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Minutes:
Derek Ward, Director of Public Health, briefly explained the current situation in the city with regards to Covid-19 including the current testing regime. He explained the following:
· The rates peaked in mid-November in Lincolnshire and lockdown had helped bring the peak down. It was starting to flatten out throughout the county but this needed to continue in order for it to keep reducing.
· It was mainly outbreaks in care homes, Lincoln County Hospital and the prison that were causing the rates to rocket.
· Over the past month it was identified that students weren’t the reason for the increase of cases in Lincoln and they had been doing a great job in getting tested. The University were also carrying out asymptomatic tests on students before they returned home.
· There were three core ways to help lower the spread of the virus:
- Vaccines
- Improving the testing system
- Test and Trace
Mr Ward welcomed any questions or comments from the Committee.
Question: Since the vaccine had been rolled out, how many Lincoln residents have had the virus?
Response: The vaccine programme was controlled by the NHS so only they could provide the statistics. The vaccine in general was going well, the Pfizer vaccine which was the current vaccine in circulation had to be frozen at -70C before being used. It would also shortly be rolled out in care homes but officers were waiting for further information on that.
Question: Was the hospital coping with the amount of cases they were receiving?
Response: The hospital had struggled. A test had to be taken on entry and a few days after an individual had been admitted. The hospital didn’t discharge people from the hospital to a care home and there were discharge for patients whilst they were waiting for test results. A third of people with the virus had showed no symptoms, so that was the main issue that needed to be tackled.
Question: Were the staff at care homes trained to deal with outbreaks?
Response: Staff had been on prevention training for the past couple of years originally to deal with flu outbreaks. They were fully kitted in PPE and had access to testing, staff were tested every week and residents were tested every 28 days but soon that would become a regular occurrence.
Question: In relation to the government making changes to the Test and Trace, how would it help?
Response: Not all the details about this had been received yet so unfortunately an update couldn’t be given.
Question: What was the lateral flow test?
Response: There were 3 types of test, two that would tell you if you tested positive and one antibody test. The PCR test which was the one carried out at Lincolnshire Showground and at the University took 24-72 hours to show a result. The Lateral Flow test was similar to a pregnancy test, if the test was positive, two lines would show and it would take approximately 20-25 minutes to get a result. This test in particular wasn’t very successful in giving real positives and could pick up three of every four but it could miss one and had to be carried out by somebody who was trained. In order to minimise the risk, the test could be carried out over a number of days to find a pattern, however, people who were told they got a negative result that were asked to have another test didn’t want to. There was plenty of supply in order to be able to carry out multiple tests on the same person.
Question: Which test was the best test to give an accurate reading?
Response: The PCR was the gold standard test and gave a more accurate reading than the lateral test. The lateral test was good at giving a negative result but not good at giving positive results.
Question: With regards to new testing units in schools, what support would be provided?
Response: A webinar took place on 15 December with the national government but more information would be received shortly.
How was the virus spreading in the city of Lincoln?
Response: Care homes were testing people regularly and dealing with outbreaks fantastically, however, a lot of the time outbreaks were investigated after they had happened rather than before. The number of cases was decreasing but there were still outbreaks. Asymptomatic transmission was the main reason for the spread of the virus, so the same message had been strongly advised to everyone that they should:
- Wash their hands
- Wear a face covering
- Keep a 2m distance
- If you felt any kind of symptoms, no matter how mild, self-isolate and get a test.
Question: Were people in deprived areas who were self-isolating able to access Vitamin D supplements during the winter months?
Response: the guidelines did state that vitamin D should be taken by everyone.
The Chair thanked Mr Ward for attending the meeting and expressed her appreciation for the work that was being undertaken throughout the pandemic by himself, his staff as well the joint partnership working with the City of Lincoln Council.