Agenda item

Dr Andy Snell, Consultant in Public Health, BHFT and Joe Minton, Professional Manager, NHS Barnsley Clinical Commissioning Group

Dr. Andy Snell was welcomed to the meeting to provide an update in relation to Covid-19.

An overview of the pandemic was provided. It was noted that Pillar 1 testing and associated data was first available in hospitals, which was subsequently extended to care homes, More recently Pillar 2 testing had become more widely available and therefore the two were not directly comparable.

Members noted the current 7 day average rate which was around 130-140 cases per 100,000 population.  Nationally this figure had been rising steeply since September with numbers doubling every 7-8 days.  Clear patterns could be seen between North and South, with the North of the country seeing higher rates.  The age breakdown showed higher rates in young people from early September, which coincided with the opening of Universities, but this was expected to be a short-term effect.   It was suggested that transmission was occurring in households, with limiting contact in households proposed to control the rise.

In addition to positive cases, the impact on the hospital was noted, with a clear rise in admissions.  This had not resulted in increases in deaths due to Covid-19, but this required careful monitoring.

The significant and persistent impact of Coronavirus was noted, which included the secondary impact such as on mental health, alcohol related harm and through delay in residents accessing non-covid related health services.

The importance of washing hands, wearing face coverings and leaving space was stressed, but it was suggested that pandemics do ease over time.

Questions were asked in relation to the treatment of Covid-19 patients and the possible use of Nightingale hospitals.  It was suggested that capacity was still available locally, but consideration was being given to how best manage any future increases.

In relation to the complications seen in some patients, who suffered from ‘long covid’, it was noted that many viral illnesses could have a chronic element and that more would be known about this over time.

Members noted the cumulative impact of Covid-19 and other infections such as Flu.  The increased efforts to immunise against the flu early to minimise this and avoid any issues in the immunisations schedule should a Covid-19 vaccine become available were acknowledged.

RESOLVED- that the update be noted.