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The government has launched a new campaign over social media and radio today (January 10) to encourage pregnant women to take their first, second and third dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Joined by experts at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), the campaign highlights the risks of the infection and benefits of vaccination. According to the latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Covid-19 vaccinations are safe for pregnant women. Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) chief scientific adviser professor Lucy Chappell, said: "We have extensive evidence now to show that the vaccines are safe and that the risks posed by Covid-19 are far greater," calling upon pregnant women who have yet to have their jabs. The campaign will also run testimonies of pregnant women who have had their jabs.

The British scientist who led the research underpinning AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine said at the weekend that a new jab could be developed against the emerging Omicron variant "very rapidly" if needed. Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, also said existing vaccines should work against the new strain, but that would only become apparent after more research in the coming weeks. "It's extremely unlikely that a reboot of a pandemic in a vaccinated population like we saw last year (with the Delta variant) is going to happen," he told BBC radio. But if required, "The processes of how one goes about developing a new vaccine are increasingly well-oiled, so if it's needed that is something that could be moved very rapidly." In a statement, AstraZeneca said it had "developed, in close collaboration with Oxford University, a vaccine platform that enables us to respond quickly to new variants that may emerge".

There is no sign of a surge of the Omicron coronavirus variant in Britain so far, the chief of the UK Health Security Agency said on Tuesday, adding that there was no rise in the proportion of tests with a quirk that distinguishes it from Delta. Jenny Harries said there were five confirmed Omicron cases in England and 10 "highly likely" cases, but that was not a sign of an increase in "S-gene target failure" in PCR tests in Britain, which is a feature of Omicron. "Right across the country we watch for… S-gene target failure, which is a sort of proxy measure," Harries told BBC radio. Cases with S-gene target failure can then be prioritised for full genomic sequencing.

The National Pharmacy Association has announced the theme for this year's 'Ask Your Pharmacist Week' campaign - 'Meet Your Local Pharmacy Team'. The campaign, scheduled for October 30 to November 6, seeks to enhance awareness of pharmacy services and initiate dialogues with local stakeholders, highlighting the role and advantages of community pharmacy, the NPA said in a statement. NPA has organised an array of promotional activities, spanning window displays, social media engagements, partnerships with patient groups, radio and TV interviews, and visits to pharmacies by local dignitaries and politicians during the week. "AYP Week 2023 will acquaint individuals with the pharmacist's skill set and the broader community pharmacy workforce, showcasing their collaborative efforts in delivering a secure and efficient service, encompassing NHS clinical care," said Stephen Fishwick, NPA's Head of Communications. "As always, the NPA will furnish campaign resources for our members and other participants interested in engaging with this enduring initiative."

NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard today (March 1) announced a new campaign to promote early detection of cancer, when it is easier to treat. The campaign, which would run across TV, radio, and social media from Wednesday (March 2), is the first to focus on tackling the fear of cancer rather thanspecific symptoms. It is in line with the NHS Long Term Plan's commitment to increase cancer detection at an early stage by 2028. As per the NHS figures, the number of people getting checked for cancer increased by over half a million between December 2020 and December 2021. Speaking ahead of the launch, Pritchard, said: "We know that the prospect of a cancer diagnosis can be daunting for people and that is exactly why we are launching this potentially lifesaving campaign - we want to allay people's fear about cancer and encourage them to get checked without delay.

NHS England on Monday (19 February) unveiled a new multichannel campaign to inform the public about the additional services offered at their local pharmacy under the recently launched Pharmacy First service. The extended service allows patients to get treatment and medicines from their local pharmacy for seven common conditions, including sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women, without needing to see a GP. As part of its 'Help Us, Help You' campaign, NHS England has started running adverts across on-demand TV services, radio, bus stops and billboards as well as social media, encouraging people to use their high street pharmacies for treatment of these common illnesses.

Pharmacists in the UK are reporting significant shortages of a common antibiotic used to treat whooping cough (pertussis), amid rising cases of this bacterial infection. Dr. Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association (IPA), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that clarithromycin, one of the key antibiotics for treating whooping cough in children, is "completely out of stock." Clarithromycin is an antibiotic commonly recommended for babies and infants under the age of 1 month. Dr. Leyla said that as pharmacies cannot get the antibiotic, they are being forced to turn patients away or send them back to their doctors to have their prescriptions changed to azithromycin or other antibiotics for treating whooping cough.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has announced that Ask Your Pharmacist Week 2024 will be organised from 4-11 November across the UK. This annual event aims to raise awareness of pharmacy services and to prompt conversations at a local level about community pharmacy's role and benefits, the NPA said in a statement. Ask Your Pharmacist Week encourages local engagement through various activities such as window displays, social media campaigns, pharmacy visits by community dignitaries, presentations to local patient groups, radio phone-ins, and TV. The week holds a significant place in the pharmacy calendar, as NPA describes "it creates a "platform for public awareness activities that help patients and stakeholders understand more fully the community offers." The NPA, which organises the campaign, emphasises the importance of making appropriate use of NHS services and increasing public awareness of the skills and expertise available in pharmacies across the UK.

"Our main concerns are that the use of what they call an asynchronous supply, where the prescriber neither sees nor talks to the patient at the time they issue the prescription, does lay itself open to perhaps people getting hold of medication that they shouldn't," the Head of Policy, PDA said. The Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA) engages in a critical conversation on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, shedding light on the online prescribing of weight loss drugs and advocating for safer practices. The PDA's spokesperson, Head of Policy Alima Batchelor, emphasised the importance of adhering to professional guidelines to ensure patient safety and mitigate regulatory concerns. During the feature, the PDA highlighted the complexities and risks associated with online supply chains, stressing the necessity for direct clinical consultations and pharmacist involvement in medication management. ""There are guidelines and advice about verification within the DiCE guidance, but it doesn't go quite far enough for us. We are concerned when patients decline to allow the online prescriber to advise their GP of what they're taking," Batchelor highlighted.

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