COVID-19 update 17 September 2021

Gloucestershire County Council sent this bulletin at 17-09-2021 11:15 AM BST

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Key messages

On Tuesday 14 September, the Government announced and published it’s COVID-19 Response - Autumn and Winter Plan 2021. Vaccinations will remain the first form of defence against COVID-19 and the ‘evergreen’ offer of getting both doses of the vaccination will remain open to everyone who is eligible. People will also be asked to keep up with a number of key behaviours to help manage the spread whilst we continue to learn to live with the virus. These are: - Let fresh air in - Wear face coverings - Get tested and isolate if positive - Stay home when unwell - Wash hands - Utilise the NHS COVID-19 app
Part B of the plan outlines what will be taken to support and protect the NHS when necessary – this will be based on data which will monitored and reviewed regularly.
Following clinical advice, the Government has agreed to to end the requirement for shielding guidance for people previously considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable.
Government confirmed this week that vulnerable people will be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine this winter. The programme will be rolled out to care home residents, health and social care workers, people aged over 50, those aged 16-49 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of sever COVID-19, adult carers and adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals (people who have reduced ability to fight infections). People who are eligible for the booster will receive an invitation from local NHS services, there is no need to contact their GP.
Government has also confirmed that following advice from Chief Medical Officers in the UK, all children aged 12-15 years will be offered a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Community NHS Services will be in touch with parents of children in this age group soon, with details of the offer which is to be delivered through schools. Read more from Gloucestershire CCG.
Everyone working in, going into a care home regularly for work or volunteering should have now received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination in time for when the regulations to come into force on 11 November. We will now be focussing on encouraging uptake of their second dose. Read the Government guidance in full.

Testing

In the preceding 30 days of reporting (9 August - 8 September) under our local pillar 2* testing sites 244,045 tests have been undertaken in Gloucestershire residents, 2.93 % of these were positive.

Mobile Testing Unit (MTU) locations⁶

Car Park off Newerne Street, Lydney, GL15 5RA (Friday and Wednesday-Friday)
Car Park, Oldends Lane, Stonehouse, GL10 2DG (Friday-Sunday)
Lower Lode Depot, Lower Lode Lane, Tewkesbury, GL20 5TT (Friday-Sunday, Tuesday-Friday)
Royal Agricultural University, Stroud Road, Cirencester, GL7 6JS (Friday-Monday, Wednesday-Friday)
Cinderford RFC, Dockham Rd, Cinderford GL14 2AQ (Monday-Tuesday)
Dursley Rugby Club, Hounds Green, Dursley GL11 6AJ (Monday-Tuesday)
North RFC, Stoke Orchard Road, Bishops Cleeve, GL52 7DG (Tuesday-Wednesday)
Car Park, Oldends Lane, Stonehouse, GL10 2DG (Friday 24th)
Stow RFC, Oddington Road, Stow on the Wold, GL54 1JJ (Tuesday)

Permanent Testing Site Locations

PCR Testing Sites

Gloucester RTS

Hempsted Meadows, David Hook Way, Gloucester, GL2 5LE

Cheltenham LTS

High Street Car Park, Cheltenham, GL50 4AL Stroud LTS

Stratford Park Leisure Centre, Stratford Road, Stroud, GL5 4AF

You can book a test here for one of these sites if you have any COVID-19 symptoms.

Assisted Testing in Pharmacies (LFD)

You can see which pharmacies you can take a rapid test at if you do not have any COVID-19 symptoms here.

LFD Home Test Collection

Anyone can collect LFD kits for use at home from any of the locations listed here including some pharmacies and local libraries.

LFD Home Test Delivery

If you cannot get tested at your workplace or are unable to go to a test site or collect test kits, you can order a test kit to your home here.

Outbreaks

In the last 7 days, there has been 5 confirmed⁷ outbreaks in high risk settings in Gloucestershire.

17/09/2021

Gloucestershire COVID-19 stats

Link to graph showing daily cases by local authority (Please open in Google Chrome)

Cases

In week 37 (Monday 6^th September - Sunday 12^th September) there were 1,085 confirmed cases of COVID19.

