Agenda item

The Board considered a presentation from Matt Pearce (Agenda Item 4) on the Covid-19 Situational Report. Key points from the presentation included:

·         Testing rates had decreased, but the positivity rate had increased sharply to 32.8% – this was the highest rate since the start of the pandemic.

·         There were 1,449.5 cases per 100,000 population – this was similar to the regional average, but lower than the national average.

·         Amongst the 60+ age group, the rate was 656.5 per 100.000 population, which was significantly lower than the regional and national averages, and analysis was being undertaken to understand why.

·         There had been over 300 cases per day in the last week.

·         The epidemiology curve showed that there were more cases than at any other time in the pandemic – it was hard to predict when the peak would occur, but there was evidence that cases had peaked in London and West Berkshire was considered to be a few weeks behind London.

·         There were high case rates across all age groups.

·         There was some uncertainty regarding the impact of the Omicron variant on older people, but the vaccine appeared to be effective.

·         Schools had just returned, so transmission data was not yet available.

·         There had been a significant increase in the number of patients in hospital – the latest figures showed 75 patients in Royal Berkshire Hospital, with 8 new admissions and 5 people on mechanical ventilation.

·         Patients in hospital were not as seriously ill as in previous waves.

·         Of those who were in intensive care, the majority were unvaccinated / part-vaccinated.

·         There had been no Covid related deaths in the last week.

·         Over the course of the whole pandemic, there had been 283 Covid related deaths in West Berkshire and there had been a 16% increase in all-cause mortality vs the 5 year average, which equated to around 361 additional deaths.

·         Changes to Government guidance were to be introduced on 11 January – this was a temporary measure while Covid rates were high.

·         People with a positive lateral flow test result would be asked to self-isolate and report their result on the Gov.uk website.

·         The change would ensure that PCR tests were available for those who most needed them, including critical workers who ran essential services.

·         Exceptions included:

o   People applying for the £500 Test and Trace Support Payment

o   Individuals advised to take a PCR test because they were in a vulnerable group who may need early access to treatment

o   Individuals advised to take a PCR test as part of a research project

o   People arriving to the UK from abroad whose Day 2 LFD test was positive.

The Chairman noted that the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture had provided a fascinating reflection on the pandemic, including the epidemiology of the virus and how vaccines worked.

Councillor Martha Vickers asked about the availability of LFD test kits and noted that the Kennet Centre was not currently giving these out.

Matt Pearce explained that there were still supply issues, so Government was prioritising those who were self-isolating and hospital / social care staff. The Kennet Centre was only doing assisted testing. However, provision to pharmacies was improving and stocks should be better in a week’s time. He suggested that people should persist with online ordering, since kits were released in batches.

The Chairman noted that production was being increased from 100 million to 300 million test kits for January and February. Also, Royal Berkshire Hospital was fully stocked in kits for staff. He indicated that he had not experienced problems in obtaining test kits.

Councillor Steve Masters indicated that access to test kits was the main concern amongst residents and asked what the Council was doing to get the message back to Central Government.

Matt Pearce confirmed that he was in regular contact with regional and national teams and all parties recognised the issues. He urged caution about looking at case numbers in the coming days, as it may not represent the true picture. The Public Health Team had allocated kits to Primary Care and key / essential workers. Opportunities were also being taken to make use of mutual aid across local authority boundaries to ensure that tests were provided to people who needed them and to keep the economy going.