16 November 2020

Dear all,

Welcome to the Coronawatch Bulletin. This bulletin provides an update on the current Covid-19 situation in Suffolk along with updates on the work being carried out as part of Suffolk’s Local Outbreak Control Plan.

With best wishes,

Cllr Matthew Hicks, Leader of Suffolk County Council Chair of the Suffolk Local Outbreak Engagement Board

Nicola Beach Chief Executive, Suffolk County Council

Stuart Keeble, Director for Public Health in Suffolk Chair of the Suffolk Health Protection Board

Suffolk Cases As of the 14 November there have been 6374 total lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Suffolk. In total there have been 837.2 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people. This is the lowest overall COVID-19 case rate in the East of England.

District case rate as of 14 November 2020

From 2 July, the number of lab-confirmed positive cases now includes those identified by testing in all settings (pillars 1 and 2). Pillar 2 refers to tests in commercial labs working in partnership with the NHS. Previously, only Pillar 1 confirmed cases were included (tests completed in NHS labs). Due to this change many cases previously not attributed to any area are now included in area totals. This is not a recent surge in cases – the cases now being reported occurred from April onwards. As the quality of this data continues to improve, these numbers may continue to fluctuate over time, but overall, case numbers and case rates in Suffolk remain low compared to the East of England and England as a whole.

Ipswich local alert On Friday November 13th a local alert was issued for Ipswich following a steady increase in Coronavirus cases.

The following statement was issued by Ipswich Borough Council:

The latest testing information shows a large rise in positive coronavirus cases in Ipswich. Residents and businesses must act now to reduce the spread of the coronavirus if we are to avoid people becoming ill as well as the possibility of further restrictions being necessary in the town after the end of the national lockdown.

In some parts of Ipswich, there are currently more than 150 per 100,000 people who have tested positive for Coronavirus and the overall rate for the Borough is perilously close to 100 per 100,000. This is a much higher rate than Suffolk as a whole.

There is evidence that a large number of cases in Ipswich involve household transmission, especially where people are visiting friends and family.

People in Suffolk have been good at following the guidance to keep infection rates down, but we must do the following to address this current increase:

• Stay at home as much as possible, avoiding unnecessary journeys and work from home if you can. You must not leave or be outside of your home except for specific reasons. • You should minimise time spent outside your home and reduce the number of people you come into contact with. • Remember – ‘Hands. Face. Space.’ More detail about the above is available at www.ipswich.gov.uk/CovidInIpswich as well as information about how to self-isolate, financial support for those self-isolating as well as other sources of information and support.

Hadleigh local alert On Friday November 13th a local alert was issued for Hadleigh following a steady increase in Coronavirus cases.

The following statement was issued by Mid Suffolk and Babergh Council:

Coronavirus is establishing itself in Hadleigh and this must be stopped now.

The latest testing information shows a large rise in positive coronavirus cases in Hadleigh. As of 13 November, there were the equivalent of 475 cases for every 100,000 people. For England, the figure is 252 per 100,000 people. In Hadleigh, there have been 53 new cases in the last seven days.

Your councils and local health professionals are working together to control this local outbreak.

We know that many of the cases are linked to care and nursing homes in Hadleigh, so we are working with them to protect residents, staff and their families.

We know that a small number of cases have been identified at Hadleigh High School, and staff and students are following the necessary guidance to stop the virus spreading.

However, data also shows that the disease is being shared more generally in the community and between households.

This is a serious risk and you have a vital role to play to protect yourselves, friends, family and neighbours. You must act now to reduce the spread of the coronavirus if we are to avoid the possibility of further restrictions becoming necessary after the national restrictions.

The Hadleigh community has pulled together before and has been good at following the guidance to keep infection rates down, but you must do the following to address this increase now.

For more information click here

The current national restrictions have once again highlighted real fears for those people who face the threat of violence in their own home.

Leaders and organisations across Suffolk have come together to make sure victims of domestic violence know that; If you need to leave your home to protect yourself from injury or harm, you are allowed to do so.

