On Sunday 5 May 2023: WE’VE DONE LOCAL SURVEYS. OH DEAR! MORE STRIKES TO COME. IS COVID REALLY OVER? THINGS GETTING WORSE AGAIN?
We are Surveying our health & welfare services provided by SWF and the Dengie Primary Care Network (PCN) independently & academically. This was your chance to tell us what you think about, and want from, them. We will use the results to lobby for what is needed. Hundreds of people across our area answered our series of four short online questionnaires and took part in two workshops about:
- Access to Appointments & Services
- The Social Impact of Covid
- Mental Health
- The Social Impact of the Cost of Living
The results are now being analysed, the report written, and we expect to publish it around the end of May/early June.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 no longer represents a ‘global health emergency’. WHO says at least 7m people died in the pandemic and the death rate has dropped from a peak of more than 100,000 per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 on 24 April 2023. But the true figure is likely to be closer to 20m deaths and the WHO warns the virus remains a significant threat. Lowering the highest level of alert doesn’t mean the danger is over and emergency status will be reinstated if the situation changes. Bupa’s CEO says governments and healthcare bodies around the world haven’t learnt the lessons from Covid and aren’t ready for the next pandemic.
“Living with Covid” is now the UK’s policy. That’s because Covid is now regarded as ‘another respiratory illness’, like flu. Whilst that’s reasonable and necessary, is now the right time to cut back on regular infection information? The weekly ONS infection survey stopped with its report of 24 March (see below). At that time the infection rate was still increasing. Testing has been cut back to a bare minimum.
So all we can go on is stale and limited present data, and local intelligence. The latest UKHSA surveillance report indicates decreased Covid and flu infections. Anecdotally we know last week has seen more local infections with people with them feeling absolutely awful and taking longer than usual to recover. There are cases of the new Arcturus Covid variant in our Region. The UKHSA’s Head of Immunisation says: Covid “hasn’t gone away; we continue to see thousands of cases reported every week; topping up your protection is particularly important for groups who are most vulnerable.” See later about Spring boosters.
Deaths with Covid on death certificates and hospitalisations remain high, particularly for the over 75s. Whilst infections from FLU, RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV), ADENOVIRUS, SCARLET FEVER & STREP A are all falling they remain high.
The sickness bug Norovirus is 68% above the 5-season pre-Covid average, with many outbreaks reported in care homes. Don’t visit vulnerable people, particularly in care homes or hospitals while having diarrhoea and/or vomiting until 48 hours after symptoms stop. Keep practicing good hand hygiene especially after being unwell, using the toilet or preparing or eating food.
NURSES in the Royal College of Nursing, Unite members at some ambulance & other trusts and JUNIOR DOCTORS held recent STRIKES. These are reported to have caused over 200,000 cancelled appointments and procedures on top of those caused by previous strikes. These disputes must be settled immediately. Serious talks, possibly mediated by ACAS, are the only way to settle them. All these strikes hurt patients, make workloads more challenging, and interrupt tackling the NHS backlogs. 13,000 hospital beds are blocked by patients fit to discharge. 100,101 hospital beds are available (up from 90,621 last year). The cost of agency staff for the NHS in 2021 was £3bn, up 20%.
Spring Covid booster vaccinations will be given to everyone over 75, care-home residents and the most vulnerable people. Older adults in care homes are getting jabs given by NHS teams visiting them. Other eligible people have started getting their NHS invitations by App, text and letter. Booking at vaccination centres is open. SWF’s GP Practices will be running vaccination sessions, again by invitation. In the Autumn there will be another full programme of Covid and flu jabs, for the same cohorts as in 2022.
The Dashboard says in w/e 7 April in England there were 380 (p/w 545) Deaths with Covid on death certificates and in w/e 1 May 3,318 (p/w 3,550) patients admitted to hospital. Hospitalisations and deaths lag behind infections. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data estimated 1,489,600 (1 in 38) people in England had Covid in w/e 13 March (p/w 1,332,800 = 1 in 40). This was the last publication. Was stopping reporting really such a good idea when infections were growing? Taking the ONS estimate and SWF’s population as 16,000 that meant there were 421 (p/w 400) SWF residents with Covid in w/e 13 March. 2.2m people in the UK have long Covid; 80+ in the SWF & Dengie area. If you think you have long-Covid see your GP for a diagnosis & referral to a local recovery service. Covid testing in England has been scaled back. Most staff and patients in hospitals and care homes are no longer tested unless staff are working with severely immunocompromised patients or there’s an outbreak, for example on a ward, in a hospice or a prison. This can be scaled up again quickly if there’s another big Covid wave or new variant. The “Living with Covid” approach relies on vaccines to keep people safe.
AVOID CATCHING & SPREADING COVID & OTHER INFECTIONS: TAKE CARE; IF UNWELL AVOID VULNERABLE FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES & RELATIVES; ventilate indoor meetings; meet outdoors; wear face coverings in crowded enclosed spaces. If you can stay home; and avoid contact with other people.
SWF Health & Social Care Group provides health & social care information and signposting to people, especially those at risk, isolating, housebound, and without local support. Information is on our website https://swfhealthsocial.co.uk/ . Contact us on swfhealthsocial@outlook.com or leave a voicemail on 01245 322079 which is monitored daily. God Save King Charles III.
SWF Health & Social Care Group 