Now is not time to be complacent, as Covid cases edge up - mayor
WARNING AS MINISTERS DON’T RULE OUT MORE LOCKDOWNS
THE number of Covid-19 cases in the city has been edging up of late and while the seven-day rate is higher than the England average, Leicester is no longer one of the top ranking areas.
But, given the city’s unique Covid experience, people would be forgiven for wincing after vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said the Government would not be ruling out local lockdowns.
Leicester spent longer than any other area under coronavirus restrictions – bar a few weeks in the summer, socialising had been virtually outlawed since March last year in the city until the April unlocking – so people and businesses will be understandably nervous when local lockdowns are mentioned once again.
The Indian variant is the driver behind any potential local restrictions and while there have been confirmed cases in Leicester, public health bosses told the Mercury that they believe they have contained the strain in the city.
‘INDIAN VARIANT’
Three cases were reported at the end of last month. Since then there have been more, though it has not been revealed exactly how many, but public health teams expected them and were ready for them having carried out targeted testing on contacts of people who tested positive after travelling back from abroad.
Leicester’s current seven-day rate of 50.3 cases per 100,000 people is a fraction of what it was when it was thrust into the country’s first local lockdown at the end of last June and it has been rising in recent days.
So city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has warned now is not the time for complacency.
He told the Mercury: “We have all been encouraged to see the infection figures, so long stubbornly high here in the city, dropping to something nearer to the national average and there is nothing in our figures to give us cause for any alarm that there might be more local lockdowns imposed here.
“But we in Leicester know better than most places how quickly things can change.
“The majority, if not all, of the Indian variant cases we have are linked to travel but as far as we know our brilliant Public Health England colleagues and the council’s own public health teams have got it contained.
“That said, we cannot be complacent because we very much want to avoid any further measures if we can.”
The England average is sitting at 23.6 cases per 100,000 – Bolton, an area where there is real concern about the Indian variant and its impact, tops the national infection rates with 254 cases per 100,000 people.
While Leicester’s rate remains higher than in other areas, the national trend that has seen hospital admission numbers dropping off has been mirrored here.
Only 10 Covid positive patients now occupy beds across wards at the city’s three hospitals, Leicester Royal Infirmary, the General and Glenfield hospital.
One of the measures being suggested to combat the spread of the “highly transmissible” Indian strain is to widen out the offer of Covid vaccinations.
Health bosses in Bolton and other North West areas where numbers are high have asked the Government whether it can start vaccinating all over 18s.
The Mercury has asked if a similar request has been made by health officials here.
Despite the number of Indian variant cases doubling in a week nationally, the Prime Minister said he doesn’t believe it will prevent the last step of the lifting lockdown road map from going ahead on June 21.
The message locally is a clear one. Leicester’s director of public health, Professor Ivan Browne said: “Our advice to everyone remains the same.
“The best way to stop the spread of the virus is to keep washing or sanitising your hands, wear a face covering in public places, stay apart from those you don’t live with, and abide by the restrictions in place.”
Anyone with symptoms should book an appointment for a PCR test.
More details on testing is available on the council’s website: