KCC COVID-19 Support Guide

Kent County Council COVID-19 Update

This guide includes a summary of the latest Government announcements, alongside information on KCC’s website (kent.gov.uk). The guide is updated regularly and, is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the resources, funding and advice being issued, therefore it links to other sources of information where available.

• On Tuesday, 14 September the Prime Minister announced the Government’s Autumn and Winter COVID Plan.

• The Plan is split into a Plan A and Plan B.

• Plan A is “an approach designed to steer the country through autumn and winter 2021-22”, “while ensuring the NHS does not come under unsustainable pressure”.

This includes:

o Maximising uptake of a COVID-19 vaccine among those that are eligible but have not yet taken up the offer o Offering booster doses to individuals who received vaccination in Phase 1 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme (priority groups 1-9) o Offering a first dose of vaccine to 12–15-year-olds. o The Government also recommends as many people as possible receive a vaccination against flu this autumn and winter. o The Test, Trace, and Isolate system will continue over the autumn and winter. o A revised framework for international travel. o Repealing and renewing certain legislation

• Plan B exists because COVID-19 “remains a risk”, and Government needs to “keep further measures in reserve”.

This update comprises:

• Autumn & Winter Covid Plan • Business • Vaccines • Employment • Testing • Economic Development • Levelling-up • Antibody treatments • Economy • Infection Rate

AUTUMN & WINTER COVID PLAN

• On Tuesday, 14 September the Prime Minister announced the Government’s Autumn and Winter COVID Plan. The Plan is split into a Plan A and Plan B.

• Plan A is “an approach designed to steer the country through autumn and winter 2021-22”, “while ensuring the National Health Service (NHS) does not come under unsustainable pressure”. KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.1

• Plan B exists because as the Prime Minister has said, COVID-19 “remains a risk”, and Government needs to “keep further measures in reserve”. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has said that the broad trigger for Plan B will be rising hospital admissions.

PLAN A

• There are five main parts to the Government’s ‘Plan A’, and three associated areas (councils role, law, shielding of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable):

1. Building defences through pharmaceutical interventions – this includes: a) Maximising uptake of a COVID-19 vaccine among those that are eligible but have not yet taken up the offer b) Offering booster doses to individuals who received vaccination in Phase 1 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme (priority groups 1-9) c) Offering a first dose of vaccine to 12–15-year-olds. Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) concludes that those who are unvaccinated accounted for around 99% of all deaths involving COVID-19 in England in the first half of this year. d) Antivirals and therapeutics will continue to provide additional tools to manage COVID-19. e) The Government also recommends as many people as possible receive a vaccination against flu this autumn and winter. • A free flu vaccination is available for all previously eligible groups: ▪ Primary school children. ▪ 65-year-olds and over. ▪ Vulnerable groups. ▪ Pregnant women. • The Government has also extended eligibility for a free flu vaccination this year to include: ▪ Secondary school children. ▪ 50–64-year-olds. • As with the COVID-19 vaccine, flu vaccines are available from a range of different providers, including GPs, community pharmacies, and health centres.

2. Identifying and isolating positive cases to limit transmission • The Test, Trace, and Isolate system will continue over the autumn and winter. • Government continues to expect everyone with COVID-19 symptoms to self-isolate and take a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. • The legal requirement to self-isolate for 10 days if an individual tests positive for COVID-19 will remain in place. • Over autumn and winter PCR testing for those with COVID-19 symptoms will continue to be available free of charge. • Testing for students In secondary schools, further education and higher education will continue for the rest of this term. • Government will continue to provide the public with access to free lateral flow tests in the coming months. • As the Government’s response to the virus changes, universal free provision of LFDs will end, and individuals and businesses using the tests will bear the cost. The Government will engage widely on how to do this. • Contact tracing will continue through the autumn and winter. KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.2

• Government continues to encourage the use of the NHS COVID-19 app. • Government will continue to offer practical and financial support to those who are eligible and require assistance to self-isolate. • Government will review the future of these regulations as well as this support by the end of March 2022.

3. Supporting the NHS and social care a) On 6 September Government announced that there will be an additional £5.4 billion for the NHS in England to support the COVID-19 response over the next 6 months. b) The Government has also launched a consultation on making COVID-19 and flu vaccinations a condition of deployment for frontline health and wider social care staff in England.

4. Advising people on how to protect themselves and others a) The Government has published guidance on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. b) The Government will continue to provide up-to-date Working Safely guidance on how employers can reduce the risks in their workplace. The Government have updated their guidance on working safely during COVID-19 c) The Government will set out in guidance the practical steps everyone can take to maximise fresh air in order to reduce the risk of airborne transmission, taking into account the colder months when more activities take place indoors. Th eGovernment has updated their guidance on ventilation of indoor spaces to stop the spread of coronavirus

5. Managing risks at the border a) The Transport Secretary has set out a revised framework for international travel.

• From Wednesday, 22 September: o Eight countries will move off the red list – Turkey, Pakistan, the Maldives, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh and Kenya.

• From Monday 4 October: o The current traffic light system, of ‘red’, ‘amber’ and ‘green’ countries, will be replaced by a single ‘red’ list of countries and territories. o Fully vaccinated travellers from 17 new countries, such as Japan and Singapore, will be treated like returning fully vaccinated UK travellers. They will no longer need to take a Pre-Departure Test (PDT) when travelling to England. o Passengers who aren’t recognised as being fully vaccinated with authorised vaccines and certificates under England’s international travel rules, will still have to take a pre-departure test, a day 2 and day 8 PCR test and self-isolate for 10 days upon their return from a non-red list country under the new two-tiered travel programme. Test to Release will remain an option for unvaccinated passengers who wish to shorten their isolation period. o The policy on children remains as now – they are treated the same as vaccinated adults, regardless of their own vaccination status, if they are resident in the UK or from one of the 50 countries and territories whose vaccinations Government recognise.

KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.3

• From the end of October: o Eligible fully vaccinated passengers, and those with an approved vaccine from a select group of non-red countries, will be able to replace their day 2 test with a cheaper Lateral Flow Test. o Anyone testing positive will need to isolate and take a confirmatory PCR test, at no additional cost to the traveller. o Testing for unvaccinated passengers from non-red countries will include pre- departure tests, day 2 and day 8 PCR tests. Test to release remains an option to reduce self-isolation period. o All passengers will still need to fill in a passenger locator form ahead of travel. Passengers should continue to check GOV.UK travel guidance including FCDO travel advice before, during and after travel to keep up to date in entry requirements and ensure compliance with the latest COVID-19 and non-COVID- 19 regulations for the country being visited.

Transit changes o Government will also be making changes to allow passengers who change flights or international trains during their journey to follow the measures associated to their country of departure, rather than any countries they have transited through as part of their journey.

• From early 2022 o Government will look to set out a further review for the UK’s international travel policy early in the new year to provide further certainty for the spring and summer 2022 seasons.

Booking and staying in a quarantine hotel if you’ve been in a red list country

6. Councils’ role in management of COVID-19 a) The Government will continue to support and work with councils and local areas to reduce the spread and minimise the impact of COVID-19. This includes support for areas with enduring transmission. b) The Government will also continue to provide access to: • The COVID-19 Contain Framework, which will be updated at the beginning of October. This will provide an overview of the support local authorities can expect from regional and national teams and will continue to refer to the responsibilities of Directors of Public Health, regional health protection teams, and the Government’s Local Action Committee command structure. • National support for an enhanced response in areas with particularly challenging disease situations. • The Education Contingency Framework.

7. Legislation and reviews a) The Government has decided, subject to Parliamentary agreement, that it is necessary to extend the following regulations until 24 March 2022, at which point they will be reviewed: • The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020, which impose legal requirements to self-isolate on positive cases and unvaccinated close contacts. Self-isolation will remain crucial in breaking chains of transmission throughout autumn and winter.

KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.4

• The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 3) Regulations 2020, which enable local authorities to respond to serious and imminent public health threats. • The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021, which impose testing and quarantine requirements on arrivals in England, will remain. b) As part of the third six-month review of the Coronavirus Act, due in September 2021, the Government is committed to removing those legal provisions that are no longer necessary or proportionate. The Government intends to recommend to Parliament that the following temporary non- devolved provisions are expired: ▪ Section 23 (UK wide) enables changes to the timings of urgent warrants under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. ▪ Section 37 (Schedule 16) (for England) gives Ministers the power to direct the temporary closure of educational institutions and providers. ▪ Section 51 (Schedule 21) (for England) allows restrictions to be imposed upon potentially infectious persons including detention, and screening for COVID-19. ▪ Section 52 (Schedule 22) (for England) enables Ministers to restrict or prohibit gatherings or events and to close and restrict access to premises during a public health response period. ▪ Section 56 (Schedule 26) (England and Wales) provides that appeals imposed under powers set out in Schedule 21 of the Coronavirus Act can be heard by telephone or video in civil proceedings in the Magistrates Court. ▪ Section 77 (UK wide) increases the rate of the basic element of Working Tax Credit. ▪ Section 78 (for England) is a power for local authorities to change how they meet in meetings held before 7 May 2021. ▪ The Government also intends to expire parts of Section 38/Schedule 17 of the Act. Schedule 17 allows the Secretary of State to disapply or modify existing requirements in education and childcare legislation. Expiring parts of schedule 17 includes removing the ability to modify the duty on local authorities to secure the special educational needs provision in a child or young person’s Education and Health Care plan. c) The remaining temporary powers in the Coronavirus Act are due to expire at midnight on 24 March 2022. d) In the spring, the Government will review this legislation and the other remaining regulations and measures and decide whether any need to remain in place. e) The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 gives emergency powers to be used in pandemics if they present significant harm to human health. This was used as the legal basis for national restrictions in England. No changes to the Public Health Act are planned.

8. Shielding of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable • The Government has announced that people who are Clinically Extremely Vulnerable will not be advised to shield again, following expert clinical advice. • This decision is based on there being far more information available on the virus and what makes individuals more or less vulnerable, the success of the COVID-19 vaccination programme and the emergence of proven treatments to support improved outcomes in clinical care pathways. • This will move the country towards the situation pre-COVID-19, where people managed their own conditions with their health professionals. KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.5

• For some who may have a reduced immune response, and who are at risk from infectious diseases more generally, a return to routine individual advice from relevant specialists is now recommended. • Those previously on the Shielded Patient List will receive a letter from the Government to inform them of this decision. • People aged over 16 with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19 will also be prioritised for booster vaccinations, as well as adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals.

Further information Guidance for people previously considered clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19

PLAN B

• Plan B prioritises measures which can help control transmission of the COVID- 19, while seeking to minimise economic and social impacts. This includes:

a. Communicating clearly and urgently to the public that the level of risk has increased, and with it the need to behave more cautiously.

b. Introducing mandatory vaccine-only COVID-status certification in certain settings. a) Under Plan A, the NHS COVID Pass will continue to certify individuals based on vaccination, testing or natural immunity status. If Plan B is implemented, at that point the NHS COVID Pass will change to display full vaccination only. b) Government would expect to introduce mandatory vaccine certification in a limited number of settings. Government will publish more detail shortly. Government would seek to give businesses at least one week’s notice before mandatory vaccine certification came into force. c) Government expects that mandatory vaccine-only certification would be introduced for visitors to the following venues: o All nightclubs o Indoor, crowded settings with 500 or more attendees where those attendees are likely to be in close proximity to people from other households, such as music venues or large receptions o Outdoor, crowded settings with 4,000 or more attendees where those attendees are likely to be in close proximity to people from other households, such as outdoor festivals; and o Any settings with 10,000 or more attendees, such as large sports and music stadia. • There are some settings that would be exempt from requirements to use the NHS COVID Pass, including communal worship, wedding ceremonies, funerals and other commemorative events, protests and mass participation sporting events.

c. Legally mandating face coverings in certain settings. a) The Government would bring back the legal requirement to wear face coverings in some settings. The current guidance on face coverings: when to wear one, exemptions, and how to make one

KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.6

d. Advice to work from home a) If the Government were to re-introduce this measure it would be seeking to reduce the transmission risk inside and outside of the workplace, including by reducing the number of people taking public transport, and the number of face- to-face meetings and social activities, and thereby reducing community and household transmission. b) Government recognises this causes more disruption and has greater immediate costs to the economy and some businesses than the other Plan B interventions, so a final decision would be made based on the data at the time

VACCINES

UK-wide Booster vaccination programme • The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has announced a UK-wide Booster vaccination programme. • The programme will be rolled out to the same priority groups as previously. This includes: o Those living in residential care homes for older adults o All adults aged 50 years or over o Frontline health and social care workers o All those aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19, and adult carers o Adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals • Vaccinations will be “given no earlier than six months after the second dose”. • People will be offered either a full dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or a half dose of the Moderna vaccine, following scientific evidence showing that both provide a strong booster response. This will be regardless of which vaccine the individual previously had. • Where neither can be offered, for example for those who have an allergy to either vaccine, the JCVI advise that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine can be used for those who received this vaccine for their first and second doses. Dr Raine, the Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has emphasised that AZ “is a safe and effective vaccine”. • The JCVI has also advised that the flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be co- administered. NHS England has issued guidance which says that COVID-19 booster vaccinations should be “co-administered with flu vaccine wherever possible”. • The vaccination rollout started on Thursday, 16 September, with health care workers. • NHS England will outline further details on deployment shortly. Plans for the roll-out will use the existing networks in place for the COVID-19 vaccination programme, including: o local vaccination services co-ordinated by primary care networks and community pharmacies o vaccination centres across the country, ensuring people can access a booster dose regardless of where they live • The NHS will contact people directly to let them know when it is their turn to get their booster vaccine.

Further information The Government has published guidance for eligible individuals

KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.7

Vaccinations for 12 to 15-years-olds • Those aged 12 to 15 in England will be offered one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, following advice from the 4 UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs). • This covers “all children and young people aged 12 to 15 not already covered by existing” Joint Commission on Vaccination and immunisation (JCVI). • Invitations for vaccination will begin on 22 September. • Healthy school-aged children aged 12 to 15 will primarily receive their COVID-19 vaccination in their school with alternative provision for those who are home schooled, in secure services or specialist mental health settings. • The schools-based vaccination programme is the successful model used for vaccinations including for HPV and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP), supported by GPs and community pharmacies. • Parental, guardian or carer consent will be sought by vaccination healthcare staff prior to vaccination in line with existing school vaccination programmes. • “Children will have a leaflet that they can share with their parents and…a consent form…will go to them, either electronically and, in some schools physically, to their parents”. • The Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Dr June Raine said that “our advice remains that the benefits outweigh the risks of getting vaccinated, and this includes those aged 12 to 15”. • The Government have published guidance for children and young people, and for schools.

Further information

People working in care homes unable to have a COVID-19 vaccine • A letter has been sent from the Director of Adult Social Care Delivery to councils, Directors of Adult Social Services, care home providers, care home managers and agencies, to outline how, on a temporary basis, people working, or volunteering, in care homes who have a medical reason why they are unable to have a COVID-19 vaccine, will be able to self-certify that they meet the medical exemption criteria. • Care home workers who are exempt will need to sign the ‘Self-certification form for people with medical exemptions’ or the ‘Self-certification form for people vaccinated abroad’ and show this to their employer as proof of their temporary exemption status. • This temporary self-certification process has been introduced for a short period prior to the launch of the new NHS COVID Pass system, which will go live imminently.

Further information

COVID-19 deaths by vaccination status • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that in England, between 2 January and 2 July 2021, there were 51,281 deaths involving COVID-19; 640 occurred in people who were fully vaccinated, which includes people who had been infected before they were vaccinated. The risk of death involving COVID-19 was consistently lower for people who had received two vaccinations compared to one or no vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report • Public Health England (PHE) has published its latest weekly COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report. The latest PHE estimates suggest that 230,800 hospitalisations have been prevented in those aged 45 years and over in England as a result of the KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.8

COVID-19 vaccination programme, up to 5 September. Around 51,900 hospitalisations have been prevented in the 45 to 64 age group, which includes healthy individuals and at-risk groups, the latter prioritised earlier in the campaign. Approximately 46,500 admissions were prevented in those aged 65 to 74, 73,800 in those aged 75 to 84, and 58,600 in those aged 85 and over.

