolves.
“Children are starting to experience the ripple effects from the collective trauma of the pandemic, and the long-term implications of this ‘lost’ pandemic year may not be fully understood for years to come,” said licensed clinical social worker Nidhi Tewari.
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“The good news is that children – and humans in general – are resilient beings, and we will begin to recalibrate as the threat of Covid-19 dissipates in the coming months and years,” she added. “If we take steps to attend to our mental health and well-being now, then we can mitigate some of the long-term impact of this pandemic.”
Ultimately, awareness is key. Below, Wight, Tewari and other experts share some potential long-term changes for parents to keep in mind as they guide their children through the coming months and years.
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Understanding of loss
With the current Covid-19 death toll at more than 4 million worldwide, countless children have been exposed to loss and grief during the pandemic. For many, this may have been their first experience with death.
“For the thousands who lost parents, grandparents and other loved ones, the loss is immeasurable, and grief and bereavement can take many forms,” said Dr. Ilisse Perlmutter, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Talkiatry.
Even those who haven’t lost a loved one may have felt grief over lost experiences or opportunities. Parents should be prepared to help their children cope with grief and understand that it’s all part of the human experience.
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“While it is easier said than done, it is best not to overthink the possible losses that children have experienced during the pandemic,” said Wight. “They have lived through a profoundly unique and powerful experience. They have gained skills as well as understanding during this time.”
Vulnerability to mental health issues
“Through the pandemic, there were significant increases in children and adolescents reporting anxiety and depressive symptoms, and this will likely continue trending upwards,” Tewari said.
The data doesn’t look great. A report from Save the Children found that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a “devastating” impact on families’ and children’s emotional health in the US.
“We will see on the negative side increased vulnerability to anxiety-based disorders such as eating disorders and pressure on children and adolescent mental health services,” said psychotherapist Noel McDermott. “Investment in mental well-being needs to increase and the whole needs of our kids considered.”
While many parents are anxious about their children catching up academically, McDermott believes kids have gained the perspective to recognise the other important issues in life – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“We have a lot of choice about how to frame this for ourselves and for our kids,” he said. “Whilst we have seen an increase in anxiety disorders and depressive disorders during this time in kids, if we respond well to this with effective support, positive skills can be learned by kids about how to manage challenge and there can be improved resilience going forwards.”
Social anxiety
“Many children may continue to struggle with social anxiety due to the isolation of the past 1.5 years, so gradual exposure to social situations and redeveloping social skills will be essential in helping them in [reacclimatising],” Tewari said.
Dr Dyan Hes, founder of Gramercy Pediatrics, said she’s concerned about childhood development, particularly with the littlest of little ones, as the most rapid brain growth occurs from birth until the age of three. Missing out on interactions with others may have fostered a sense of social isolation that will need to be overcome.
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“These children have not seen many facial expressions behind masks, they have not learned to navigate the social skills needed to play with other toddlers or even the motor skills to run on a playground,” she explained. “As a paediatrician, I wholeheartedly encourage families to send their children to school, camp or day care. The benefits far outweigh the risks, unless their child has a medical condition that would make Covid life threatening. … We need our children to reemerge into society and we need all adults to be vaccinated for this to happen.”
“We do know that kids from already stressed and underresourced communities were more adversely affected during the pandemic.”
– Dr Helen Egger, child psychiatrist and co-founder of Little Otter
Health anxiety
All of the mania around sanitising and disinfecting may also have a long-term impact on some children.
“There could be increases in illness anxiety disorder due to fears of catching the virus and having to maintain the strict hygiene protocols that have been necessary through the pandemic,” Tewari said.
“Most people’s nervous systems are dysregulated due to the pandemic’s threat to our safety and health, so it will take time for our brains and bodies to recover after the pandemic ends,” she added. “As a result, we may feel disoriented, and have a hard time believing that life can ever be ‘normal’ again.”
Anxiety around illness may also mean some children feel a fear or discomfort around going outside.
