Council leader responds to Govt winter Covid plans
RESIDENTS in Staffordshire have been asked to continue to play their part as winter plans to tackle Covid were announced by the Government yesterday.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the measures are part of a ‘Plan
B’ if efforts to control the spread of coronavirus – including a massive booster vaccination programme – are not effective.
The contingency plans will only be activated if there is ‘unsustainable’ pressure on the NHS in England, Mr Javid said.
As part of the ‘Plan A’ for autumn and winter:
■ A booster vaccination campaign will begin next week for millions of people who received jabs in phase one of the rollout.
■ Mr Javid said it is ‘highly likely’ that frontline NHS staff and those in wider social care settings will need to have Covid-19 and flu vaccinations in order to be deployed, measures which are currently subject to consultation.
■ People will be encouraged to meet outdoors or open windows if indoors, wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed settings, wash their hands frequently, and use the NHS Covid-19 app.
■ Businesses are urged to consider using the Covid pass to check the vaccination or test status of customers. Ministers have also prepared a ‘Plan B’ of tougher measures in case pressures on the NHS become unsustainable. These plans include:
■ Communicating clearly and urgently to the public that the level of risk has increased, and with it the need to behave more cautiously.
■ Introducing mandatory vaccineonly Covid-pass use in settings including nightclubs; indoor venues with 500 or more attendees likely to be in close proximity to others, such as music concerts; outdoor settings with 4,000 or more people, such as festivals; and any settings with 10,000 or more people, such as sports events.
■ A legal requirement to wear face coverings in some settings.
■ Advice to work from home.
Ministers shelved plans to introduce mandatory Covid passes by the end of September.
The autumn and winter plan states that the contingency measures “should be sufficient to reverse a resurgence”’ but “the nature of the virus means it is not possible to give guarantees”.
Alan White, Leader of Staffordshire County Council, said everything must be done to help keep people safe, keep the economy moving and reduce the pressures on our hospitals as we head towards winter.
Cllr White said: “In Staffordshire we all pulled together at the height of the pandemic and it has been fantastic to see the county gradually reopen and us once again been able to enjoy meeting up with friends and family and getting out an about – things which we previously took for granted. “However, Covid is still with us and the impact it can have lives and potentially on livelihoods is still real and here in Staffordshire cases are worrying still higher than the both the national and west Midlands average. “The vaccine has been a game changer and remains at the heart of the Government’s plans to get us through this next winter.”
ENGLAND’S chief medical officer has urged anyone who has not yet had their coronavirus vaccine to take up the offer, as he warned that respiratory viruses are “hugely advantaged” in winter.
Professor Chris Whitty cautioned that people must take the threat of Covid-19 seriously, noting that the UK has a “much higher” level of cases, hospital admissions and deaths than this time last year.
He said vaccines have allowed the NHS not to be as stretched now as it was towards the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021, but added that it “wouldn’t take many doubling times to get into trouble”.
Prof Whitty said Public Health England data shows in every age bracket there is a “very substantially smaller” risk of being admitted to hospital with Covid if someone is vaccinated compared to those who are not jabbed.
He added that an unjabbed person in their 30s “is running about the same risk” as someone in their 70s who is vaccinated.
He told the Downing Street press conference: “One of the most depressing things for doctors, including myself, is talking to people who have just chosen not to get vaccinated because it wasn’t convenient at that particular moment and you see them being wheeled down to intensive care, and you know this was a very serious problem as a result of them not being vaccinated.”
He said people must encourage “everybody we know to get vaccinated” and that for most people it is not that they are antivaccination, but rather they just have not got around to doing it.
He added: “We’re about to enter winter. Winter is coming and people really should take this seriously.”
Prof Whitty said people do not need a medical degree to know that the autumn and winter seasons are a time when respiratory viruses, such as flu and others, are “hugely advantaged”, with people more often gathering indoors with windows closed.
He added: “If you’ve not had your vaccination, now is a very good time to do so.”
Prof Whitty said the absolute numbers of people going in to hospital this winter will be one of the factors to consider when deciding whether to impose further restrictions.
He said that as well as capacity, the rate in increase in hospital admissions was also important.
He said: “A gradual drift up (in hospitalisations) is one thing, if you suddenly saw a very rapid increase, then you have to consider taking earlier action.
“No-one is claiming there was a good number – we would all like the numbers to be as low as possible – but in terms of what might trigger change, those are the things which I think are the most likely.”