The Evesham Journal reports that Covid cases are spiking again in Worcestershire.

According to the latest data, there are more Covid cases in county hospitals than at any point since April.

As of Tuesday, July 5, there were 117 positive cases in hospitals run by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

This includes Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester, the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch and Kidderminster Hospital.

Figures from Worcestershire County Council show Covid cases at those three hospitals had been steadily falling since mid-April, but are now climbing again.

The number of positive cases reported in Worcestershire has also been rising in the past few weeks after decreasing week-on-week throughout April and May.

Latest figures show there were 1,491 positive cases in the county on July 1, compared to 293 on June 1.

Cases rose by 16% in Worcestershire in the seven days to July 1. The council’s figures suggest the spike is even greater in other parts of the country, with cases in the West Midlands going up 22% over the same period and the figure for England rising by 27%.

Mask wearing not required at hospitals

There are currently no Government-mandated restrictions in place to reduce the spread of Covid.

Advice from the UK Health Security Agency, the Government department that has replaced Public Health England, remains to get vaccinated, practice good hygiene, let fresh air in if you’re meeting others indoors and to wear a mask if you so wish.

Isolating is no longer mandatory if you do test positive for Covid, but the advice is to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people. Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust relaxed its guidance on mask wearing at its hospitals last month following a change in the national guidelines.

But visitors have been told they are still welcome to wear one if they prefer.

The UK Government has recently revised its advice on how to deal with Covid-19 in England, as part of its “return to normal” plans.

In summary, you will not be legally required to self-isolate if you test positive for COVID-19. Stay at home if you can and avoid contact with other people.

You will not have to take daily tests or be legally required to self-isolate following contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Test and Trace Support Payment Scheme will end. If you were told to self-isolate before 24 February you can still make a claim up to 6 April.

You can access the complete UK Government advice here:

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus?utm_source=MEMBERS&utm_campaign=81310d667f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_06_08_03_15_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_206970988f-81310d667f-364884910&mc_cid=81310d667f&mc_eid=83d580b7bc

The Government has announced that the measures put in place under Plan B in England will be lifted. They urge you to continue to follow safer behaviours to protect yourself and others.

This means that:

From Wednesday 19th January, you are no longer asked to work from home if you can. Talk to your employer to agree arrangements to return to your workplace.

From Thursday 20^th January, staff and pupils in secondary schools and colleges will not be required to wear a face covering in classrooms.

From Thursday 27^th January, you will not be required to wear a face covering, including in communal areas of schools, but the Government suggests you continue to wear one in crowded and indoor spaces where you may come into contact with people you do not normally meet.

You’ll no longer need to show your NHS COVID Pass at venues and events by law.

You can find full details of all of the Government’s advice on Coronavirus at:

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

On Thursday 13^th January HM Government advised that the self-isolation period for people in England who test positive for COVID-19 will be reduced from next week to five full days, instead of seven.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid also said that early signs indicate that the rate of hospitalization from the coronavirus in the country is starting to slow.

However, if you get a positive rapid lateral flow test result, most people will not need to take a PCR test to confirm the result. You must self-isolate immediately if you get a positive rapid lateral flow test result.

You can read full details of the rules and restrictions applying to people in England, including rules for people arriving in England from other countries at:

http://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

The Prime Minister has confirmed that England will move to Plan B following the rapid spread of the Omicron variant in the UK.

The main elements of Plan B are as follows:

• From Friday 10 December, face coverings will become compulsory in most public indoor venues, such as cinemas, theatres and places of worship. There will be exemptions in venues where it is not practical to wear one, such as when you are eating, drinking or exercising. For that reason, face masks will not be required in hospitality settings.

• From Monday 13 December, those who can will be advised to work from home.

• From Wednesday 15 December, and subject to parliamentary approval, the NHS Covid Pass on the NHS App will become mandatory for entry into nightclubs and settings where large crowds gather – including unseated indoor events with 500 or more attendees, unseated outdoor events with 4,000 or more attendees and any event with 10,000 or more attendees.

People will be able to demonstrate proof of two vaccine doses via the app. Having considered the evidence since the emergence of Omicron, proof of a negative lateral flow test will also be accepted.

Introducing Covid-status certification from next Wednesday will give businesses a week’s notice, as promised in the government’s proposals for introducing mandatory certification published in September.

A full list of guidance on these changes will be available on gov.uk in the coming days. Face covering regulations will be laid in parliament tomorrow, with the remaining regulations laid on Monday 13 December.

Parliament will debate the measures next week, with a vote expected to take place on Tuesday 14 December.

You can read full details of the new measures at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-confirms-move-to-plan-b-in-england

On Saturday 27th November 2021, the Prime Minister confirmed new temporary and precautionary measures to come into force from 4:00am on Tuesday 30th November following the emergence of the Omicron variant in the UK.

The Key measures are as follows:

• All international arrivals must take a Day 2 PCR test and self-isolate until they receive a negative result.
• All contacts of suspected Omicron cases must self-isolate, regardless of their vaccination status. They will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace.
• Face coverings will be made compulsory in shops and on public transport in England from next week. All hospitality settings such as pubs, cafes and restaurants will be exempt.

Also, students in year 7 and above, plus all staff and visitors should also wear a face covering in all communal areas in educational settings and on public or school transport.

