The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
COVID RATE THREATENS CITY’S ROAD TO FREEDOM
● Prison records up to 100 Coronavirus cases ● Peterborough has country's second highest infection rate ● Schools and businesses prepare for lockdown easing
Peterborough’s rate of new Covid cases is among the highest in the coutry with a major outbreak at the city’s prison one of the major concerns.
The Peterborough Telegraph understands that between 80 and 100 cases of the virus have been recorded at HMP Peterborough recently, with the majority of infected people said to be inmates.
Peterborough City Council leader Cllr John Holdich, who also chairs the Covid outbreak committee in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, said: “There’s a large outbreak in the prison which is affecting Peterborough’s figures.
“We’re working with the prison authorities to make sure it doesn’t spread further.”
Peterborough has come under criticism for its high ranking in the list of local authorities with the biggest rates of Covid-19 per population, but this has been heavily impacted by the recent outbreak at the prison.
Peterborough’s rate rate of new cases in the seven days to February 19 was 270.9 per 100,000 of population - the second highest in the country at that stage which equates to 548 new cases.
That was an overall increase on the previous week when the rate was, 264.0, with 534 new cases.
The privately-run prison in Saville Road, Westwood, which has more than 1,000 inmates, is located on the Government’s Covid map in the Millfield & Bourges Boulevard area of Peterborough which registered a huge outbreak in the past seven days for available figures.
There were 127 cases in the area in the week leading up to February 16, a rise of 94 (284.8 per cent) from the previous week.
The PT understands that the infection was most likely brought in from a prison staff member.
HMP Peterborough, run by Sodexo, is the only prison in the country with both a male and a female wing.
In January, the PT reported that no inmates had tested positive for coronavirus, with only a few members of staff having the virus.
However, inspectors criticised the jail for not relaxing strict measures that left prisoners stuck in cells for most of the day.
Sodexo has been approached for comment.
A Peterborough City Council spokesperson, said: “The rise in cases in the Millfield/ Bourges Boulevard ward has been affected by a localised outbreak of Covid-19 cases at HMP Peterborough in the last week.
“Any outbreaks in Peterborough are of concern to the city council, however, we are confident that the outbreak is being well managed with strong input from Public Health England.
“Our local public health team is staying in close contact with the prison and will provide any support they need.
“Across the city, Covid-19 infection rates have declined since the peak in January but numbers are still high. We ask city residents to continue to follow social distancing guidelines and to take up the vaccine when they are offered it.’’
Large numbers of working age people in Peterborough are suffering from coronavirus with the number of hospital patients remaining higher than during the first wave.
Although Covid rates and deaths in the city are continuing to decrease significant challenges remain, according to Dr Liz Robin, director of public health for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.
Speaking during a second Peterborough Covid Summit labelled ‘fighting for our city,’ Dr Robin revealed that the city’s infection rate was double the national average with the number of patients in hospital at Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital higher than during last year’s peak.
Dr Robin said cases, deaths and hospitalisations have been falling but that “Peterborough remains one of the areas in the country with the highest rates”.
Peterborough’s figures have been affected by its urban population, high areas of deprivation, people in lowpaying employment, the high proportion of workers in industries such as warehousing, distribution and agriculture which require them going into work - and the high percentage of people from ethnic minority backgrounds who are believed to be at a higher risk.
Dr Robin added: “We went into November lockdown with Covid rates lower than the national average. Our rates didn’t fall and we came out higher than the national average.
“We went into the January lockdown with Covid rates lower than the national average. Our rates have fallen, which is good. They’ve almost halved. But they’ve fallen more slowly than the national fall.
“So we went into lockdown better than the national Covid rates but now we have higher rates than average. That’s probably connected with people having to continue to go into work so there’s less of a lockdown. It’s a challenge.
“The number of patients in our hospitals with Covid has fallen but it’s still higher than it was in the first wave. Sadly, we’ve seen deaths in Peterborough from the second wave of Covid. Those peaked in January and are falling, but sadly
‘We went into lockdown better than the national Covid rates but now we have higher rates than average. The number of patients in our hospitals has fallen but it’s still higher than it was in the first wave...’ Dr Liz Robin Director of Public Health
they are still happening.
“The good news is our vaccination rates in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are very good. Lots of people are getting a vaccine.”
Dr Robin highlighted four key challenges going forward: reducing Covid rates in people of working age, maximising the vaccine roll-out, making sure all communities have confidence in getting tested and receiving self-isolation support and a vaccine, and the return to school of all pupils.
Dr Neil Modha, from Thistlemoor Medical Centre, told the summit: “There’s been a lot of great working across the whole system.
“The hospital has been inundated with some very sick and frail people and younger people than you would expect. Unfortunately, many of our patients have been very unwell, both from the effects of coronavirus and the effects after coronavirus like long Covid, an increase in mental health problems and physical, longterm conditions.
“We’ve tried to be very open and honest about what the NHS can do and what it is struggling to do.
“The best thing of the last 12 months has been the coronavirus vaccination programme. Personally, that’s
been one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done, working in a vaccination clinic, giving people a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
“As time goes on it’s just affecting everyone’s mental health. Whether you’ve got an underlying mental health problem or you didn’t have before, I think everyone is becoming pretty sad, deflated and struggling as time goes on.”
There was widespread praise for the leadership shown by Peterborough City Council during the pandemic, including from MP for Peterborough Paul Bristow, but city council cabinet member for adult social care, health and public health Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald fired a warning.
Speaking about the Government’s road map to end restrictions in June, he said: “I don’t want Peterborough to be left behind and be at the back of that road. I want us to be leading from the front and get over that finish line to be below the national average, to have as little Covid as we can in the city.”
The first summit took place last October and included measures to help tackle a rise in infections, including the introduction of Covid marshals into the city.
The latest meeting on Zoom - which had members of the Cabinet Office listening in - was introduced by leader of Peterborough City Council Cllr John Holdich, who told attendees: “I think I said at the summit I’ve really never seen so many services and communities all come together to work together to beat this pandemic and that’s still been the case.
“Whilst I realise the Prime Minister has said to us we have a route map out of this it frightens me somewhat that people have said ‘oh it’s alright, we’ll give up’. But we can’t afford to give up.
“We owe it to our communities and to businesses in the city and indeed the city as a whole to continue the fight, because if we don’t continue the fight the figures will still go up and we won’t get out of this pandemic and this city open again and people will be ill and dying.”
Council chief executive Gillian Beasley said: “We’ve fought many foes in our time and done really well, and this is one that we’ve still got to fight.
“We have the benefit of having the Cabinet Office with us this week. I’m hopeful this week we can learn more about what we can do.’’