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Agenda item

COVID 19 Update

Minutes:

Councillor Sue Lukes, Executive Member Community Safety and Member for Pandemic response was present and accompanied by Jonathan O’Sullivan, Interim Director Public Health and Stephen Taylor and Jon Tomlinson, Adult Social Care

 

During consideration of the presentation the following main points were made –

·         Adult Social Care – work has been underway since mid-December 2020 with local partners, in order to prepare and roll out COVID vaccinations to local residents and care staff. All care home residents have been offered first vaccine, all residents in extra care have been offered first vaccine, all supported living residents offered first vaccine, all residents in commissioned social housing offered first vaccine. Work is taking place to offer second doses to residents in accommodation based settings. Commissioners are continuing to promote vaccinations to front line health and care staff. The Learning Disabilities team is working with local health partners to vaccinate residents with LD in the community, and officers in partnership with local services, to promote access to vaccines for unpaid carers

·         Noted that staffing levels have remained generally stable in older people’s care homes, mental health and learning disabilities care homes and domiciliary care. Noted that there was an increase in care home residents cases in December/January, but there has been a decrease over mid-February to early April, and four asymptomatic cases were identified recently and these are being monitored. After a period of relative stability from April to November there was an increase in the number of COVID related resident deaths from December 2020 and January 2021, primarily linked to two large outbreaks. No new deaths since start of February

·         Public Health  - Steady reduction in case rates with around 40 cases per week. Rates are similar to September 2020 levels. No sign at present that the easing of lockdown has led to increased cases

·         Testing – rates of symptomatic testing decreased slightly and non – symptomatic LFT in community settings rose significantly in March. Overall community testing rates have reduced over the last 2/3 weeks

·         COVID first vaccinations have slowed in the last few weeks in existing cohorts, reflecting the London picture. As of 14 April at least 57000 local people had had their first vaccination, and almost 3000 their second. Vaccinations were having a real time effect in reducing infections and deaths even after the first dose of the vaccine and reduced the risk of transmission

·         COVID deaths – 359 deaths mentioned with COVID on death certificate, latest week of data shows no COVID related deaths, and 8 fewer deaths overall (all causes) compared to the 2015-19 average for the week

·         Noted that during the past week Islington had seen the lowest COVID infection rate in London at 10 cases per 100000, hospitalisations were reducing, and there had been no deaths in the borough in the last 4 weeks

·         Pop up clinics were being looked at in parts of the borough, however these needed to be linked in with vaccine supply, and work is taking place in this regard. Councillor Lukes stated that these would be targeted at the 6 most deprived wards in the borough initially and Members assistance in engaging the community would be welcomed

·         In response to a question it was stated that 80%s of Adult Social Care staff had had at least one dose of the vaccination, however this was lower in domiciliary care staff, but this was continuing to increase, and work is taking place with care providers in this regard

·         Noted that the Whittington Hospital had been providing other care for patients during the COVID pandemic in relation to other illnesses, and this would continue, and hopefully increase once the pandemic reduces

·         In response to a question as to whether the borough were prepared for testing of any variants that may occur, it was stated that a desktop exercise had been carried out to plan for such an eventuality, and how to engage and promote surge testing. At present it appeared that the vaccination gave at least some level of protection against the variants so far identified, and reduces hospitalisations and deaths

 

 

 

 

 

The Chair thanked Councillor Lukes and officers for attending

Supporting documents: