the times | Tuesday October 20 2020 1GT 5
times2health
GETTY IMAGES; CHRIS MCANDREW FOR THE TIMESread. Teenagers and those in their
early twenties may be more critical
of what they see online. “This is a
generation that is very conscious of
a lot of manipulation and fake news.
There is also a generation of kids
coming up that resent the fact that
their mothers refused them vaccines.”The role of the government
Larson’s group briefs Public Health
England every two weeks on what
social media shows about how Covid
and vaccines are being discussed. They
are also in communication with
government departments. “There
needs to be a coherent plan. It feels
like it’s more information-gathering.
That’s important, but we need to
accelerate. One of the groups that
needs first engagement is the
healthcare professionals because
they’re No 1 on the list to be getting a
vaccine. We shouldn’t take for granted
that they want it and they’re going to
be in the front line for a lot of people
asking them questions.”The message to doubters
While only a hard core of conspiracy
nuts might believe that the race to
produce a vaccine is part of an attempt
by Bill Gates to take over the world,
many others have concerns about the
safety of any new vaccine. A key worry
is that the vaccine is being produced
so fast that it is being rushed and
corners are being cut.
“The speed is definitely an anxiety,”
Larson says. She says that all people
hear is politicians and scientists
talking about how fast the process of
developing vaccines is. “There hasn’t
been much in the public domain about
why it’s faster. We have technologies
that let us characterise the virus much
quicker than historically.
“After ebola we had a funding
mechanism in place that immediately
could fund some trials to get started.
And we have new processes. On the
one hand, maybe they don’t want to
talk too much about the new
platforms because that also can create
anxiety; on the other hand, it helps
alleviate fears. We’re not shortcutting
an old process.”
Larson believes there needs to be
a national conversation about the
likelihood that there will be a variety
of vaccines available, with different
doses and different efficacies and
safety profiles. “This message needs to
come from the scientific and public
global health community. When
you’re ready to give a vaccine is not
the time to start explaining all of this.
“We talk about the confidence in the
product, confidence in the provider,
and then confidence in the politician
and policies. Any part of that trust
chain could break the intent to
vaccinate.” Last week Larson said that
once a vaccine is rolled out, trusted
figures, including the Queen, should
be recruited to boost support.Social media companies
“There’s some stuff that they can just
take down because it’s overtly
harmful,” Larson says. Yet she says
much of the potential misinformation
is arguably justifiable under freedom
of expression regulations. “They can
control the algorithms and mitigate
its amplification. They absolutely
need to contribute. But closing
down Facebook or Twitter tomorrow
is not going to end this problem.
It’ll just go somewhere else. This
is human sentiment. This is deep
emotions. They’ll find a way.”to ease elbow pain
1
Keep using your elbow
According to the Chartered
Society of Physiotherapy
(CSP), elbow pain is “extremely
common” and most people will
suffer from it at some point. Usually
it is a result of repetitive work or
overuse. “The two areas of the elbow
most vulnerable to injury are the
outside extensor tendons, which cause
tennis elbow, and the inside flexor
tendons, which cause golfer’s elbow,
although in the vast majority of cases
the pain has nothing to do with
playing either sport,” says Jack Chew, a
physiotherapist and CSP spokesperson.
The natural reaction is to stop
activities that aggravate the pain,
but he says, “There’s evidence
that slow, heavy repetitive loading
and regular movement is important
for rehabilitation.”Elbow pain can also be the result of
arthritis, bursitis or entrapment
syndromes, and if the pain is so severe
that it stops you from moving your
arm, or if swelling, fever, heat or
redness occur, you should seek
medical attention.2
Avoid steroid injections
According to the CSP, these
usually offer only short-term
relief. There is also little
evidence that massage,
electrotherapy and acupuncture help,
although Chew says that they can
provide a sense of pain relief for some
people. “The same goes for an elbow
brace,” he says. “There’s a lack of
evidence showing it makes any
difference to the injury, but if wearing
one makes ordinary tasks more
comfortable, then it’s worth trying.”3
Try a hammer hold exercise
Chew says that it’s important
to “repeatedly perform
movements and exercises that
hurt a little bit, but not a lot”,
which will build up the elbow’s
tolerance to loads. He suggests this
exercise, which uses an ordinary
household hammer. Position your
forearm on a table or a chair’s arm
rest with the wrist unsupported. Hold
a hammer by the handle and rotate
the forearm palm down and palm
up. You can make the move more
challenging by holding the handle
further from the tip. “Grip work is
important as it utilises important
muscles and tendons,” he says. “So
try squeezing a stress ball or wringing
towels for 30 seconds at a time.”
Peta Beel b th resultof
The anthropologist Heidi Larson
“We’re really at a wobbly level. It’s
not certain that 70 or even 60 per cent
would take it. And if those anti
sentiments even knock it down a few
points we’ll miss community
immunity. I’m very concerned.”
Who are the anti-vaxxers?
“The public health community is a bit
too relaxed and passive about this
because they’re saying: ‘They’re not
the majority. They’re just fringe,’ ”
Larson says. She says it is wrong to
think that all those who have concerns
should be dismissed. “There is this
sense that they get immediately
lumped into this anti-vaccine category
if they start questioning.” She doesn’t
like the term “anti-vaxxers”. “It is used
loosely to include anyone who is not
pro-vaccine. It just polarises the issue.”
Women and the vaccine
In the UK more women than men say
they would not want to be vaccinated,
with 15 per cent in September’s poll
saying they would not be inoculated
and 18 per cent unsure. In research the
group has done internationally, more
than 19,000 people were asked if they
would use a vaccine — 77 per cent of
men strongly agreed or agreed they
would take it, compared with 71 per
cent of women, with almost twice as
many women as men saying they
didn’t know. A previous study found
women are also less likely than men to
believe a flu vaccine is important.
“Men are leaning towards being
more confident [about a vaccine].
Women are definitely hesitant, but
there’s sometimes a bit of reasoning
in there because women are less at
risk. Not necessarily if you’re a
frontline health worker getting
constant exposure. And it’s not that
women haven’t died. But in general
a woman weighing her risks is a bit
different [from a man].
“I would be one of the women who
would definitely take this vaccine,
having seen what [the virus] can do.”
Her husband, Peter Piot, the director
of the London School of Hygiene &
Tropical Medicine, was very ill with
the virus and seven months later still
has days when he feels the long-term
effects. She knows others who had a
mild illness originally, but still have
lingering symptoms.Age affects views on a vaccine
The greatest enthusiasm for a vaccine
is among the over-65s: 82 per cent
would be willing to be vaccinated. In
the 55-64 age group 74 per cent would
want the vaccine, the same number as
in the 16-24 age group. However, only
two thirds of 25 to 34-year-olds say
they would have a jab and 62 per cent
of 35 to 44-year-olds. Larson suggests
that this could in part be because they
are the groups that are becoming, or
considering becoming, parents.
Those in their twenties and thirties,
she adds, were the first generation to
grow up with social media and were
possibly more accepting of what they