Agenda item

To receive a report from the Director of Public Health on the current situation and up to date data.

The Director of Public Health shared the weekly update with the Board outlining the current situation in term of managing the outbreak in Hampshire including data on current infection numbers, the position for care homes and death rates across the county.  

Members received an update on the national picture and revised scale which confirmed Hampshire rates as being in the lowest categories.  Rates were reviewed by ethnicity, age, and areas and overall going down.  Work around communications and marketing continues to target and support appropriate action.  With the steady fall in rates, the R rate in the Southeast is currently between 0.6 and 0.9 with a continued decrease for ceremonial Hampshire.  The all age 7-day case rate of 114 is currently lower than that of England and the Southeast and continuing to fall.

Outbreaks in care homes do affect the rate and the Public Health team look across all districts around the county on a daily basis to review and manage outbreaks in any settings and testing to pick up asymptomatic people to ensure rates continue to fall. 

The number of people in hospitals is falling but is still a lot of pressure on the NHS at this time.  Southampton continues to accept residents from various areas due to the services and expertise offered by the hospital.  Ventilator bed usage rates continue to fall, and hospitals are managing well in terms of critical care needs.  Unfortunately, there have been over two thousand deaths and some lag in the reporting.

The current Covid alert level guidance is being followed and a variety of factors have an impact such as the level of compliance with rules, vaccination levels, etc. and careful preparation continues for the easing of lockdown.

Community testing for those without symptoms, subject to approval, will commence from 22 February for front facing workers or those who must travel for work.  This will include County Council staff who may not qualify under other programmes.  The department is grateful to district colleagues in this partnership approach implemented at a fast pace to find the right venues and staff and currently waiting for approval.  Better understanding the asymptomatic condition will help break the infection chain.  One out of three people will have Covid without knowing it and everyone taking part in the lateral flow testing will be doing their part to help.

Testing for specific settings and developing bids for groups such as primary school teachers, companies of 50 or more, etc. continues.  This will allow for home tests to be used to meet needs of Hampshire population using government funding for the programme.

There has been news of single case of South African variant in the Bramley area, but the risk is low with national restrictions in place.  To enable the government and Public Health team to understand how this variant is spreading, surge testing is likely to commence tomorrow door to door with identified postcodes.  Tests are expected to arrive on 16 February and walking routes have been designed.  Members expressed their thanks and appreciation to the surge testing team in their quick response and adaptability with national testing procedures.

In response to questions, Members heard:

Based on forensic examination of the specific variant case and the movement, a smaller surge testing cohort was appropriate and proposed to the government per Public Health guidelines.  

Rates over half-term may be impacted as the virus spreads when people connect, and this will have decreased.  

Ventilator treatment numbers have fallen.  People's needs may vary, and the average time is currently 14 days, with efforts to reduce this time.  It will be important to consider the impact that this may have on someone’s life in the long term.

Surge testing will be a helpful pilot in learning how implement effectively, should it be necessary again in the future with other variants.  Community testing will be similarly helpful in learning to coordinate and work together at all levels together to manage problems and provide quality community testing, alongside other methods.  

Members expressed their appreciation that primary school teachers would now receive lateral flow tests but wanted to confirm timescales for extending testing to early years providers and nursery staff as they provide care for many key workers, as well as foster carers.  It was confirmed that early year settings will receive tests if they are connected to a school and if not, they will be included in the community testing program being launched on 22 February.  Testing for foster carers is being looked at by colleagues and will be addressed to ensure Covid-safe placements for care referrals.

The data shared reflected deaths not just in care homes but inclusive of all deaths across the county.

With regards to the NHS led vaccination programme, progress has been good with teething issues being managed, but the data is not yet public.  Collaboration with colleagues continues to ensure effective roll out and good percentages in the first groups being vaccinated while addressing any inequality issues.  Working with faith sectors and community leaders to help provide encouragement and support for the vaccines, helps make a difference on infection rates in the community.  Collaboration and review with GP practices helps to pick up on those who may not have showed up initially.  

Encouraging all members of the community from all backgrounds will help increase the percentage of vaccine uptake, including educating ethnic minorities who may be fearful or have received misinformation through community leaders, imams, experts, and Primary Care Networks to approach and provide information in a culturally appropriate way. 

Local and national work and learning from colleagues who may successfully reached large minority populations is helpful.  It has not been a significant issue in Hampshire but the Public Health team has been mindful of communications with CCGs to appropriately target and reach communities and address myths with high profile faith leaders accepting and supporting vaccinations.  This work with cohorts will be ongoing and carry-on encouraging uptake, even at a later date.  

In supporting the NHS vaccination programme, work also continues with transient and traveller populations to ensure coverage.  Encouraging registering with a GP practice and using a mobile model allows the vaccinations to reach them, in a way similar to reaching the homeless populations.  Large vaccination centres can be used as hubs to deliver programmes to these communities as well.  The County Council continues to connect with all communities, without a fixed model, to roll out programmes quickly and meet community needs.  From a local authority perspective, supporting contact with hard-to-reach groups though the Equalities Board with staff working closely with traveller communities to ensure they are hearing from people and leaders they will listen to and trust, alongside BAME, people with learning disabilities, and other hard to reach groups.

The Hampshire Local Outbreak Engagement Board noted the current data and implications.