Agenda item

To receive a report and a presentation.

Sangeeta Leahy, Director of Public Health for Southwark Council, introduced the report by announcing that Freya Tracey would be presenting the data in Chris Williamsons’ absence and that case rates were on the increase and the vaccination programme was moving at a pace.

Freya Tracey, Health Intelligence Analyst, Southwark Public Health team tabled a presentation, see Supplemental Agenda No.1, which covered the following areas:

i.  Key messages

ii.  Cases

iii.  Contact tracing

iv.  Secondary care

v.  First dose vaccination coverage – 3 June and 31 May 2021

vi.  First dose vaccination coverage – high priority ethnicity, 3 June 2021

vii.  COVID Variants

viii.  Case Numbers and rates

ix.  Horizon Scanning

In response to a question and answer session, the following points were noted.

·  Nationally, hospital admissions were increasing.

·  Those who were accepting their second vaccination dose were at a lower risk of needing hospital treatment and therefore presented a break in hospital admissions as a direct result of the vaccination programme.

·  The current position regarding the Delta variant was of concern and therefore everyone were advised to continue with the national guidance to maintain social distancing in appropriate settings and keep safe at all times.

·  Data would continue to be gathered and monitored to maintain knowledge and data intelligence.

·  In response to addressing the increasing case rates in deprived areas of the borough, ethnicity and tackling health inequalities, the council had reduced the threshold to receive self-isolation payments to help those that need it, follow the isolation rules and try and break the link of onward transmission of COVID-19.

·  The public health team continue to ask residents during their COVID-19 conversation if they need any support. Consequently, welfare conservations were taking place with residents and support was given.

·  The council’s public health team were providing support and welfare guidance directly to residents as part of standard duties fell in the local authority’s remit to Administer.

Link to Support for residents during COVID-19 covering, food access, financial support for residents, advice on potential COVID-19 related scams, and helping out vulnerable residents:

https://www.southwark.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing/coronavirus/support-for-residents-during-covid-19

Link to Appendices 2 and 3 for Item 14  - Health and Wellbeing Strategy, Health Inequalities Framework 2020 and COVID-19 Inequalities Impact Assessment:

https://moderngov.southwark.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=365&MId=6891&Ver=4

·  In response to SEL CCG, Trusts and stakeholders doing everything they could to meet daily service demands, backlog of cases and a potential third wave of the pandemic.

·  SEL CCG and the Trusts were responding to the pandemic during past and current phases with a third-wave in mind. Consequently, data continued to be analysed and currently there was a demand for services. Specific plans were in place to respond accordingly and work through all challenges and pressures the pandemic was causing on NHS and stakeholders.

·  The capacity to accommodate COVID-19 hospital admissions was not fixed but finite.

·  A letter to all schools reminding them of the guidance which was inclusive to complete the COVID-19 tests twice a week would be sent by the council’s public health team.

·  The case growth rate for ages 0 to 17 was slower than those aged 18 to 39, however there was an increase across all age groups.

·  The data showed there was an increase in cases in the younger population age groups 5 to 11 and 12 to 16’s however breaking down data for this specific demographic made the data to be more volatile to securitise due to the population size and settings. 

·  The data does not indicate a significant increase of cases for those aged 17 to 18.

The Chair thanked Sangeeta Leahy and Freya Tracey for their presentation and thanked everyone for their contributions towards the discussion; and acknowledged the concerns raised.

RESOLVED –

That the Health and Wellbeing Board noted the COVID-19 Update.