Presentation by Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing
Minutes:
The Board received a presentation from Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health and Wellbeing which provided an update on Covid defences for the city, with reference to the forthcoming winter season.
The Board were informed of the importance of keeping Covid at a manageable level in the coming months in light of all the other winter pressures faced by the NHS, highlighting the importance of maintaining the vaccination programme.
The presentation referred to the current Covid trends indicating that case rates were increasing in most English regions, with some indication of plateauing in some regions. Rates across the West Midlands had been increasing faster than some other regions so the region now had the 3rd highest rate out of 9 regions.
Key metrics on Covid-19 in the city as at 3rd October included a rate 406 cases for every 100,000 residents with 1511 cases in the last week, which was an increase from the previous week. This compared to the West Midlands Region rate of 409 cases per 100,000 residents. Currently the highest rates in the city were the 11-15 year olds (1771/100k). There was a wide geographical spread across the city.
The metrics also highlighted that the hospital situation was improving with 42 in-patients who were Covid positive at UHCW, approximately 69% of these admissions were Coventry residents. The median age of the patients was 57. There had been 35 new admissions in the last week, of which 18 were unvaccinated and 15 were symptomatic on admission.
Regarding the vaccine uptake, this was lower than the national average with 73.9% of residents having had their first dose and 66% both doses. This pattern mirrored other vaccination programmes in the city.
Actions supporting the Covid defences included the implementation of the Autumn and Winter Plan; support and enablement of the NHS vaccination programme including the booster and schools programmes; highlighting Communications and engagement; the continuation of the Living with Covid message – Hand Face Space Ventilation and regular Lateral Flow Tests; self-isolation and testing requirements; and the importance and safety of vaccination. Additional information was provided on the current containment measures including the work with care homes, schools and work places.
The presentation referred to the Government’s Autumn and Winter Plan 2021, a programme aimed at sustaining the gains made by the vaccination programme over the last ten months as well as preparing the country for the challenges of autumn and winter. The winter plan set out Plan A to manage the country through the coming months and also a contingency Plan B in case further measures were needed to protect the NHS and control infection rates. Plan A was made up of five main pillars while Plan B would introduce measures on a sliding scale if the NHS was overwhelmed. The presentation set out these measures. Further information was included on Plan A including advice for individuals; advice for businesses; and details of the flu vaccination programme.
RESOLVED that the contents of the presentation be noted.