It’s been another week of change, with the introduction of the new tier system for different parts of the country. Inevitably that’s throwing up quite a few questions, so it was the main focus of our discussion at the weekly Zoom call on Wednesday evening.
The slides from Wednesday are attached as usual and provide a helpful summary of the key implications for us in Solihull. If you’ve not seen it already, the government website provides a helpful overview of the three tiers.
As we mentioned last week, we are now publishing data at a ward level every Friday. This provides a breakdown of cases identified in the preceding 14 days. This is accessible from the Coronavirus information page on the council’s website (see below where to click to access the summary when you go to the information page). Please bear in mind that the information is as at a point in time – it does not demonstrate that a particular ward is an especial problem. We have seen that the data moves on an almost daily basis and wards move up and down the list regularly.
Other things that may be of interest are:
Flu vaccines
We’ve talked about how important it is that vulnerable people take up the flu vaccine this year. Many have already done so but it’s important that we continue to push this to help people avoid the potential health double whammy of flu and Covid. If you’re not sure who the priority groups are, you can see that information in a recent press release.
The NHS has made available a range of resources that may be useful (posters, social media content, etc.) including messaging in different languages. You can access this via their website. (Click on ‘toolkit’ in the flu section of the table – let us know if you have any problems accessing material.)
Mask littering
One of the unfortunate side consequences of people wearing masks is the increase in littering we’re seeing. Often people are simply dropping their disposable mask in the street, which is not only unsightly but also a health hazard. Please do encourage people to dispose of their masks carefully.
Just because you can….
On Wednesday evening Ruth talked to us about going the extra mile – doing not just the minimum but everything possible. Lisa from Marston Green Community Centre was creatively inspired and sent us a copy of a poster she’d produced, which we’ve now made available on your resources page.
Zoom briefings
And finally, given that the situation continues to change on a fairly regular basis, we’ve decided to keep the Zoom meetings going on Wednesday evenings. They’re at 6.30pm and last for about 40-45 minutes. As well as being a source of information, it’s also a good opportunity to ask your questions of our Director of Public Health. Do come along if you can (meeting link is at the bottom of this email). Next week will include an update on work going on with the voluntary sector to ensure support is in place for the most vulnerable in our community.