“I have noticed many kids who have never climbed up the playground ladder, learned how to ride a scooter or a bike,” Hes said. “These kids have been kept indoors for fear of Covid because they are too young to be vaccinated. I try to encourage parents to take kids out to get fresh air, run and play.”
Widening inequality
Although we can’t yet fully know the extent of the pandemic’s lasting impact on children’s academic performance or development, there are certain trends that are already very clear.
“We do know that kids from already stressed and underresourced communities were more adversely affected during the pandemic,” said Dr. Helen Egger, a child psychiatrist and co-founder of Little Otter. “Widening inequality for children may be one of the worst impacts of the pandemic.”
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From economic challenges to mental health struggles, many existing gaps between populations have worsened during the pandemic, and children are bearing much of the brunt.
“Children who were struggling before the pandemic may lag further behind,” Perlmutter said. “Youngsters who are homeless, have disabilities, subjected to racial violence are especially at risk.”
Making positive memories
The impact of the pandemic isn’t entirely terrible. Wight pointed out a silver lining of living through such “unprecedented times” unlike anything kids have experienced before.
“It’s important not to overlook that children will also have special or positive memories related back to the pandemic,” Wight said. “They might remember having more quality family time, a slower pace of life, FaceTiming with family members across the country and new hobbies they developed while at home.”
McDermott highlighted other positive aspects – like spending more time with family and the refreshing old routines.
“The ‘interruption’ to the treadmill of school, university and jobs can also be viewed positively as it has allowed time to focus on important relationships in our lives,” he said.
Connection to others
Although the pandemic brought social isolation, it also fostered a sense of global community. There’s also a universality to the experience, which creates common ground for children growing up with the trauma of Covid-19.
“As a global event, there is a shared experience for all the world’s children,” McDermott said. “As has been shown around issues such as climate change, kids are truly amazing at seeing their connections and joining together. Is this the global generation? Some of us hope so.”
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He also emphasised the power of the internet in allowing children to connect to each other even amid their isolation.
“The hegemony of online experience has moved forward and we will see this generation more connected to that and connected to global voices and experiences,” McDermott said.
Resilience
“Despite the horror of this devastating year, understanding that in the face of trauma and this public health disaster we have the capacity for resilience has been comforting and grounding,” Perlmutter said. “Marking life events and celebrations in the usual ways was disappointing but not out of the question. Watching the grace and enthusiasm of high school seniors’ graduation ceremonies in living rooms, drive-by birthday celebrations, Zoom visits with grandparents, and bar and bat mitzvahs and confirmations on Zoom was humbling. It gives me hope.”
Throughout the pandemic, children have learned to cope with many unforeseen changes and challenges. While the experience wasn’t always positive, it fostered major growth and resilience.
Wight encouraged parents to keep this bright side in mind as we continue to work through the evolving situation.
“It is critical for parents to manage their own distress and worries, as it directly impacts their children’s well-being,” she said. “It is most helpful to focus on the resilience of children and to give them many opportunities to return to play and the work of being children.”
Ministers have tightened up the law to raise standards for Covid tests sold privately in England – but have exempted Chinese-made tests which have cost the taxpayer billions, HuffPost UK can reveal.
New regulations from the department of health and social care (DHSC) aim to stamp out “poor quality tests” that could give the public a false sense of security and allow people to spread the virus unwittingly.
But the higher performance standards, quietly introduced this week, include a loophole that explicitly excludes lateral flow tests previously bought by the government such as those bought from Innova Medical Group at a cost of more than £3bn.
British manufacturers privately welcome the new regime as they believe their home-grown tests are cheaper and more reliable than the Innova tests.
But many in the UK bio industry question why ministers are exempting the Chinese-made devices from the same high standards.
The rules, which will kick in from September 1, have also prompted fresh suspicions that the government is moving away from giving the public and businesses free rapid tests and will instead expect them to pay for the devices commercially.
Firms will have to pay the government £14,000 for any application and any tests not deemed up to the grade will be removed from sale by law.