TESTING

NHS Test and Trace • The Government has published new modelling which compares NHS Test and Trace statistics with ONS infection survey data, and estimates the timing and compliance rates of isolation to determine the overall level of transmission reduction from testing, contract tracing and self-isolation. Further information

LEVELLING-UP

Levelling-up in health speech • The Health Secretary said that “our recovery from COVID-19 can’t be limited to supporting the economy. After all, we can only level up economically if we level up in terms of health too”. The Health Secretary has added that the new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) will have a “relentless focus” on health inequalities, and this will be part of the Government’s levelling up agenda.

ECONOMY

Inflation • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that consumer price inflation for August 2021 rose by 3.0% in the 12 months to August 2021, up from 2.1% in the 12 months to July. The increase of 0.9% is the largest increase ever recorded. However, this is likely to be a temporary change. This is, in part, discounted restaurant and café prices in August 2020 resulting from the Government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme and, to a lesser extent, reductions in Value Added Tax (VAT) across the same sector. The largest upward contribution came from transport with further large upward contributions from restaurants and hotels, housing and household services, and recreation and culture.

Household savings • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that in the 12 months to March this year, households reduced their spending by an average of £109.10, or 19%, a week. “Higher income households, who tended to spend more on travel pre-pandemic, and whose workers were more likely to be able to work from home, saw a larger drop in spending than low-income households”. “However, for some, the reduction in spending may have been associated with a fall in income.”

KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.9

BUSINESS

Vacancies • The Office for National Statistics has reported that the number of job vacancies in June to August 2021 was 1,034,000, the first time vacancies has risen over 1 million since records began, and is now 249,000 above its pre-COVID-19 pandemic January to March 2020 level.

Number of pay-rolled employees • The Office for National Statistics has reported that early estimates for August 2021 indicate that the number of pay-rolled employees rose by 3.0% compared with August 2020, which is a rise of 836,000 employees; the number of pay-rolled employees is up by 1,000 since February 2020.

Retail • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that retail sales volumes fell by 0.9% in August 2021, following a 2.8% fall in July; however, volumes were up by 0.3% in the three months to August compared with the previous three months, and in August 2021 were 4.6% higher than their pre-COVID-19 pandemic February 2020 levels.

EMPLOYMENT

Plan for Jobs • The Government has published a ‘Plan for Jobs’ update. This sets out how people and businesses have been supported since the pandemic began.

Further information

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Consequences of COVID-19 for urban economies • The Local Government Association (LGA) has published a vision for urban growth and recovery. The report analyses the consequences of COVID-19 for urban economies and sets out a new vision for urban growth and recovery.

ANTIBODY TREATMENTS

Antibody treatments for Vulnerable hospital patients o Government has announced that vulnerable NHS patients in hospital due to COVID-19 are set to benefit from a new antibody treatment. o Ronapreve, a combination of 2 monoclonal antibodies, will be targeted initially to treat patients without antibodies to SARS CoV-2 who are either aged 50 and over, or are aged 12 to 49 and are considered to be immunocompromised.

Further information

KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.10

INFECTION RATE

• England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty has highlighted that there has been “a gradual drifting up” in the number of people testing positive in the UK. As of Monday, 13 September, the 7-day average was 34,521 cases. The Coronavirus Dashboard has reported that, as of Friday, 17 September, there had been a further 32,651 COVID-19 infections. Week on week, a fall of 23%. On 16 September this was 26,911, on 15 September this was 30,597, on 14 September this was 26,628, and on 13 September this was 30,825.

• Professor Chris Whitty has said that the number of people who are dying from COVID-19 is “broadly flat to just drifting up”, but “these numbers are not trivial”. As of Monday, 13 September, the 7-day average was 141 deaths. The Coronavirus Dashboard has reported that, as of Friday, 17 September, there had been a further 178 further deaths from COVID-19. Week on week, there has been a rise of 5.1%. On 16 September this was 158, on 15 September this was 201, and on 14 September this was 185, and on 13 September it was 61. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has reported that the number of deaths involving COVID-19 in England decreased to 632 in the week ending 3 September 2021, compared with the previous week.