You can read the full details of the press release at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-sets-out-new-measures-as-omicron-variant-identified-in-uk-27-november-2021

In addition, 6 countries in Southern Africa have been placed on a new “Red List”:

• South Africa
• Botswana
• Eswatini
• Lesotho
• Namibia
• Zimbabwe

If you arrive in England between midday 26 November and 4am 28 November 2021

If you have been in any of these countries and arrive in England between midday on Friday 26 November and 4am Sunday 28 November, you must quarantine at home or at alternative appropriate accommodation.

On arrival in the UK you must go immediately to a place where you can quarantine for 10 days, or the duration of your stay in the UK, whichever is shorter.

Quarantine applies to you and your household, or whoever you are staying with.

NHS Test and Trace services will contact you to issue your free COVID-19 PCR tests to be taken on day 2 and day 8.

If you arrive in England after 4am 28 November 2021

If you have been in any of these countries and arrive in England after 4am Sunday 28 November, you must quarantine in a managed hotel, following the guidance set out on this page. You must book a quarantine hotel package, including 2 COVID-19 tests before you arrive in England.

You can read the full guidance on travel to the UK from “Red List” countries at:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-list-of-countries-and-territories

The Evesham Journal has published the following helpful guide to the new Covid rules for travellers which came into force on Sunday:

Eligible fully vaccinated passengers arriving in England from countries not on the UK’s red list can take a cheaper lateral flow test instead of a PCR from today.

Lateral flow tests must be taken as soon as possible on the day of arrival in England or at the latest before the end of a passenger’s second day and can now be purchased from the list of private providers on GOV.UK from as little as £22 – significantly cheaper than PCR tests.

Lateral flow tests for international travel must be purchased from a private provider as NHS Test and Trace lateral flow tests cannot be used for international travel.

Passengers who have already bought a PCR to use for travel do not need to buy another test as PCRs can still be used.

Passengers must take a photo of their lateral flow test and booking reference supplied by the private provider and send it back to them to verify the result.

Passengers are also able to book a test which they can take on their arrival into England at testing centres located in some airports.

People using PCR tests for travel will have their test reported by the company they purchase the test from.

Anyone testing positive will need to isolate and take a confirmatory PCR test, at no additional cost to the traveller, which can be genomically sequenced to help identify new variants.

PCR tests can be accessed free of charge by ordering in the usual way through NHS Test and Trace – via?nhs.uk/coronavirus?or by calling 119.?

Test providers will be expected to advise people to self-isolate and direct people towards the NHS Test and Trace booking page.

You can view the Government’s complete advice on Covid rules and precautions at:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-abroad-from-england-during-coronavirus-covid-19

The Daily Telegraph reported in the Saturday 25th September edition that “The number of people infected with Covid in England is at its lowest level since before Freedom Day” (19th July 2021). However, data from the ONS released on Sunday 26th September shows a consistently high level of cases per 100,000 people in Worcestershire as a whole and in the individual health areas across the County. Note that these figures are derived from the total number of people with at least one positive COVID-19 test result, either lab-reported or lateral flow device (England only) in the most recent 7-day period. Positive rapid lateral flow test results should be confirmed with PCR tests taken within 72 hours. 

The data is as follows:

Worcestershire – 306.8 (per 100,000 people)

Bromsgrove – 408.7

Malvern Hills – 172.4

Worcester City – 208.4

Wychavon – 275.4

Wyre Forest – 312.4

Regarding deaths of people who had had a positive test result for COVID-19 and died within 28 days of the first positive test, the total figure for Worcestershire is 1,252 or 209.3 per 100,000 people.

Regarding vaccinations, some 89.6% of the total UK population aged 16 and over have received a first dose, and 82.3% have received a second dose.

The latest advice from HM Government today changes the coronavirus rules,  with those fully vaccinated in contact with a positive case no longer forced to quarantine.

The rule changes can be summarised as follow:

• From today adults in England who have had both doses of a coronavirus vaccine will not have to spend 10 days in quarantine if they are a contact of a positive case.
• The rule change applies to people who had their final dose of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before coming into contact with a positive case.
• Under 18s also do not have to self-isolate if they are a contact of a positive case, in a move designed to prevent school children being off school from September.
• You are advised to take a PCR test if you have been in contact with someone infected with the virus – but that will not be compulsory and you will not have to self-isolate while you wait for the result.
• If someone develops symptoms of the virus, the Government says that they should self-isolate and get a PCR test, and then stay in isolation until the result comes back.
• The change has been described as “another step back towards normality”, and the “end of the pingdemic” after people were forced to self-isolate despite their fully vaccinated status.

Because double jabbed people identified as close contacts are still at risk of being infected, you are advised to consider other precautions such as wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces, and limiting contact with other people, especially with anyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable.

You can read the full detail of the Government’s latest advice at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/self-isolation-removed-for-double-jabbed-close-contacts-from-16-august

Infection rates are still very low across the County compared with other parts of England, however the number of cases per 100,000 people is rising again in all areas.

Latest Infection Rates as of 26th July are confirmed by Public Health England:

Worcestershire overall – 494.8 per 100,000 people (up from 281.1 previously)

Bromsgrove – 625.7 per 100,000 people (up from 382.5 previously)

Malvern Hills – 390.1 per 100,000 people (up from 203.3 previously)

Redditch – 500.8 per 100,000 people (up from 231.1 previously)

Worcester – 610.5 per 100,000 people (up from 419.9 previously)

Wychavon – 376.3 per 100,000 people (up from 189.3 previously)

Wyre Forest – 477.8 per 100,000 people (up from 262.6 previously)