Retailers, distributors and manufacturers of tests that attempt to sell unvalidated tests would face sanction.
Currently, PCR or lateral flow tests can go on commercial sale in England as long as they carry a CE mark, which means they meet EU and UK requirements, but each manufacturer designs their own data collection and analysis methods to validate them.
Under the new proposals, the government will require that “all COVID-19 tests placed on the UK market undergo a mandatory validation process”, with the same standards applied equally to allow consumers to make a fair comparison.
A new DHSC document states: “It would undermine current public health goals if people used poor quality tests that give them a false sense of security.
“In the case of a false negative, this could see an infected individual unknowingly spread the virus. Conversely false positives could require business to close and people to isolate unnecessarily.”
But an explanatory memorandum to the new legislation states that “tests supplied by government will be exempt” from the new validation process.
The memo adds that contracts agreed by the government to supply NHS hospitals “can continue to be honoured by the manufacturer even if the test has failed validation”.
This has prompted anger among UK bioscience insiders, who believe that the Innova tests would compare badly with British-made rivals and who complain that ministers have done everything to favour the Chinese-manufactured products since last year.
Innova, which is based in California and funded by a private capital group by a Chinese-born businessman, uses tests produced by Chinese Biotime Biotechnology, in Xiamen city, Fujian province.
Publicly available contracts on the government’s website shows that £3.3bn has been spent to date on the company, as part of the £37bn allocated to the controversial Test and Trace service.
Innova’s 30-minute tests have been used for regular weekly testing of NHS and care home staff and in schools. Since April, any member of the public has also been able to order twice-a-week tests for free.
Yet concerns about cost and reliability have been raised repeatedly by critics, underscored when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an alert about the test in June.
The FDA told Americans to “destroy the tests by placing them in the trash”, saying it had “significant concerns that the performance of the test has not been adequately established, presenting a risk to health”.
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) – which critics claim is an arm of the DHSC and not fully independent – then did its own risk assessment and found no similar action was needed here.
Aaron Chown – PA Images via Getty ImagesInnova Covid-19 testing kit
Critics further point out that Innova’s own manufacturer’s instructions make clear the tests were designed for use only in symptomatic Covid cases, but the UK government allowed them to be used in asymptomatic cases as part of its “Operation Moonshot” plan to mass test the population.
Authorisation for the Innova test to be used by asymptomatic people at home was due to expire on June 22 but has been extended until August 28, but the new regulations have sparked hope that they can gradually be replaced by British alternatives.
But controversy dogs the Innova tests and the way the UK government has effectively taken ownership of its products. Innova branding has been dropped from the boxes used to deliver tests, replacing it with NHS branding. Eyebrows were further raised when the DHSC decided to tweak the way in which the Innova test could be used.
Although the manufacturer’s “instructions for use” insist on the invasive and uncomfortable practice of taking a swab from the back of the throat, the government has quietly changed the rules to allow it to take swabs from the nose only.
Similarly, the original instructions for use made clear the tests were never intended for home use and were designed to be administered by a clinical professional.
The exemption for Innova from the new validation rules is seen by some British manufacturers as a way of avoiding the potential huge embarrassment of seeing their tests fail to match the standards of others, not least given large sums spent on them to date.
The legislation mandates a “desktop review” be undertaken of all Covid tests placed on the UK market and defines a set of minimum standards that these tests should meet.
One industry insider said the guidance document states that tests should achieve a minimum sensitivity rating of 95%, whereas the Innova test sensitivity rating achieved at Public Health England’s Porton Down lab was 57.5%.
One industry source said: “This means that the tests already selected won’t need to go through this exercise. It’s a disgrace. One rule for them…”
Another bioscience source said: “The UK industry was not totally confident with the way tests were evaluated for the NHS in the first place.”
Yet another said: “By appointing themselves ‘judge and jury’ of the Innova test, the DHSC has allowed itself to make fundamental changes to the Innova test’s characteristics, implementing them without any follow up Porton Down assessment.
