I note some of you via the Q&A session are having problems seeing your MS team or getting hold of them via email or telephone. The reason for this may be because they are off ill or self-isolating or they have been redeployed. I am aware that most MS Centres have moved to remote telemedicine clinics, mainly using a phone. I discovered that the platform that NHSX (formerly NHS Digital) has...
Dear everyone. As an infectious disease epidemiologist, at this point feel morally obligated to provide some information on what we are seeing from a transmission dynamic perspective and how they apply to the social distancing measures. Like any good scientist I have noticed two things that are either not articulated or not present in the “literature” of social media. Specifically, I...
We keep getting asked about if there is any data on whether or not people with MS are more likely to get COVID-19 if they do get are they more likely to get the severe disease and die from the infection? Last week I logged into a very useful webinar organised by the iWiMS. They have now put the webinar online for you to watch. The Italian registry reported 143 patients with MS and COVID-19 with...
Are you aware of how the COVID-19 pandemic is going to play out? People are being lulled into a sense of security that over the next 2-3 months the pandemic and mini-epidemics in each country and region will be over and things will start to return to normal. This is not correct. The current strategy is to flatten the curve and extend the tail of the epidemic. What this means is that the...
More questions around managing MS during the COVID-19 pandemic; this time in relation to natalizumab (Tysabri) dosing. The COVID-19 NHS crisis is a double-whammy for pwMS. First, it is redeploying staff away from MS services to work on the frontline. Secondly, the message has gone out to stop pwMS coming to NHS hospitals, or even connecting with other healthcare facilities such as GP practices...
What is a safe lymphocyte count; 500, 800 or 1000/mm3? In your peripheral blood, you have circulating leukocytes or white blood cells which help fight infections. When you get your blood results back you often get told your total white cell count or WCC. However, the WCC is a composite and includes different populations of cells. The white cells can be divided into the lymphocyte and non...
Although the following story is fiction a variation of it is playing out in many hospitals across the world right now. Can you help Dubs make a decision? COVID-19 is pushing us to places we don’t want to go, but we have to prepare for the inevitable. Dr Claire Dubois or Dubs as her friends preferred to call her was exhausted. She had been working for 14 hours with only short breaks to feed...
I want to apologise to my students and colleagues for not delivering on certain teaching and academic tasks; I will get there. I have had to spend the last 48+ hours starting the process of reskilling and learning new skills for when I am redeployed onto the front-line of the NHS. Our hospital is being reconfigured as if we are preparing for war. There are red or hot floors that are for managing...
Calling all HCPs who want to learn about managing MS during the COVID-19 epidemic. Please register for the following webinars via the MS Academy website. We plan to run a series of these over the coming weeks and months. The next one is on managing highly active and rapidly evolving severe MS in the current environment.
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We have created a specific COVID19 & MS Microsite to curate relevant information for people with MS and their families. The site is being updated on a daily basis. Please use this site to ask clinical questions related to COVID-19 or use the form below. Please note the answers to questions will then appear on the COVID-19 & MS site. Thanks.
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