Scottish charity tells ministers need to be in the first line of Pfizer Covid vaccine

Last week, BioNTech and co-developer Pfizer said preliminary analysis showed that the Covid vaccine could prevent more than 90% of people from becoming infected with Covid-19.

One of its creators said the effects of the vaccine would begin significantly in the summer and that life should return to normal by next winter.

Professor Ugur Sahin, co-founder of BioNTech, also hopes that jabs will halve virus infections and result in a “dramatic reduction in cases.”

Read more: Pfizer Covid Vaccine Priority List-Who is the first to get jabs in Scotland?

A new charity report highlights the “catastrophic” impact of the pandemic blockade on families of children with exceptional health needs.

According to a charity study, the majority of parents of children with disabilities struggle to cope during a pandemic, overcoming an average of just five hours of sleep deprivation overnight.

According to the survey, 93% of these children’s families affected their ability to meet their medical and care needs due to a pandemic.

And nearly two in three said the impact of a pandemic on their ability to provide care was “significant” or “serious.”

In a survey of parents in 17 municipalities, two in three parents said that lack of sleep was one of the main factors affecting their ability to care for their children. These parents reportedly experienced an average of five hours of sleep deprivation per night.

Kindred calls for an urgent need to investigate the provision of overnight rest care throughout Scotland.

More than one-third of parents did not receive rest care before the pandemic, which dropped to 60 percent after the start of the pandemic.

“This highlights the importance of schools in helping parents and stopping their care. Schools prevent crises and family collapses that require high care for children. There is no doubt, “the group said.

Charities said the evidence showed that parents were taking care of themselves entirely in the house. environment And it had an even greater impact on single parents. “Despite the high level of needs of all children, some parents did not even receive calls from experts during the pandemic. These parents became ill and cared for vulnerable children. I’m afraid I can’t do that, “Kindred said.

The charity wrote to the Minister of Health and Deputy Prime Minister John Swinney, urging these parents to prioritize the distribution of the recently announced vaccine.

Read more: Important questions remain about the efficacy and sustained immunity of the coronavirus-Pfizer vaccine

Is wa is seeking official recognition of the “extraordinary efforts” of these parents, who started the shield a few weeks before the blockade, and is seeking a letter from the Scottish Government to their families. “Such a letter will allow parents to feel that their efforts have not been overlooked, and will somehow help them agree on the trauma they have experienced during this period,” the charity said. Told.

Alex Davey of East Lothian takes care of his 6-year-old son, Benjamin. He is nourished through tubes, suffers from epilepsy and requires overnight ventilation.

When the pandemic began, Benjamin’s rest and home care services were suspended.

He has been taken to the hospital six times since March.

Davie said her main concern was that she and her husband would become infected with Covid-19 and could not take care of their son.

Kindred’s director, Sophie Pilgrim, said the pandemic had a devastating impact on families of children with complex needs.

She states: “Many families started the shield before the school was closed, and all care and support was lost.

Some of these children need 2 to 1 support in school and other care environments, but parents still have to deal with it from March to August, and many help at all. There was no.

“When vaccines are available, we need to prioritize parents who are providing health care to their children and cannot afford to get sick on their own.”

“Many parents did not receive rest care prior to the pandemic, and some lost care due to blockades. Severe sleep deprivation puts parents at risk of depression, accidents, and long-term conditions.

“We need to be aware of the long-term fatigue of these families. Special schools are becoming more and more important and will help them to continue their excellent work and keep their doors open. is needed.”

A Scottish government spokesman said: “The Minister of Health has already promised to provide Congress with details about the Covid-19 vaccination and aims to do so shortly with the consent of Congress.

“We are working with the Government of Wales, the Government of Northern Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom to procure the Covid-19 vaccine on a four-country basis.

“We prioritize the protection of those who are considered to be at greatest risk, in line with future final advice from the Institute for Genomic Research and Immunization (JCVI).

“All NHS boards are ready to help provide vaccines to locals as part of their national program.”