County ‘at heart’ of delay to Covid freedom
LANCASHIRE is one of the areas that lies “at the heart” of the government’s decision to delay the lifting of the last remaining Covid restrictions by a month, as Valley cases continue to rise.
That was the message from the county’s director of public health, Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, after the Prime Minister announced that stage four of the roadmap out of lockdown would be put back until July 19.
The decision means capacity limits will remain in place in hospitality, sporting and entertainment venues – while it will still not be permitted for more than six people or two households to mix indoors.
Seven of the top 10 infection rates in England can now be found in Lancashire – including all of the top six – with 12 out of 14 boroughs above the 100 mark.
The county had an infection rate of 236 cases per 100,000 people in the week to June 9 – more than triple the average rate across England of 67.
Rossendale has the fifth-highest rate in the county with 355.3 cases per 100,000 in the week to June 11, an increase from the 313.4 cases per 100,000 in the seven days to June 4.
The highest rates of infection across most of Lancashire are in the 15-19-year-old and 20-24-year-old age groups. However, individual cases are much lower in over-60s than other age ranges.
Dr Karunanithi acknowledged the delay to the complete end of lockdown would “come as a disappointment to many”.
However, he added: “It is the sensible approach given the rapid rise in cases that is being felt across the country.
“Lancashire is at the heart of this, with large numbers of infections in East and Central parts of the county, which is being driven by the Delta variant that was first discovered in India.
“Cases are also rising fast in other parts of the county.
“We are seeing a rise in hospital admissions, particularly in younger residents, although it is still too early to know the full impact of this wave. One impact that is clear is the significant disruption the rise in cases is causing to our children and young people’s education, with new outbreaks emerging almost on a daily basis.”
Research published in The Lancet on Monday suggests the Delta variant of the virus doubles the risk of hospitalisation for anybody who contracts it compared to previous strains.
The Delta variant is also thought to be up to 60 percent more transmissible than the Alpha or Kent strain that was dominant during the first half of the year.
Dr Karunanithi said that fact was one of the reasons it was vital that Lancashire residents took advantage of the additional testing available in the county after it was declared an “enhanced response area” last week.
Lab-analysed PCR tests are available to all residents whether they have symptoms or not.
“We are therefore strongly encouraging all residents, including children of primary school age, to take up this offer so that we can break the chains of transmission.
“It is also imperative that everyone receives two doses of the Covid vaccine to give themselves maximum protection against the Delta variant.
“As part of this strengthened package of support, we are ramping up our vaccination offers. This includes a number of pharmacy vaccination sites, alongside our mass vaccination centres.”