“[These are] changes that would inevitably have had a significant detrimental impact on the test’s already underwhelming performance. Notably, to date, the government have not seen fit to publicly assess the impact of these wholesale changes.”
Shadow health minister Justin Madders told HuffPost UK: ”Given the concerns in the USA over the Innova tests and the fact they are only on a temporary approval here it does seem extraordinary that this legislation could allow Sajid Javid to let them carry on being used without being subject to the same approval processes as everyone else. Far more transparency is needed.
“This also seems to suggest that the government intends to move away from having Covid tests being provided free of charge. This has massive implications for public health and could seriously undermine efforts to reduce transmission of the virus. The government needs to come clean on whether they intend to introduce a charging regime for Covid test.”
The DHSC and the department for education raised suspicions that the distribution of free lateral flow tests could cease at the end of September, when a “review” will take place of their twice-weekly use in schools and to the wider public.
WPA Pool via Getty ImagesFormer health secretary Matt Hancock and Boris Johnson pushed ‘moonshot’ mass testing
Allyson Pollock, professor in public health at the University of Newcastle, said the bigger issue was that there was little evidence that testing of asymptomatic people – at home or in the workplace – was effective at all.
“This is about creating a market in tests which have questionable performance but above all, it’s still unknown despite the billions spent whether tests as part of a screening intervention actually help to prevent transmission,” she said.
“This isn’t a public health strategy, this is a commercial strategy. They want the public to get hooked on tests and employers to believe that testing is the way out. This is increasingly ridiculous given that the prevalence is low and falling now that immunity is being established.
“Secondary attack rates are low in the immunised population and infection likely to be mild and risks of transmission commensurately lower. Mass testing with lateral flow tests is an enormous waste of resources and it’s the antithesis of good public health.”
One key criticism of lateral flow tests is that their negative readings are being used as a “green light” to allow people to go about their daily lives, when in fact they were only ever designed as a “red light” test – when a positive reading tells people when they may have Covid and to get a gold-standard PCR test to check.
HuffPost UK has seen a letter from health minister Lord Bethell, sent last December to Tory backbencher Bill Wiggin, in which he makes clear the real risks to public health from asymptomatic mass screening.
In the letter, Bethell said: “We are not currently planning mass asymptomatic testing; swab testing people with no symptoms is not an accurate way of screening the general population, as there is a real risk of giving false reassurance.
“Widespread asymptomatic testing could undermine the value of testing, as there is a risk of giving misleading results. Rather, only people with COVID-19 symptoms should get tested.”
HuffPost UKLord Bethell letter on asymptomatic testing risks
Alba MP Neale Hanvey, who has raised the issue of Innova’s big government contracts and the failure to use rival tests made by Scottish-based firms such as Omega Diagnostics, said the letter was telling.
“This letter supports everything that I have said to [former health secretary] Matt Hancock and to other members of the department of health, that this is a grand folly. It’s giving people false reassurance and a huge cost to the public purse for no perceivable benefit.”
Hanvey added that the new mandatory guidance for commercial tests was “a fig-leaf for the government’s misdeeds”.
“What the government needs to do now is to cease supporting tests that we know are not designed for their current use, not picking up enough infectious cases and move swiftly to open the doors for the domestic market, to get access not just to private purchase, but to NHS supplied tests. Where is the global Britain and all of this mess?”
Boris Johnson has repeatedly declared that he wants home-grown rapid tests to be developed, but the UK bioscience industry has been increasingly frustrated that their tests were not approved by Porton Down labs despite other independent validation.
The UK government raised hopes earlier this year when it loaned manufacturing equipment to British companies and earmarked £1.15bn for a programme that would see rapid production. But virtually none of the money has been spent because British tests have not been approved.
One firm, Mologic, was so frustrated with the lack of validation of its tests that it threatened to sue the government. It has since been bought by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and turned into a not-for-profit to help develop rapid tests to combat tropical diseases such as dengue, bilharzia, and river blindness, as well as Covid.
