Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the Government's official advice is on covid-19 vaccination for people who are (a) pregnant and (b) lactating.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) consists of independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level.
In line with the recommendations of the JCVI, the vaccine will initially be rolled out to these priority groups, including care home residents and staff, people over 80 years old, and health and care workers. The vaccine will then be prioritised amongst the rest of the population in order of age and risk, including those who are clinically extremely vulnerable, and all individuals aged 16-64 years old with underlying health conditions
The JCVI favours a precautionary approach and therefore does not currently advise COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. Those eligible for vaccination who are also breastfeeding should discuss with their clinician.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase the value of healthy start vouchers.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government announced on 8 November 2020 that the Healthy Start voucher value will increase from £3.10 to £4.25 in England from April 2021. This will provide additional support to pregnant women and families on lower incomes to make healthy food choices.
The Scottish Government has its own devolved Best Start Food Scheme which was launched on 12 August 2019 to replace Healthy Start for people living in Scotland. The devolution and transition to the Scottish Best Start Foods Scheme was completed on the 31 March 2020.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the uptake of healthy start vouchers.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is currently developing a digital approach to Healthy Start, to make it easier for families to apply for and use the scheme. We are developing and testing an online application form for Healthy Start, to replace the current paper form, and a payment card to replace paper vouchers.
All eligible beneficiaries receive a letter inviting them to apply for Healthy Start, together with a pre-populated application form. The scheme is also promoted through the Healthy Start and Start4Life websites.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what additional support he is providing to human milk bank services during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for St Albans (Daisy Cooper MP) on 13 May 2020 to Question 37944.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date breastfeeding support groups will be permitted to restart as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Breastfeeding support groups have continued to operate virtually throughout the restrictions. Premises such as community centres can reopen and should follow COVID-19 Secure guidelines. It is important to maintain social distancing and good hand hygiene in these circumstances.
In addition, breastfeeding support provided by Public Health England online and over the phone has continued to run throughout the pandemic and is accessible to families, including the National Breastfeeding Helpline and Alexa’s Breastfeeding Friend. Start4Life provides information for families specifically about COVID-19 and breastfeeding. This can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/baby/coronavirus-covid19-advice-for-parents/
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2020 to Question 53466 on Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups, when he plans to publish the (a) evidence submitted to and b) recommendations of the Covid 19 Review of Disparities in Risks and Outcomes.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No representations were sought or received by Public Health England for their epidemiological report entitled Covid-19: review of disparities in risks and outcomes, published on 2 June 2020.
Alongside the epidemiological review, Professor Fenton undertook a rapid evidence review and external stakeholder engagement with a significant number of individuals and organisations within black, Asian and ethnic minority communities, to hear their views, concerns and ideas about the impact of COVID-19 on their communities. The results of that work have now been published and will inform the government’s next steps being taken forward by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Equalities (Kemi Badenoch MP).
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timeframe is for the publication of the Public Health England report on the impact of covid-19 on the BAME community.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England led a rapid review to better understand how different factors can impact on how people are affected by COVID-19. This includes analysis of ethnicity, deprivation, age, sex (male and female) and obesity, where data was available. The review’s findings have now been published and can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-review-of-disparities-in-risks-and-outcomes
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the paper by Alisa Fox et al. titled Evidence of a significant secretory-IgA-dominant SARS-CoV-2 immune response in human milk following recovery from COVID-19, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of applying the findings of the study of antibodies in human breast milk to the treatment of covid-19.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The importance of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 is recognised in the search for effective treatments for COVID-19 infection. At present there are a range of clinical trial initiatives in the United Kingdom in which treatments are being carefully evaluated, including. Some known sources of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The REMAP-CAP clinical trial involves two sites at which plasma from patients who are convalescing after COVID-19 infection are being clinically evaluated. Plasma is collected at least 28 days after recovery so that antibody levels have increased significantly.
Other initiatives are bringing forward candidate treatments that, although promising, cannot be immediately deployed as they will require further research before they can be safely evaluated in human trials. Alternative sources of antibodies, such as the source described in this publication, may be in scope for consideration if other approaches fail.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to ensure the maintenance of the supply of infant formula during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is aware of some recent local food stockpiling issues and is in discussion with industry to ensure a continued supply of infant formula. Additionally, the British Specialist Nutrition Association Ltd who represent manufacturers of formula, have put out a note of reassurance to parents on both their website and via Twitter to allay concerns and to ask people to be considerate in the way they shop to ensure an adequate supply of formula remains available to all. This dialogue with the formula industry will remain active and we will continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of drugs policy in reducing the rate of infection from blood borne viruses.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is good evidence that a combined approach of harm reduction programmes such as needle and syringe programmes (NSP), opioid substitution treatment and abstinence-based treatment is the most effective way to tackle public health harms, including the spread of blood borne viruses (BBVs). Vaccination, testing and treatment of infection are also effective in the control of BBVs.
Public Health England monitors drug treatment data and anonymous testing of blood samples from people using drug treatment services or NSP. The data show that these interventions have been effective in reducing BBVs in people who inject drugs (PWID). For example, the proportion of PWID who have ever been infected with hepatitis B in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has declined over the past 10 years, falling from 18% in 2008 to 9% in 2018. In addition, HIV infection is uncommon among PWID in the United Kingdom, and HIV prevalence in this risk group is low compared to many other European countries. Overall, there were 95 new HIV diagnoses in the UK during 2018 which were likely to have been acquired through injecting drug use, down from 170 in 2008.