Friday 28 January 2022
 Graph showing 7,864 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Devon in the week of January 16-22.
Case rates in Devon, already very high, (1,008 per 100,000 of population) are starting to rise again, and are similar to the national average (1,004 per 100,000). Case rates are highest and increasing most rapidly among young people aged 0 to 19, and are also increasing in those aged between 30 and 50.
In this update:
This week, England reverted to Plan A. Face coverings are no longer mandatory in most situations; venues and event organisers no longer need to check visitors’ NHS COVID-19 Pass; and the government is no longer asking people to work from home if they can.
And yet, case rates of coronavirus in Devon are rising, mostly prevalent among the primary and secondary school age population.
Steve Brown, Devon’s Director of Public Health, is continuing to advise caution.
The Omicron variant, we know, is highly infectious. And however it arrives in a family home, it quickly spreads to others.
Thanks to the vaccine, people generally are not becoming seriously ill. But the vaccine doesn’t totally prevent people from catching coronavirus.
That’s why it’s important to carry on doing everything we can to reduce the risk of infection.
Some supermarkets this week have said they’ll continue to encourage their customers to wear face coverings in their stores. And some transport providers are saying similar - although it’s no longer a legal requirement to wear a face covering, they are encouraging their passengers to keep wearing them in crowded spaces.
So although the restrictions have changed, please continue to be cautious. Think of the risk to you and to others, and respect people’s personal choices.
Visit the government website to find out more about the changes, and what you can do to stay safe and help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Talking to BBC Radio Devon’s presenter, Gordon Sparks, this morning, Steve Brown, Director of Public Health Devon was asked, now that face coverings are not mandatory, will he continue to wear one?
“The message is still to be cautious,” he said. “I will certainly be wearing a face covering when I go shopping next or sit on a bus or go to a cinema.
“The rates are still very high. I have family who are vulnerable and I want to protect them. So I will be doing that, and I would encourage everyone just to think about their own actions.
“If they are going into a high risk setting, for example going to see their grandparents, then it is advisable to take a test and just think about the actions they are taking to protect others.”
Nationally, cases of coronavirus have been falling this month, but that decline is now reported to have levelled off, reports the BBC.
And according to the latest ZOE COVID Study incidence figures, daily symptomatic cases in the UK on average, have actually increased this week. The study is based on reports from around 840,000 weekly contributors.
Similarly at a local level, case numbers in Devon, which had fallen a little, have started to rise again, particularly among the school-age population.
This pattern is to be expected. As people returned to work and school after New Year, mixing and contact with others has increased, giving coronavirus more opportunity to spread.
The high case levels among the school-age population is also a national trend, and those cases appear to be translating to an increase in cases in their parents' age group.
The ZOE COVID Study says that the recent rise in cases among children aged 0 to 18 has accelerated, with cases spilling into the 25 to 55 year old age group, where cases are now rising, confirming a trend of household transmission between generations.
Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist at the ZOE COVID Study, said:
"The bounce back in case numbers just as we lift restrictions has come sooner than expected. But it's not surprising given that, throughout the pandemic, we've seen the end of school holidays repeatedly usher in a rapid rise in cases among children, which then cross over into parents and school staff."
"It's crucial that we're responsible with our new freedoms and help prevent the virus reaching the more vulnerable groups,” Prof Spector told the BBC.
Restrictions that limit the number of visitors to care homes are being relaxed.
From Monday 31 January, there will be no limit on the number of visitors allowed at care homes. Self-isolation periods will be cut, and care homes will only have to follow outbreak management rules for 14 days, not 28.
The government says that because of the success of the booster programme - some 86.5 per cent of all care home residents have now had their booster jab - the restrictions in adult social care can be eased.
By Wednesday 16 February, care workers will be asked to use lateral flow device tests before their shifts, replacing the current system which included the use of weekly asymptomatic PCR tests.
And there will be changes to testing and isolation requirements for those receiving care.
Read more about the changes online.
With the country reverting back to Plan A, and face coverings no longer being required within the classroom or communal areas at school, we've been asked this week whether the high number of positive cases in Devon mean that pupils will still need to carry on wearing coverings in the classroom.
Public Health Directors across the south west collectively agreed last autumn that the high case rates in the region at that time warranted advice to all schools encouraging the wearing of face coverings in communal areas.
But the government's relaxation of rules, reverting back to Plan A, means Public Health Directors now need to seek national agreement for this to happen. So, Devon schools are not being asked to adopt additional measures over and above schools nationally.
However when there are outbreaks of COVID-19 within schools additional measures will be recommended by the public health team to help reduce the risk of transmission and this can include the wearing of face coverings in communal areas or, in exceptional circumstances, classrooms.
Schools are also continuing to follow preventative measures: promoting vaccination take-up for eligible students and staff; maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes; keeping occupied spaces well ventilated; and following public health advice on testing and managing confirmed cases of coronavirus.
All patient-facing health and Care Quality Commission-regulated social care workers are required to be fully vaccinated from April 2022.
Anyone as yet unvaccinated has until Thursday 3 February – just one more week – to get their first dose, in order to be given their second dose before the April deadline.
There are some exemptions, including people under 18 years old; people who are clinically exempt; people taking part in a COVID-19 trial and people who don't have face-to-face contact with the public.
It brings Care Quality Commission-regulated care workers in line with care home workers, who have been required to be fully vaccinated since last year.
Vaccinations can be booked through the National Booking Service, by ringing 119, or by attending one of the many walk-ins available across the county.
Criminals are sending text messages, emails and making phone calls, pretending to be from the NHS, to steal money, financial details and personal information relating to the COVID-19 booster vaccine.
Stay alert and remember:
- the COVID-19 booster vaccine is free
- the NHS will never ask for payment or any financial details
- the NHS will never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the COVID-19 booster vaccine
- do not respond to requests for money or important personal information such as bank details or passwords
- be alert to links and attachments in unexpected text messages or emails.
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