If you are a victim of domestic abuse:

• Call the 24-hour Suffolk Freephone Helpline 0800 977 5690 • Are you hurting the one you love? Choose to stop. Call The Respect Phoneline 0808 802 4040 For more information click here

UK Cases As of 4.09pm on 15th November: 1,369,318 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK (pillar 1 and pillar 2 testing). Of those who tested positive for COVID-19 in the UK, 51,934 have died (within 28 days of positive test) across all settings. You can view the latest UK dashboard and cases by local authority here.

The total number of cases and deaths in the UK during the last 24 hours are 24,962 and 168 respectively.

Current UK Alert Level: 4

On 21/09/2020 update from the UK Chief Medical Officers on the UK alert level confirmed that the UK COVID-19 alert level has been raised from level 3 to level 4. The COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation, transmission is high or rising exponentially. Therefore, we all need to follow current social distancing measures, infection prevention guidance, and relevant restrictions.

When the national lockdown in England begins on 5 November, the national alert levels will be suspended until the lockdown period ends.

The current Government messaging is ‘Hands, Face, Space’ (previously ‘stay alert, control the virus, save lives’ and ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives’)

Hands: wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds.

Face: Wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.

Space: Stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings or increasing ventilation indoors).

National News

COVID-19 related news from GOV.UK • Business Secretary's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 12 November 2020 - Business Secretary Alok Sharma gave a statement at the coronavirus press conference. Slide to accompany coronavirus press conference: 12 November 2020 • Two new megalabs to open in 2021 to transform the UK’s diagnostic facilities - The labs in Leamington Spa and Scotland will add 600,000 to the UK's daily testing capacity when operating at full capacity, meaning faster turnaround times for test results. • Janssen to begin Covid-19 vaccine trials in the UK - Pharmaceutical company to begin trials of UK vaccine from 16 November • Pilot for family members to get regular testing for safer care home visits - Named family and friends may soon be able to regularly visit loved ones in care homes as a new testing pilot is launched. • Designated settings scheme: letters to directors of adult social services - The letters set out arrangements for the designated settings scheme for people discharged to a care home with a positive COVID-19 test. • Treasury Direction made under Sections 71 and 76 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 - Treasury Direction in relation to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Job Retention Bonus. • Businesses in England to receive £2.2 billion to see them through national restrictions - Significant grant funding for businesses to be delivered via local authorities across England Other COVID-related news

NHSE • NHS launches 40 ‘long COVID’ clinics to tackle persistent symptoms - The NHS will launch a network of more than 40 ‘long COVID’ specialist clinics within weeks to help thousands of patients suffering debilitating effects of the virus months after being infected. BBC Health • Covid vaccine: Major new trial starts in UK - A major trial of a vaccine to protect against Covid-19 has launched in the UK - the third such trial in the country. The jab - designed by the Belgian company Janssen - uses a genetically modified common cold virus to train the immune system. • Covid-19: Normal life back next winter, says vaccine creator - The impact of a new Covid vaccine will kick in significantly over summer and life should be back to normal by next winter, one of its creators has said. • Covid-19: New 'mega labs' in early 2021 to speed up testing - Two new "mega labs" will open in early 2021 to try to double the UK's daily coronavirus testing capacity, the government has said. • Covid: Vaccine or no vaccine, we have to get through this first - After the euphoria of a vaccine breakthrough, it did not take long for the virus to provide a reality check. Within days of the news that an effective vaccine may have been found, it was being announced the UK was the first European country to pass the grim milestone of 50,000 deaths. This was quickly followed by a record rise in new cases with 33,400 reported on Thursday. • Coronavirus doctor's diary: The Yorkshire cemetery struggling to keep up with burials - Bradford's main Muslim cemetery has been struggling to keep up with burials as the second wave of the pandemic has gathered pace. It will take some medical detective work to determine the cause of this increase in deaths, says Dr John Wright of Bradford Royal Infirmary, but multi-generational homes could be a factor. BBC Global • Covid: Michigan and Washington State clamp down as US cases pass 11 million mark - Michigan and Washington are the latest US states to bring in strict measures to try and curb the spread of Covid-19. • Covid: South Australia goes on high alert after first outbreak in months - South Australian authorities say they are facing a "dangerous situation" after reporting 18 coronavirus cases in the state's first outbreak since April.