• Professor Chris Whitty has said that the number of people in hospital has also seen “a gradual drifting up”, although “not anywhere near the peak it was” earlier in the year. The Coronavirus Dashboard has reported that, as of Monday, 13 September, there had been a further 909 people admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Week on week, a fall of 1.3%. As of Friday, 17 September, there were 7,847 patients in hospital with COVID-19. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has added that, in one scenario, daily hospitalisations could peak at 7,000 in England next month.

• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published their latest COVID-19 Infection Survey on Friday, 17 September. In England, the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 remained high in the week ending 11 September 2021, but the trend is uncertain. ONS estimate that 697,100 people within the community population in England had COVID-19. This equates to around 1 in 80 people. In the south-east this was estimated to be 1 in 85. For comparison, for the week ending 3 September 2021, in England, this was around 1 in 70 people. For the week ending 27 August 2021 this was around 1 in 70 people. For the week ending 20 August 2021, this was around 1 in 70 people. For the week ending 14 August 2021, this was around 1 in 80 people; for the week ending 6 August 2021, and for the week ending 31 July 2021, around 1 in 75 people; for the week ending 24 July 2021, around 1 in 65 people; for the week ending 17 July 2021, around 1 in 75 people; for the week ending 10 July 2021, around 1 in 95 people; for the week ending 3 July 2021, around 1 in 160 people

• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has also published its latest antibody and vaccination data. In England it is estimated that over 9 in 10 adults, or 93.6% of the adult population would have tested positive for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the specific virus that causes COVID-19) on a blood test in the week beginning 23 August 2021, suggesting they had the infection in the past or have been vaccinated. Across all UK countries, the percentage of adults testing positive for antibodies increased or KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.11

remained high for all age groups in the week beginning 23 August 2021; antibody positivity for those aged 16 to 24 years is increasing steadily across all four UK countries, with estimates ranging between 86.9% and 88.7% for that age group across the UK.

• Public Health England (PHE) has published its latest weekly COVID-19 surveillance report. The report is based on data from week 36 (between 6 September and 12 September 2021) and for some indicators daily data up to 14 September 2021. PHE report that at a national level COVID-19 activity has slightly decreased in week 36 of 2021, 5 September to 11 September 2021. Case rates were highest in those aged 10 to 19, with a 7-day rate of 597.4 per 100,000 population. The lowest case rates were in those aged 80 and above, with a 7-day rate of 105.1 per 100,000 population. Seven-day case rates per 100,000 population were highest in the Northeast at 369.6. Case rates per 100,000 were lowest in London with a 7-day rate of 211.7. The hospital admission rate for week 35 was 7.29 per 100,000 population, in the previous week it was 7.49 per 100,000 population. Hospital admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the Northeast, with a rate of 9.73 per 100,000 population. The highest hospital admission rates continue to be those aged 85 and above.

• The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published their latest assessment of The R value and growth rate on Friday, 17 September. The reproduction (‘R’) rate, for England remains at 0.9 to 1.1. The latest growth rate range for England remains at -1% to +1% per day. For London, the figures are 0.9 to 1.1, and -1 to +1 respectively (being previously 0.8 to 1.0, and -2 to 0). For the south-east, the figures are 0.9 to 1.2, and -1 to +1 respectively (being previously 0.9 to 1.1, and -1 to +2). An R value between 0.9 and 1.1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 9 and 11 other people. An R value between 0.9 and 1.1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 9 and 11 other people. A growth rate of between -1% and +1% means that the number of new infections could be broadly flat, shrinking by up to 1% every day or growing by up to 1% every day. These estimates represent the transmission of COVID-19 from 2 to 3 weeks ago, due to the time delay between someone being infected, developing symptoms, and needing healthcare.

KCC COVID-19 Update 58 - 17 September 2021 (revised) p.12