Agenda item

Matt Pearce provided an update on the Covid-19 situation in West Berkshire, as follows:

Situational Awareness:

·         There had been a slight increase in cases in the last fortnight, but numbers were low, so any outbreaks caused significant fluctuations, and there was no cause for alarm.

·         6,725 cases had been confirmed since the start of the pandemic, with 50 new cases in the last week.

·         There was an ongoing need to maintain social distancing and other preventative measures.

·         Lateral Flow (LF) kits were being distributed widely and would increase the numbers of people tested and asymptomatic cases detected.

·         Positive test results had dropped from 3.7% to 1.3% in the latest period.

·         There were 31.6 cases per 100,000 population in the population as a whole and just 2.5 cases per 100,000 amongst those aged 60+.

·         Most West Berkshire wards had not experienced any cases in the last week.

Hospital Activity:

·         The most recent data showed 3 new admissions to Royal Berkshire Foundation Trust (RBFT) hospitals.

·         There were 35 patients currently in RBFT hospitals with Covid-19, of which 6 were on ventilators.

Deaths:

·         There had been 2 Covid-19 related deaths in the week to 12 March.

·         All-cause mortality was 18% higher than the previous 5 year average since the start of the pandemic – equating to 230 additional deaths.

Vaccinations:

·         Approximately 70,000 people had received their first dose of the vaccine.

·         In all wards, at least 93% of people aged 65+ had received their first dose.

Long Covid:

·         There was still no clinical definition or treatment pathway for long-Covid.

·         The definition was where Covid-related symptoms persisted for more than 12 weeks and were not explained by an alternative diagnosis.

·         10% of Covid patients will suffer from long Covid (estimated at 670 people in West Berkshire).

·         60 long-Covid clinics had been set up across the country, including one within the pain management department of the Royal Berkshire Hospital.

·         Patients were referred to the clinics by their GPs.

·         Since November 2020, 263 referrals had been made to RBFT.

·         Asthma was the most common comorbidity.

·         The most common symptoms were fatigue, shortness of breath, concentration problems, pain, depression and anxiety.

·         Some patients’ employment status had changed due to long-Covid.

Eligibility and Access to Asymptomatic Testing:

·         LF testing was available to households of nursery and school children, members of support bubbles and childcare bubbles, as well as critical  key workers unable to work from home.

·         Some workplaces had set up assisted testing sites for their staff.

·         The recommendation was to be tested twice weekly.

·         It was important for people to be tested to pick up asymptomatic cases.

·         Community testing sites were available at four locations across the district.

·         Community collection of home-test kits would operate from these four sites from 30 March.

·         Home-test kits were also available through the regional centre at Newbury Showground.

·         Pharmacy collection points would become available in the coming weeks.

·         Workplaces would also be able to provide home-test kits to their staff.

·         Online ordering was available - information was provided on the West Berkshire Council website about who was eligible for this.

·         A mobile community collect facility was being developed for West Berkshire to serve rural villages.

Councillor Steve Masters asked about the efficacy and accuracy of LF tests. Matt Pearce stated that they were less accurate as the prevalence in the population reduced, but they were good at detecting people with high viral loads. They were cheap, effective and quick to complete. He stated that people who had a positive LF test were being asked to self-isolate and book a PCR test at one of the regional testing sites or book online. He confirmed that LF testing was a critical tool, but stressed that they were used to detect asymptomatic cases and if people had symptoms, they must get a PCR test.

Andy Sharp asked if it was still the case that people with a positive LF test still had to self-isolate, even if the subsequent PCR test came back negative. Matt Pearce confirmed that the PCR test result would trump the LF test result.

The Chairman noted that many of those dying from Covid-19 were dying earlier than predicted and asked when the trend would revert to normal. Matt Pearce indicated that there had been a statistically significant rise last April, but from late May onwards the trend had been broadly in line with the five year average. He noted that deaths were dependent on a number of factors, such as the flu season.

The Chairman asked about future demand for adult social care. He suggested that some people would require more care due to long-Covid, but others had died earlier than expected, so these factors would affect future demand for care. Matt Pearce indicated that it was hard to work out the effects - the impact of long-Covid was not yet understood, nor the indirect harms of people not seeking treatment earlier, and population projections would need to take account of those who had died. Meradin Peachey explained that reasons for people going into care were mostly unrelated to Covid (e.g. falls, long-term conditions, and smoking related COPD). She suggested that long-Covid was not causing these conditions - common symptons included tiredness and difficulty walking and breathing for 6-9 months. She indicated that it was difficult to tell if this would translate into disabilities such that patients could not live at home.

Councillor Dominic Boeck asked if the vaccination had any impact on the prevalence of long-Covid. Matt Pearce did not know of any evidence, but stated that vaccinations reduced hospital admissions and transmission. However, he indicated that long-Covid did not appear to be linked to severity of Covid symptoms.

The Chairman asked about the significance of asthma as a co-morbidity for long-Covid patients. Matt Pearce did not know, but offered to investigate further. He indicated that people with severe asthma were known to be more vulnerable.

Action: Matt Pearce to investigate the links between asthma and long-Covid.

Councillor Masters asked how long-Covid patients were identified (e.g. antibody tests). Shairoz Claridge confirmed that patients did not need to have a Covid test to access post-Covid services, since many patients were not tested in the first wave.