Current UK Alert Level: 3

On 19/06/2020 update from the UK Chief Medical Officers on the UK alert level confirmed that the UK COVID-19 alert level has been lowered from risk level 4 to risk level 3. It does not mean that the pandemic is over. The virus is still in general circulation, and localised outbreaks are likely to occur.

 

Please note the Government’s messaging is ‘stay alert, control the virus, save lives’ (previously ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’)

 

 

 

Current UK Situation

• As of 4pm on 29 June, 311,965 people have tested positive. As of 4pm on 29 June, of those tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, across all settings, 43,575 have died. You can view the latest UK dashboard and cases by local authority here. Confirmed cases* in Suffolk are broken down by Districts & Boroughs as follows:

 

Ipswich	351	255.2 per 100,000 residents
East Suffolk	625	251.8 per 100,000 residents
Mid Suffolk	186	181.5 per 100,000 residents
Babergh	154	168.5 per 100,000 residents
West Suffolk	235	131.4 per 100,000 residents
Suffolk	1,551	204.5 per 100,000 residents

 *Please note numbers may go up or down as the reported data are continually checked and cleaned.

 

 

COVID–19 related news from GOV.UK

• Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock spoke about local measures to deal with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Leicester: The infection rate in Leicester is 135 cases per 100,000 people, which is 3 times higher than the next highest city in England. Leicester accounts for around 10% of all positive cases in the country over the past week. The following measures have been announced:

• Opening an additional walk in test centre for the city
• Easing of national lockdown expected on July 4^th will not take place in Leicester
• From 30 June non-essential retail will have to close
• Schools will close from 2 July
• Shielding measures due to relax 6 July will not take place in Leicester

• Easing coronavirus health measures at the UK border: The Joint Biosecurity Centre, in close consultation with Public Health England and the Chief Medical Officer, has developed a categorisation of countries and territories from which it is considered to present a lower risk from a public health perspective for passengers to enter the UK, without a requirement for 14 days’ self-isolation. Further details about specific countries to follow.
• The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has published a research paper on the stability of the COVID-19 virus in the air through the Emerging Microbes and Infections Journal: The findings indicate that the COVID-19 virus may remain viable in the dark for at least 90 minutes under certain conditions, if produced within small-particle aerosols. These findings provide direct, corroborating evidence that will help inform how the virus behaves within healthcare environments.

• A report on the behaviours and mental and physical well-being of clinically extremely vulnerable people (the shielding population) in England, 9 June to 18 June 2020: The main findings are listed below.
  • 63% of 2.2 million clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) people reported following shielding guidance
  • 74% of people found video or telephone calls with family and friends a helpful support mechanism
  • 59% of people found prescription deliveries and 56% found food deliveries a helpful support mechanism
  • Of all CEV people who are currently on treatment for mental health issues, 68% reported worsening mental health
  • Of all CEV people who have had previously received treatment for their mental health, 56% reported worsening mental health
  • CEV women were more likely than CEV males to report worsening mental health, irrespective of age group

 

Other COVID-19 related news

• BBC News: Coronavirus: UK economy hit worse than first thought:The UK economy shrank between January and March, contracting 2.2% in the joint largest fall since 1979. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revised down its previous estimate of a 2% contraction, with all the main economic sectors dropping.

• Bloomberg News: America’s Shifting Covid-19 Epidemic in Five Charts. US Covid-19 cases head for a second peak. The spike in new daily cases has been driven by four large states, Arizona, California, Florida and Texas. Previously hard-hit North-Eastern States have flattened the curve, these include Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

 

 

BBC News: Global Picture

• BBC News: Flu Virus with ‘pandemic potential’ found in China: A new strain of flu that has the potential to become a pandemic has been identified in China by scientists. It emerged recently and is carried by pigs, but can infect humans. The researchers are concerned that it could mutate further so that it can spread easily from person to person, and trigger a global outbreak.

• BBC News: Coronavirus Worst could be yet to come, WHO warns: WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the virus would infect many more people if governments did not start to implement the right policies. His message remained “Test, Trace, Isolate and Quarantine.”
• The EU names 14 countries whose citizens can enter form 1 July, but the US, Brazil and China are excluded.
• Cases soar in the US, more states decide to halt easing in lockdown measures.  Arizona reverses course to reopen as coronavirus cases spike. Texas and California direct bars to close as July 4 celebrations approach.

.

