Message from Ruth Harrell, Director of Public Health for Plymouth
You may have seen that COVID-19 rates in Plymouth have risen to their highest ever levels over the last few weeks.
This is obviously worrying and it shows just how quickly and easily the Delta variant can spread after even minimal contact.
It is clear that with rates at this level we cannot afford to relax our guards. While the Government has now lifted the mandatory COVID-19 restrictions, it has stressed that the risks from the pandemic are by no means over and people need to take personal responsibility for protecting themselves.
This means that while wearing face coverings is no longer required by law, people are strongly encouraged to do so, particularly in busy indoor spaces and when using public transport.
With so many people in Plymouth contracting COVID-19, I urge everyone to think not about what they can do, but rather what they should do in order to stay safe. We’ll only be able to reduce the rates in Plymouth if everyone does their bit, looks out for each other and continues to follow the measures such as wearing face coverings.
Please support the many venues and employers in Plymouth that are continuing to ask customer and visitors to take these precautions. For example, the City Council is maintaining safety measures at Council buildings, such as libraries, and is asking everyone to wear a mask.
Basic COVID-19 safety can remain part of our daily lives without significantly disrupting how we live. These include:
- Wearing a mask in indoor public spaces
- Getting tested
- Staying outside where possible
- Getting your vaccinations
I know many people question why ongoing measures are necessary when so many people have now been vaccinated.
The vaccine is very good, is preventing many people from getting seriously ill and thankfully, has minimised the numbers dying from the virus. As a result, hospital admissions are much lower than they were last year.
However, the vaccine does not stop transmission or illness completely. Most people will only suffer mild symptoms but unfortunately people of any age can still get ill and need hospital treatment. Some will also suffer lasting effects of long COVID.
High COVID-19 rates are already putting pressure on health services, not only through the number of patients being admitted to hospital, but also through pressure on staffing and the impact on the whole health system. This is before we have to deal with the extra pressures that come each winter.
We all need to do what we can to reduce the spread of the virus now. It is a highly infectious disease and we know that the more contacts people have, the more likely they are to get the virus and spread it.
Around 30 per cent of new cases have caught COVID-19 from a household member, another 10 per cent in other settings that can be identified, but the majority – around 60 per cent – do not know where it has come from.
So please consider this when planning to meet people and take lateral flow tests regularly to ensure you aren’t going to give the virus to others and that you haven’t come home with it.
We are likely to have a few weeks with high rates, and now is another time when we have to pull together to keep Plymouth safe.