Of these cases:

221 were in Gloucester
210 were in Stroud
182 were in Cotswold
171 were in Forest of Dean
159 were in Tewkesbury
142 were in Cheltenham

* Please note these figures are provisional and subject to change. (Source: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ as at 16:00 15/09/2021)

The rate of cases in the last 7 days per 100,000 is 199.6 in Gloucestershire, 256.2 in the South West, and 294.5 in England⁹.

Deaths mentioning COVID19

In week 35 (Saturday 28^th August – Friday 3^rdSeptember) there were 3 deaths mentioning “novel coronavirus (COVID-19)”, which is 3.1% of all deaths, this compares with 2 (2.2% of all deaths) in Week 34.

*Please note these figures are based on all deaths registered by the 4^th September they are provisional and will be subject to change. They include deaths that make any mention of COVID-19 on the death certificate. (Source: Weekly provisional figures on deaths occurring and registered in England and Wales by Local Authority)

*Please note the dates above, the ONS weeks run from Saturday- Friday and we are unable to change this.

Deaths in NHS Trusts² - 628 (1 new).

In the week ending the 3rd September there were 0 deaths from COVID19 in care homes this was in line with the previous week when the CQC data showed 0 deaths mentioning COVID19. Since the CQC started reporting (10th April 2021) there have been 409 deaths from COVID19 in care homes in Gloucestershire.

Key links

National Guidance

General NHS advice

Latest advice and developments from Gloucestershire NHS

Gloucestershire's Community Help Hub

Council service updates

Make an adult social care referral

Business advice and support

Looking after your wellbeing

Support for children and families during Covid-19

National updates

Your questions answered

To make sure your questions get answered promptly by the team, please continue to send your questions directly to democratic.services@gloucestershire.gov.uk

¹ The above data reflects nationally published data available here.

² This section contains information on deaths of patients who have died in hospitals in Gloucestershire and had tested positive for COVID-19 at time of death or where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. All deaths are recorded against the date of death rather than the date the deaths were announced. It is based on national NHS data published here.

³ Weekly death figures provide provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales for which data are available. From 31 March 2020 these figures also show the number of deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19), based on any mention of COVID-19 on the death certificate. Figures by place of death may differ to previously published figures due to improvements in the way we code place of death. This figure does not include deaths of those resident outside England and Wales or those records where the place of residence is either missing or not yet fully coded. For this reason counts may differ to published figures when summed. Bank Holidays could affect the number of registrations made within those weeks.

⁴ CQC publish figures on deaths where Covid-19 was suspected in the notification from the care home, as well as all cause mortality (since 10 April 2020). It is probable that not all deaths due to Covid-19 will be notified as such, conversely Covid-19 may be mentioned but not have been a contributory factor in a death). While CQC numbers are more comprehensive than local reporting, they are not currently reported by district council.

⁵ Pillar 2 swab testing is available for the wider population, as set out in government guidance. It does not include inpatients and frontline healthcare workers.

⁶ Please note that there is a possibility of last minute changes if the MTU’s are diverted to assist with outbreak control both in this county or elsewhere.

⁷ Confirmed – this means a laboratory confirmed case of Covid19 from that setting. Suspected – this means there has been someone reporting Covid19 symptoms (new continuous cough or high temperature or a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)) from the setting and swab result is awaited. Outbreak - An outbreak is where two or more persons with the confirmed or suspected COVID-19 who are linked through common exposure, personal characteristics, time or location. Incident - An incident is any event involving COVID-19 which presents a real or possible risk to the health of the public and requires urgent investigation and management.

⁸ High risk settings are places where individuals live in close proximity to each other or are particularly vulnerable. These include care homes, supported living, student accommodation, homeless accommodation and schools. This would not include single cases in hospital settings.

⁹Specimen date range used is 4 days before today and includes the preceding 7 days. This is due to the time it takes for a specimen to be taken, processed and notified (average 4 days)