Suffolk

 

New plan sets out how Suffolk will prevent and respond to COVID-19 outbreak: A plan which sets out how Suffolk would prevent and respond to a localised outbreak of COVID-19 has been published today [June 30^th]. Suffolk’s Local Outbreak Control Plan will be triggered where there are suspected or confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks in any setting or community within the county. The plan, which was a requirement of Government to all local authorities, outlines measures to prevent, manage and contain outbreaks of Coronavirus and protect the public’s health. It builds upon existing relationships and processes in place with partner agencies across Suffolk. For more information click here

 

Stick with it Suffolk Column: In this week’s column Councillor Matthew Hicks talks about why we still need to stick with it Suffolk even with lockdown restrictions easing. Click here to read

 

Economic Recovery Restart Plan:  The Norfolk and Suffolk Covid-19 Economic Recovery Restart Plan brings together commitments and actions from local authority, private sector, third sector and education organisations to outline the key activities in place to help our region’s economy restart after the COVID-19 pandemic. It complements local recovery plans being developed at county and district levels, which will cover additional activity, individual places and health and education. The plan will also feed into the Government’s national recovery plan. Find out more in the new Covid-19 Economic Recovery Restart plan at https://newanglia.co.uk/covid-economic-recovery/

 

Coronavirus cases within care home settings: SCC will be reporting weekly on the number of suspected or confirmed cases within Suffolk care home settings, that Suffolk County Council has been made aware of.  Below is a table showing the number of providers affected and the number of suspected and confirmed cases since reporting began on 21/04/2020. These figures are listed on area basis and will not include the details of any specific care homes. These figures include care homes, extra care housing and supported housing. As a notifiable disease, care homes are required to report any potential or confirmed cases of Coronavirus to Public Health England (PHE) in order that this can be captured as part of the national reporting processes and also for PHE to provide advice and guidance on infection control. Care providers are under no obligation to report suspected or confirmed cases to the county council.

 

	21/04/2020		28/04/2020		05/05/2020		12/05/2020		19/05/2020		26/05/2020		02/06/2020		09/06/2020		16/06/2020		23/06/2020		30/06/2020
	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed Cases	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed Cases	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed Cases	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed cases	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed cases	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed cases	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed cases	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed cases	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed cases	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed cases	Providers affected	Suspected and confirmed cases
Ipswich and East Suffolk	30	157	43	209	54	259	47	216	38	199	30	136	31	119	27	110	22	70	17	54	12	38
West Suffolk	13	61	12	78	17	113	20	115	19	82	17	73	11	51	10	26	9	15	9	16	10	16
Waveney	7	47	14	76	14	64	12	86	10	71	10	56	11	33	11	29	7	24	4	22	1	6
Total	50	265	69	363	85	436	79	417	67	352	57	265	53	203	48	165	38	109	30	92	23	60

 

 

The below data is sourced from the ONS data set for the number of deaths in care homes involving COVID-19 by date of notification to the Care Quality Commission, Local Authorities in England. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/numberofdeathsincarehomesnotifiedtothecarequalitycommissionengland

 

Number of deaths involving COVID-19 occurring in care homes during the period 10 April – 26 June 2020.
	29.05.20	Change from last week	05.06.20	Change from last week	12.06.20	Change from last week	19.06.20	Change from last week	26.06.20	Change from last week
Suffolk	163	11+	166	3+	171	5+	171	0	173	2+
Norfolk	118	8+	124	6+	131	7+	132	1+	133	1+
Cambs+ Peterborough	121	14+	128	7+	134	6+	137	3+	140	3+
Essex	220	9+	234	14+	240	6+	245	5+	248	3+
Hertfordshire	258	7+	263	5+	266	3+	267	1+	271	4+

 

In Suffolk we are continuing to see a higher percentage of Covid-19 related deaths within care homes compared to some other areas. The reasons for this are complex, but factors we think are contributing to this are more people choosing to die in their usual place of residence and the high number of nursing beds that we have within care homes. These provide care for people with complex care needs who may be coming towards the end of their life and in Suffolk we have very good practices for providing end of life care.

 

What we are seeing is while Suffolk has a higher percentage of Covid-19 related deaths within care homes compared with some other areas, we also have a lower percentage of Covid-19 related deaths within hospitals than some other areas.

 

Dying within a care home setting is often reflective of a person’s wish to remain in their usual place of residence, in comfortable surroundings with people around them who are familiar, as opposed to being within a hospital setting.

 

Suffolk’s care homes continue to care for residents with the utmost professionalism and kindness. They are following national guidance regarding social distancing, hygiene standards and the correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Testing is available for all care homes, for the entire home including staff and residents who are not displaying any symptoms. With more testing taking place, infection control and prevention measures can be more effective.

 

 

Key National Guidance updates

The existing guidance is being updated extremely regularly so please check any guidance relevant to your area to ensure that you are accessing the most up to date version. We are not including in this table all the published material but some of the key guidance that would be relevant to Suffolk County Council and our partners.

 