One UK bio industry source said: “They completely screwed the UK diagnostic industry. They invested in LFD [lateral flow device] machinery and are refusing to allow the factories to use them. Our firms are having to export world leading tests, two are in the top ten globally, while we import inferior ones.”
One bio industry source said: “I’m really unhappy that the government was signaling particularly to the UK manufacturers that we will provide you with a lot of support, and we’d like you to help us be self-sufficient in lateral flow tests by spring 2020.
“The companies all took them at their word. Then the government basically says well we didn’t actually promise we’d buy anything from you. That is a little two faced.”
A diagnostics expert said that the new commercial validation process was at least a signal that there would be a shift to getting the public to buy their own tests and that the cheaper price and better performance of British tests would mean that from the autumn “everyone will get a market share”.
“The lateral flow tests being provided to the population free of charge at the moment, at some point, people will either have to start buying themselves or employers will have to start buying them for their employees and there will be only be a certain amount that are provided free of charge.”
Dan Kitwood via Getty ImagesHealth secretary Sajid Javid now has sweeping powers over commercial tests
Industry insiders believe that firms like Mologic and Omega will submit their tests under the new system and expect to get approval. “This is all in readiness for when DHSC stop giving away free tests for a lot of use cases and reopens the private market,” one said.
Some insiders believe that the Innova test was adopted by the government early in the pandemic simply because it could be provided in mass numbers and that even though its performance is “not perfect” it was “good enough for what it does”.
Defenders of the Innova test believe it can be effective at detecting high viral loads quickly, claiming there is evidence to back this up.
The DHSC has in recent months pivoted to using another Chinese-made test produced by OrientGene, which some in Whitehall believe produces more reliable results than Innova.
Doris-Ann Williams, chief executive of the British In-Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA) said one problem with the new mandatory system was that it would add needless regulation when existing systems could have been updated.
“While we appreciate the government is acting with the best of intentions by introducing this legislation, we still feel a better solution would have been to amend the existing regulation so that the MHRA, who are a world leading regulator for medicines and medical devices, could have ensured the right products are available to the British population.
“However, industry is committed to working under the legislation and alongside UKAS [UK Accreditation Service] to ensure COVID antigen tests are reliable and safe.”
The government insists that its own tests should be exempt from the new mandatory testing standards in an effort to avoid duplication of previous validations.
“This is because the market validation is based on the validation DHSC has been doing for public procurement of tests as such these two validation process are judged to be equal,” according to the explanatory memorandum accompanying the new regulations.
“As such DHSC will place tests onto to the market without undergoing the regulatory validation process conducted by DHSC to control access to the UK market.”
A spokesperson for the DHSC said: “Private testing continues to play an important role in managing COVID-19 by supplementing and supporting NHS Test & Trace as we learn to live with this virus.
““As we ease restrictions, including for travel, the role of private testing is increasing and our regulations are ensuring consumers can be confident tests they buy give accurate results and are of sufficient quality.”
They added that private testing will continue to play a role as part of the overarching strategy for managing COVID-19.
The department believes that it is important to introduce a regulatory regime to ensure those tests available on the market are validated for performance, regardless of whether the government is also providing free tests.
A spokesperson for Innova Medical Group said: “Our tests have proven by independent studies to be very effective in detecting individuals who are considered infectious regardless of symptoms.”
They said that the latest UK test had shown it “detects nearly 100% of infected asymptomatic individuals who are considered infectious to others, and there was very little difference in the specificity between self-testing (99.1%) and testing performed or observed by a professional (99.8%)”.
“We understand FDA’s health risk concern for the US market as they have not evaluated or authorised the Innova test in the US.
“In simple terms, the regulator won’t confirm a product is safe to use until it has evaluated and authorized a product itself. None of the FDA inspectional observations concern the performance of the test.”
The company said that its test had been widely used, studied, tested, scrutinised and analysed. Its point of care test had been approved in Germany, France, Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, UK, Austria, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Malaysia, and Sultanate of Oman. Its self-test kit had been approved in Austria and the UK.
