Agenda item

Matt Pearce provided an update on the Covid-19 situation in West Berkshire. He stated that all data presented was correct as of the 30^th of December 2020. He also noted that the slides being presented were now in line with the rest of Berkshire and would be published on the Berkshire Public Health website.

Changes to restrictions:

·       The whole of Berkshire remained in Tier 4

·       The local alert levels would be reviewed every 2 weeks

Situational awareness (data correct for the week 23 December to 30 December):

• He noted that the positivity rates per 100,000 had increased across all Berkshire authorities compared to the previous week and now stood at 377.4 per 100,000 in West Berkshire, which was the lowest rate in Berkshire.

·       The positivity rate was 16.2% in West Berkshire

·       Cases per 100,000 for the 60+ age group stood at 223.8

• West Berkshire had now had 3,574 cases of Covid-19
• The number of new confirmed cases in West Berkshire over the previous 7 days was 598
• He noted that the new variant of Covid-19 was playing a big part in the recent rise of cases

Epidemiology of cases:

• There had been 30,818 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Berkshire. 85% of these had occurred since the beginning of October.
• Berkshire’s weekly rate had started to increase since mid-November, in line with the national picture

Deaths

• There had been 155 COVID-19 related deaths in West Berkshire during the pandemic. 
• 3 deaths were recorded for the last week (12^th December to 18 December).
• Since March 2020, West Berkshire’s all-cause mortality rate has been 20% higher than the previous 5 year average, which equates to 187 additional deaths.

Hospital activity

• The information on this page shows the latest data for the Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust
• On 30 December, 179 patients were in hospital with COVID-19 in the Royal Berkshire Hospital. 18 of these were on mechanical ventilation. The hospital admission rate was beginning to increase.

Outbreaks:

• An outbreak is defined by PHE as two or more cases with highly probable or confirmed epidemiological links. For care home settings one case counts as an outbreak.
• Over the previous 14 days, PHE had informed of 58 non-residential outbreaks in Berkshire
• Number of new outbreaks in West Berkshire by setting (14 to 27 December):

Measures to prevent Covid-19

• The most effective method of stopping transmission of Covid-19 is to wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds, to use a face mask in shops and enclosed public spaces and to keep 2 metres apart from others.

Councillor Doherty asked if the percentage increase per week had slowed slightly since December.

Matt Pearce noted that there had been a slight slowing, but that testing over the Christmas period had been patchy so it was too soon to say.

Meradin Peachey noted that the rise over the previous two weeks was still significant, just not as vast as the first two weeks of December.

Councillor Masters asked if the higher number of deaths in West Berkshire compared to Slough was down to anything in particular.

Matt Pearce noted that he would have to look further into this, but that his early view would be that West Berkshire may have an older population than Slough and more care homes.

Councillor Bridgman stated that positivity rate was a reflection of pillar 1 and 2 tests and asked if lateral flow tests would be included in these numbers.

Matt Pearce noted that his understanding that lateral flow positive tests should be included in the numbers.

Meradin Peachey noted that lateral flow tests were not being included in the data yet, they were being recorded and if they tested positive they should then go and receive a PCR test and if that test is positive, that would be included. She also noted that lateral flow tests did pick up the new Covid-19 variant.

Matt Pearce noted the Berkshire public health website now included the number of positive lateral flow tests.