	Title	Who For	Comments
NEW	Major changes to insolvency law come into force	Business	The introduction of the new role of a Monitor and an extendable 20 working day period from 26 June 2020, giving businesses protection from creditor action while they seek professional restructuring advice. The Act also extends the suspension of termination clauses when a company enters into an insolvency procedure and introduces a new restructuring plan that has the ability to bind creditors to it.
NEW	Mandatory MOT testing to be reintroduced from 1 August	Motorists and Local Authorities	This mandatory MOT testing reintroduction will help ensure that vehicles are kept safe to drive, as currently MOT testing is suspended.
UPDATED	Disapplication notice: school attendance legislation changes	Parents, Schools and Local Authorities	Secretary of State for Education issues a third notice to disapply offences for non-attendance in schools during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The specified period in this notice starts at the beginning of 1st July 2020 and finishes at the end of 31st July 2020.
UPDATED	Disapplication notice: school inspections legislation changes	Parents, Schools and Local Authorities	Secretary of State for Education issues a third notice about changes to state-funded school inspections requirements during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The specified period in this notice starts at the beginning of 1st July 2020 and finishes at the end of 31st July 2020.
UPDATED	PPE portal: how to order emergency personal protective equipment	GP practice, domiciliary care providers and residential care homes	Updated order limits GPs with fewer than 8,000 patients can order 100 IIR masks (Fluid resistant surgical masks), 200 aprons and 400 gloves (200 pairs) per week. GPs with 8,000 patients or more can order 200 IIR masks, 400 aprons and 800 gloves (400 pairs) per week. Domiciliary care providers with fewer than 20 clients can order 200 IIR masks, 400 aprons and 800 gloves (400 pairs) per week. Domiciliary care providers with 20 to 99 clients can order 300 IIR masks, 600 aprons and 1,200 gloves (600 pairs) per week. Residential care homes with fewer than 10 beds can order 200 IIR masks, 400 aprons and 800 gloves (400 pairs) per week. Residential care homes with 10 to 24 beds can order 300 IIR masks, 600 aprons and 1,200 gloves (600 pairs) per week.
UPDATED	Coronavirus (COVID-19): safer transport guidance for operators	Passengers and people working in the transport network	Social distancing guidance updated for passengers and people working on the transport network. From 4th July 2020, if you cannot keep a 2 metre distance, reduce the risk by maintaining a 1 metre distance where possible, and taking suitable mitigations.

 

 

Useful Websites

 

	Title	Who For	Comments
1	NHS – COVID-19 go-to page	General Public
2	GOV.UK – COVID-19 homepage	Main cover webpage for all government guidance for public & professionals alike
3	Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance	Main collection of guidance for anyone in any setting	Guidance includes: – Guidance for the public (incl. social distancing and shielding) – Guidance for non-clinical settings (incl. cleaning, educational settings, employees, employers, businesses, residential care, supported living and home care) – Guidance for health professionals – Infection prevention and control (incl. PPE) – Sampling and diagnostics
4	Heatwave Plan for England	Professionals
5	Mental health support and advice from: WHO mentalhealth.org.uk Ipswich & East CCG Living Life To The Full NHS Practitioner Wellbeing Samaritans	General public, staff and carers
6	Chronic disease self- care during COVID-19: Asthma Diabetes	General public
7	European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) COVID-19 homepage	Professionals
8	Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker	Professionals	The tracker compares worldwide government responses to the coronavirus rigorously and consistently. The Oxford team collects information on common policy responses, scores the stringency of such measures, and aggregates these into a Stringency Index.   As of 18 June, UK’s stringency level is 73.15 (many restrictions). For comparison, New Zealand’s stringency level is 19.44 (few restrictions) and Cuba’s is 100 (many restrictions, including total stay at home confinement and all but essential workplace closing).

 

 

Local Resources:

Below are any local resources that would be relevant to Suffolk County Council and our partners.  

 

	Title	Who For	Comments
	Support from the Suffolk Growth Programme Board (SGPB)	Everyone	SGPB is a partnership of all Suffolk local authorities, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, University of Suffolk and New Anglia LEP. In Suffolk our Economy & business recovery work for COVID-19 is being led by SGPB and the website includes links to funding / surveys / economic impact work. Please do pass this information on to your contacts.
	Suffolk Domestic Abuse 24/7 Helpline – Freephone 0800 977 5690	Everyone	The freephone number is live from 9am on Friday 22nd May 2020 for anyone with concerns including professionals who may be supporting clients as well as friends and family members who are concerned for loved ones.
	New Anglia: Employment Opportunities in Key Sectors in Norfolk and Suffolk	Individuals and Businesses wanting to know what employment opportunities are available in some of our key sectors	The New Anglia LEP – alongside other partners including local authorities – have pulled together lists and links to key employment roles needed now as part of the response to the current crisis.
	Suffolk Safeguarding Partnership	Everyone	The website aims to help everyone understand the signs of neglect or abuse and what to do if they are worried about a child or an adult.
	NEW ANGLIA GROWTH HUB	Businesses needing support ­	A one stop shop source of information for government support and guidance available to  businesses including 121 business advice sources of business grants and loans.
	Healthy Suffolk: COVID-19 Emotional Wellbeing, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Information Hub	Everyone	This page contains links to a wealth of resources and support for your health and wellbeing.
	Suffolk County Council: Coronavirus information	Everyone	Suffolk County Council coronavirus (COVID-19) information, including health advice, service changes, business support and schools guidance.
	Keep Moving Suffolk	Everyone	The website contains free resources, ideas, tips, useful links and positive stories to encourage people to stay active during these unprecedented times.  The website and our social channels will be constantly updated.

 

 

Global: WHO Situation Report – reports available here

• WHO Covid-19 Dashboard for professionals using near real time data.
• GOARN COVID-19 Knowledge hub – central repository of quality public health information, guidance, tools and webinars which can be accessed freely at any point.

 

Situation in Numbers WHO SitRep 161, 30 June