Suffolk County Council – Covid-19 daily bulletin – June 23rd

Can you Walk or Cycle? Let's improve our health, air quality and congestion. Stick with it Suffolk.

 

Current UK Risk 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 22 June, 305,289 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, of those, 42,647 have died across all settings. 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

352

255.9 per 100,000 resident

East Suffolk

625

251.8 per 100,000 resident

Mid Suffolk

183

178.5 per 100,000 resident

Babergh

154

168.5 per 100,000 resident

West Suffolk

235

131.4 per 100,000 resident

Suffolk

1,549

204.2 per 100,000 resident

 

 

 

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

 

  • The Governments most recent daily COVID-19 press briefing was given on June 22, by The Secretary of State, Matt Hancock and Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Jenny Harries. Archive of press conference slides, datasets and transcripts available here.
  • The Secretary of state highlighted that the number of people going into hospital and the number of people in the most serious condition in hospital and ventilated beds are both coming down. This trend was observed regionally.
  • For the first time since the peak, there were fewer than 5,000 people in hospital with Coronavirus
  • A month ago, around one in 400 people had the virus. Now, the number is around one in 1,700.
  • In the next briefing we can expect the prime minister to set out the next steps in the plan to ease the national lockdown

Dr Jenny Harries explained easing plans for the shielded population

o   From 6th July, the advice will be that people who are shielding can start meeting in groups of up to six people outdoors, including those outside their household.

o   If a shielded person lives alone or if they are a lone parent, they can think of forming a support bubble with another household.

o   From 1st August, the plan is to pause shielding.

o   When leaving home the advice is still very much to keep a safe distance from other people at all times, while maintaining good hand hygiene.

o   Those who may not be able to work from home can return to work, as long as the business is COVID safe.

o   More evidence concerning children and COVID-19 risk has become available. It is very likely that, in the future, very few children will need to shield.

o   Both offered huge thanks to those individuals who have diligently shielded and the NHS clinicians who have supported them, thus helping to control COVID-19 transmissions, and keeping us all safe. 

  • Advisory guidance to be eased for 2.2 million clinically extremely vulnerable people across England, as virus infection rates continue to fall.
  • From Monday 6th July, those shielding from coronavirus can gather in groups of up to 6 people outdoors and form a ‘support bubble’ with another household.
  • Government shielding support package will remain in place until the end of July when people will no longer be advised to shield
  • Main findings summary for over 60’s: Older people are experiencing some aspects of the lockdown situation differently from younger people, worrying less about finances but worrying more about access to essentials. Keeping in touch with friends and family remotely and doing activities such as gardening and reading are helping them cope. They are more likely to be looking out for their neighbours and feel supported by their local communities. Interestingly, people in their 60s are the least optimistic about when life will return to normal, with more than a quarter thinking it will take at least a year or will never return to normal.
  • Main findings for younger people aged 16 to 29 years, summary: Younger people were generally more optimistic about lockdown, with more than half expecting life to return to normal within 6 months. One of their biggest worries was the impact on schools and universities, in particular being unable to attend them, the quality of their education and uncertainty around exams. While they were more optimistic, young people were much more likely to report being bored and lonely during the lockdown period, and 42% of them reported that it was making their mental health worse. They turned to TV, friends and family and exercise to help them cope during this time.
  • BBC: Coronavirus: Male plasma contains higher levels of antibodies. Men who have had coronavirus are being urged to donate plasma from their blood to be used in research into treatments for Covid-19. Studies suggest men are more likely to become seriously ill and therefore produce higher levels of antibodies than women. This means their plasma could be more useful for saving lives.
  • BBC: The virus hunter who got COVID. One of the world’s leading infectious disease experts was struck down by COVID-19. Professor Peter Piot of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine gives an account of his experience and challenges with the illness.

BBC Global Picture

  • Cases in Florida, USA surge pass 100,000, making it the 7th US state to reach this mark
  • Saudi Arabia has said Hajj pilgrimage will go ahead but without any international visitors
  • UN chief Antonio Guterres has thanked health workers for their “remarkable acts of service to humankind”
  • Jair Bolsonaro has again called for the easing of lockdown measures and the reopening of shops and businesses, a day after the country became only the second in the world to register more than 50,000 Covid-related deaths.
  • A supercomputer in Japan is being deployed in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The large machine, named Fugaku, is being used to simulate how droplets would spread in office spaces with partitions installed or in packed trains with the windows open.

 

Suffolk

 

Stick with it Suffolk: Life felt very different before COVID19 – But if we all keep following the guidance and doing our best to protect Suffolk, we will get back to those times again. The Suffolk resilience forum have produced the following video to encourage residents to stick with it Suffolk. Click here to view.  

 

Test & Trace in Suffolk: We are making positive progress on the development of our Local Outbreak Control Plan and as part of this we have identified over 30 settings and cohorts that will require robust plans for both preventive actions and outbreak management as below:

 

  • Complex settings; these include care homes, schools, workplaces and public spaces.
  • Complex Groups; these include communities such as BAME, travellers, migrants and asylum seekers a
  • Complex individuals which include those at risk of infection, mortality and morbidity.

 

The identification of these settings, groups and individuals has enabled risk assessments to be undertaken that have established how outbreaks can be managed including identifying clear pathways and named groups and individuals that can offer wrap around support. This work has also helped in the development of robust advice and guidance that will help to prevent outbreaks occurring.

 

The Local Outbreak Control Plan builds on existing regional outbreak control plans, applied specifically to coronavirus and will be implemented by 30th June.  Work is continuing on the development of a central function to deliver and co-ordinate Suffolk’s response to outbreaks and preventative actions.

 

Covid-19 is still with us during the hot weather: With a predicted few days of hot weather ahead local GPs are encouraging people to keep cool and look out for others – and reminding everyone you can catch coronavirus no matter how sunny or hot the weather is. Click here to read more.

 

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

 

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

West Suffolk

13

61

12

78

17

113

20

115

19

82

17

73

11

51

10

26

9

15

9

16

Waveney

7

47

14

76

14

64

12

86

10

71

10

56

11

33

11

29

7

24

4

22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

50

265

69

363

85

436

79

417

67

352

57

265

53

203

48

165

38

109

30

92

 

 

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.

 

Number of deaths involving COVID-19 occurring in care homes during the period 10 April – 19 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

Suffolk

163

11+

166

3+

171

5+

171

0

Norfolk

118

8+

124

6+

131

7+

132

1+

Cambs+ Peterborough

121

14+

128

7+

134

6+

137

3+

Essex

220

9+

234

14+

240

6+

245

5+

Hertfordshire

258

7+

263

5+

266

3+

267

1+

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Useful Websites (any new guidance is in RED)

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

New plans to get Britain building in coronavirus recovery

 

Local Authority and Business

·        Government to extend planning permission deadlines, saving hundreds of construction projects’ permissions from expiring

·        Flexible working hours on construction sites to support social distancing, helping people return to work safely

·        New changes could speed up the pace of the planning appeal process

UPDATED

PPE portal: how to order emergency personal protective equipment

GP and healthcare workers

Healthcare providers can order additional personal protective equipment (PPE) through the portal to top up their existing supplies for COVID-19 in an emergency.

GPs and small social care providers can now place orders multiple times per week instead of a singular order

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:

General public, staff and carers

 

6

Chronic disease self- care during COVID-19:

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

 

Situation in Numbers WHO SitRep 154, 22 June

 

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