COVID-19 update 1 October 2021

Gloucestershire County Council sent this bulletin at 01-10-2021 09:39 AM BST

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Key messages

With the Autumn and Winter months soon approaching, it is more important than ever that we keep taking steps to protect ourselves from catching and spreading COVID-19.
Getting the vaccine remains the best defence against COVID-19, and is the best way to keep friends, family, and your community safe.
There are still opportunities to get your first and second dose of the Covid vaccine - most primary care networks are now offering walk in clinics all across the county and the best way to check what is available is to visit the Gloucestershire CCG website.
The roll out of the COVID-19 vaccination to 12-15 years old has begun. Eligible children and young people will be offered a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Getting the vaccine will help keep their lives moving supporting mental health and wellbeing.
The NHS programme is beginning to deliver COVID-19 booster doses to those that are eligible, inviting those that had their first and second dose more than six months ago first. Please take up the offer of a booster if invited.

Let fresh air in if you are meeting indoors - opening windows for just 10 mins or a small amount continuously can makes a significant different. Meeting outdoors is still safer.
Wear face coverings - where social distancing and ventilation may become more difficult and in enclosed spaces where you might come into contact with people you don’t normally meet, like on public transport.
Get tested and isolate if positive - anyone with symptoms should self-isolate and can still get a free PCR test. Anybody who tests positive must isolate for ten days. Financial and practical support continues to be available.

Continue with regular rapid tests if you don’t have symptoms – this will help stop Covid in its tracks - gloucestershire.gov.uk/testing. From October you will be asked to download a collection code each time you pick up a test kit from your local pharmacy - this will help with the test and trace process as the kit will be more easily tracked to a person.

Health and social care are already under pressure – this will only increase as we head into the winter months. Stay at home if you feel unwell and help protect our NHS.

Wash hands regularly – a simple step that can help prevent the spread.
Utilise the NHS COVID-19 app – the app remains a key tool in preventing further cases of Covid. Since 16 August the app has advised potential contacts who are vaccinated to take a PCR test rather than isolate.

Testing

In the preceding 30 days of reporting (29 August - 28 September) under our local pillar 2* testing sites 348,507 tests have been undertaken in Gloucestershire residents, 2.18 % of these were positive.

Mobile Testing Unit (MTU) locations⁶

Lower Lode Depot, Lower Lode Lane, Tewkesbury, GL20 5TT (Friday-Monday, Wednesday-Friday)
Royal Agricultural University, Stroud Road, Cirencester, GL7 6JS (Saturday-Friday)
Car Park, Oldends Lane, Stonehouse, GL10 2DG (Friday-Sunday, Friday)
Car Park off Newerne Street, Lydney, GL15 5RA (Friday, Wednesday-Friday)
Hartpury University & Hartpury College, Gloucester, GL19 3BE (Saturday-Sunday)
University Of Gloucestershire, Entrance 3, Park Campus, The Park, Cheltenham, GL50 2RH (Saturday)
Cinderford RFC, Dockham Rd, Cinderford GL14 2AQ (Monday-Tuesday)
North RFC, Stoke Orchard Road, Bishops Cleeve, GL52 7DG (Tuesday-Wednesday)
Stow RFC, Oddington Road, Stow on the Wold, GL54 1JJ (Monday-Tuesday)
Dursley Rugby Club, Hounds Green, Dursley GL11 6AJ (Monday-Tuesday)

Permanent Testing Site Locations

PCR Testing Sites

Gloucester RTS

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

Cheltenham LTS

Coronation Square, Edinburgh Place, Cheltenham, GL51 7RG 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.

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.

Outbreaks

In the last 7 days, there has been 8 confirmed⁷ outbreaks in high risk settings in Gloucestershire.

01/10/2021

Gloucestershire COVID-19 stats

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

Cases

In week 39 (Monday 20^th September - Sunday 26^th September) there were 1,447 confirmed cases of COVID19.

Of these cases:

284 were in Cheltenham
277 were in Stroud
240 were in Forest of Dean
237 were in Cotswold
227 were in Gloucester
182 were in Tewkesbury

* Please note these figures are provisional and subject to change. (Source: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/ as at 16:00 29/09/2021)

The rate of cases in the last 7 days per 100,000 is 219.6 in Gloucestershire, 290.7 in the South West, and 330.7 in England⁹.

Deaths mentioning COVID19

In week 37 (Saturday 11^th September – Friday 17^th September) there were 2 deaths mentioning “novel coronavirus (COVID-19)”, which is 1.9% of all deaths, this compares with 7 (5.0% of all deaths) in Week 36.

*Please note these figures are based on all deaths registered by the 25^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 - 632 (1 new).

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)