Covid-19

New speech and language courses to help young children catch up after COVID-19

Research conducted in schools last year revealed that the coronavirus pandemic, with its lockdowns and restrictions, held back many young children's speech and language development.

So, Devon County Council has created new courses which are available to parents and carers, and staff who work with children and young people, to help children catch up and reach their potential....

Most people will continue to act cautiously even without restrictions

The vast majority of people will stay at home if they develop symptoms of coronavirus, according to a Devon County Council poll .

Of more than 3,500 responses so far (submitted by midday today, Monday 14 March), around 2,910 say they will do just that, rather than risk spreading it to others.

194 respondees say that they won't, and 402 were unsure what they'll do.

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People urged to stay away if they have Covid as Devon’s hospitals remain under severe pressure

“Please don’t visit friends and family in our hospitals if you have Covid or other illnesses” – that’s the message from Devon’s NHS, as the number of people in hospital with Covid-19 remains high.

Many of the restrictions brought in to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in the community have come to an end, but people are still required to wear a mask in health settings and are being...

Devon Freemasons donate almost £5m to help UK overcome the pandemic

Devonshire Freemasons together with The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) has awarded more than £4.7m through four Covid-19 relief programmes, focusing on community support, food support, domestic abuse, homelessness and mental health.

Covid-related donations from Devonshire Freemasons began in 2020 and since then they have contributed for a total of £4.7m to help those in need....

South West patients benefit as new GP practices join COVID-19 antiviral drug study

Two more south west GP hubs have joined a clinical trial giving patients access to new COVID-19 antiviral drugs, which are designed to help people recover sooner, and reduce the need for hospital admission.

Symphony Healthcare Services, a network of NHS GP practices in Somerset and Devon, as well as Honiton Surgery in east Devon, have just been given the green light to start...

Pregnant teacher was hospitalised with flu after catching COVID-19

A Plymouth teacher was hospitalised whilst pregnant due to suffering with flu, shortly after catching COVID-19. She would like to appeal to all pregnant people to get both the flu and COVID-19 vaccinations in order to protect both themselves and their unborn babies.

Christine, who is already a mum to son Harry, has just had her second child, Barney. In September last year both she...

Where can I get boosted this “Jabuary”?

Cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay are increasing rapidly in Devon, leading to a rising number of people in hospital with Covid and causing over 1,000 hospital staff to be off work.

The World Health Organisation recently warned that, while the Omicron variant does appear to be less severe compared to Delta, it should not be categorised as “mild” and...

It really isn't too late: Local intensivist urges vaccination to reduce risk of hospitalisation

Surgeon Commander Stuart Dickson is an Intensive Care Consultant who works at Derriford Hospital. He also specialises in clinically infectious diseases and has seen the impact of covid first-hand.

At present, the majority of patients within Intensive Care Units across England are not vaccinated and this is a trend that is reflected locally.

Surg Cdr Dickson has taken some...

Long COVID rehabilitation pilot comes to an end

Eight participants taking part in a long COVID rehabilitation pilot, ran in partnership between University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) and Plymouth Marjon University, have graduated after completing the 12 week programme.

The pilot, which started in August this year, was designed to help individuals suffering with long COVID build strength and improve their confidence while...

Devon residents urged, “Get Boosted Now”

Devon’s residents are being urged to “Get Boosted Now” as part of an urgent national appeal to give themselves better protection from the Omicron Covid-19 variant; which is much more transmissible than previous variants.

The NHS in Devon is working to increase the number of vaccine clinics and extend opening hours following the Prime Minister’s announcement last night (12 December)...

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