Agenda item

The Director of Public Health will give a presentation on the current situation in relation to Covid-19 including recovery plans. This item will be in presentation format to ensure that the most up to date information can be presented to the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The Board received an update on the latest data regarding Covid-19 in York.

The key points arising from the update included:

·         That the most recent provisional data (26/04/21 to 02/05/21) showed a rate of 17 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 in York and the most recent validated data (23/04/21 to 29/04/21) showed a rate of 21.8 per 100,000.

·         That York had one of the lowest rates of Covid-19 in the country, and the second lowest in the Yorkshire and Humberside Region.

·         That there had been a slight increase in cases in recent weeks, but that such a change was to be expected with the easing of restrictions and that it was small enough that it could be a chance fluctuation. There had been a similar increase in NHS 111 enquiries, which was not cause for concern but was being monitored.

·         That 1 in 100 PCR tests in York were positive, which was broadly similar to national and lower than regional trends; 0.1% of lateral flow test results were positive.

·         That there had been 395 Covid-19 related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in York, 168 more deaths than might have been expected otherwise.

·         That there were currently no recorded Covid-19 infections in York care homes, and that an outbreak had not been reported since February.

·         That the dramatic decrease in infections in the over 60s cohorts was an indication of the vaccine programme’s success. 90% of over 70s had received both doses of the vaccine and the last month had seen efforts particularly focused on increasing administrations of second doses.

·         That it had been observed in the past that Covid-19 cases were concentrated in deprived areas of York, but at present the cases were spread fairly evenly.

Comments from Board members and discussion of questions included:

·         That 4 school-age children in separate schools had recently tested positive, but unlike in previous cases, there was not a need to isolate whole portions of the school population.

·         That a vaccine tracing initiative had been set up, to directly contact those who had turned down the vaccine multiple times through multiple mediums in order to understand their reasons for refusing the vaccine and in the hopes of engaging them in a conversation about the vaccine’s benefits.

·         That the main reasons for those who have not been taking up vaccines were that many were not resident in the UK, that some were currently too ill, and some will have chosen not to. Transport hardship funds for those who cannot make it to vaccine centres were being implemented, as well as options for taking the vaccine to the patient when required and possible.

·         That demand for vaccines outstripped supply, and that the primary care sector was asking the public to be patient as there were more vaccines on the way. There was also concern about the attendance of vulnerable groups such as those with learning difficulties and dementia. It was noted that Nimbus Care had put on specialised learning difficulty and autism vaccination sessions more accessible to those groups.

·         That from the perspective of the care home and domiciliary care sector, the importance of catering to individualised need around vaccination, for example through an escalation system for individuals in need of the vaccine.

·         That there was one Covid-19 positive patient in York hospitals, and that the hospitals thanked primary care for their role in preventing hospitalisation. It was also noted that demand levels for non-Covid work were increasing back to normal levels.

The Chair thanked the update’s author and all of the members of the Board for their contributions, as well as expressing the gratitude of the Board to all vaccination volunteers who were making the vaccine rollout possible.

Resolved:

(i)            That the contents of the update be noted.

(ii)          That a recovery update will be presented a future Health and Wellbeing Board meeting.

Reason: To inform the Board of the current situation in York relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.