GOV UPDATE – 9th JAN 2021

HOWARD, DR HENRIETTA, DR AL

WELL GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE

BACK SOONER THAN EXPECTED

TWO NEW CASES – RESULTS CAME IN LATE LAST EVENING

CONTACT TRACING TEAM HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO IDENTIFY ANY SOLID LINK TO THE NYE OR RAMSEY CASES

DUE TO TIMING IT IS LIKELY THEY ARE RELATED, WE MAY IDENTIFY A LINK IN TIME

VIRUS HAS SPREAD INTO THE COMMUNITY

I KNOW IT WILL COME AS A BLOW. WE’D DONE SO WELL

COMIN HAVE ADAPTED MEASURES TO PROTECT OUR ISLAND TO MITIGATE RISK POSED TO THE COMMUNITY

THESE TWO NEW CASES DEMONSTRATE WHY WE SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT – GOV AND PUBLIC

WE UNDERSTAND THERE WILL BE CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO ST MARY’S

ANYTHING THAT AFFECTS MANX KIDS, WILL GET US EMOTIONAL

CONTACT TRACING WORKING AT HIGH SPEED TO CONTACT EVERYONE AFFECTED BY THE CASE

EVERYONE WHO ATTENDS OR WORKS AT ST MARY’S SHOULD ISOLATE UNTIL 111 CONTACT YOU. BUT DON’T CONTACT 111. THEY’LL CALL YOU. IF THEY DON’T BY TOMORROW, YOU CAN LEAVE ISO

ANY FURTHER POSITIVE TEST RESULTS WILL NEED TO CONTINUE SELF ISO

CHILDREN ARE NOT AFFECTED AS BADLY BY THE VIRUS AS ADULTS

DR H

PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILD TESTED POSITIVE VIA HOSPITAL TEST

ASYMPTOMATIC CASE PICKED UP ON AN EXISTING PROGRAMME

CONTACT TRACING – WE’RE TRYING TO TRACK BACKWARDS TO IDENTIFY SOURCE AND CLOSE TRAIN OF TRANSMISSION

WE ALSO WANT TO TRACK FORWARDS TO IDENTIFY ALL CLOSE CONTACTS TO SHUT DOWN FORWARD TRANSMISSION TRAIN

WE WANT TO CLOSE FORWARD AND BACKWARD TRANSMISSION BY TESTING IN A SYSTEMATIC MANNER

INTERESTING THAT IT IS A PRIMARY SCHOOL KID. EPIDEMIOLOGICALLY, IT IS AN INTERESTING FINDING

HOWARD

WE ALL HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN BREAKING THE CHAIN

EACH TIME YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE ASK YOURSELF IF ‘IS IT ESSENTIAL?’

WASH YOUR HANDS / KEEP YOUR DISTANCE / COVER YOUR FACE

SOME GRUBBY BUGGERS ARE LEAVING USED DISPOSABLE FACE MASKS IN SHOPPING TROLLEYS. WTF

DR AL

THANKS TO THE ST MARY’S HEAD

GET WELL SOON TO THE KID AND THEIR FAMILY

TODAY EMPHASISES THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING TOGETHER

WE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP STUDENTS AND STAFF SAFE

HOWARD

WE HAVE ALSO RECEIVED CONFIRMATION THAT WE HAVE HAD A POSITIVE TEST OF THE NEW VARIANT – B 11 STRAIN

BUT IT WAS FROM A PATIENT TRANSFER LAST YEAR AND THEY SELF ISOLATED SO DON’T BELIEVE THERE HAS BEEN TRANSMISSION

VIRUSES MUTATE, LIKE THE FLU, IT’S WHY WE NEED TO VACCINATE EVERY YEAR

GENOMIC RESULTS OF THE LATEST CASES ARE DUE MID NEXT WEEK

GOV RESPONSE HAS BEEN TO PURSUE A STRATEGY OF ELIMINATION

WE ARE NOT SEEKING TO MAKE THE VIRUS A NORMAL PART OF OUR LIVES

COMIN REMAIN RESOLUTE THAT OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO OBLITERATE THE VIRUS FROM OUR SHORES. VENI VIDI VICI

SO IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT VARIANT OF THE VIRUS IS HERE

DR H ON THE NEW VARIANT

KNOWLEDGE OF THE VARIANT DOESN’T CHANGE OUR RESPONSE

THE NEW VARIANT BECAME PROMINENT IN THE NOVEMBER UK LOCKDOWN

DESPITE LOCKDOWN MEASURES, RATES STARTED TO RISE IN THE UK

IT’S NOT BETTER AT INFECTING KIDS, IT’S JUST THAT KIDS MIXED MORE IN THE LAST LOCKDOWN AS SCHOOLS REMAINED OPEN

R NUMBER IS HIGHER, RATHER THAN 3 IT IS 3.3 – 3.9

EMERGING DATA INDICATES THAT IT DOES NOT CAUSE MORE SERIOUS DISEASE OR HIGHER MORTALITY RATES

IT DOES PLACE MORE OF A BURDEN ON HEALTH SERVICES THO

EVERYTHING HERE IS ON A MUCH SMALLER SCALE THAN UK, IT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH TO DESTABILIZE OUR HEALTH SERVICES

OOOO ONE MORE POINT – CURRENTLY AVAILABLE VACCINES WILL CONTINUE TO BE EFFECTIVE AGAINST NEW VARIANT

QUESTIONS

PAUL: SHOULDN’T THERE BE MORE TESTING? THIS WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN FOUND IF THEY WEREN’T TESTED AT THE HOSPITAL? COULD BE A SUPER SPREADER?

DR H: THAT IS TRUE, YES

NO INDICATION THAT THIS IS A SUPER SPREADER. DANGEROUS LANGUAGE TO USE.

SHOULD WE HAVE BEEN DOING WIDESPREAD POPULATION?

IF YOU OFFER MASS TESTING YOU ONLY GET A SNAPSHOT, THEN YOU HAVE ISSUES ABOUT WHO COMES FORWARD.

SOCIAL DISTANCING IS BETTER THAN HAVING A TEST. TESTS CAN GIVE YOU FALSE REASSURANCE.

HQ: NEXT Q PAUL

PAUL: I’M NOT FINISHED. SUPERSPREADERS ARE SERIOUS…

HQ: YOU’VE HAD A LENGTHY ANSWER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH

PAUL: YOU GONNA MAKE IT UP WITH DR RACH TO SPEED THINGS UP AROUND TESTING?

HQ: TESTS NEED TO GO AWAY TO A RECOGNISED CENTRE.

DR H: WE SEND OUR TESTS TO A LIVERPOOL LAB WHICH IS PART OF THE UK GENOMICS NETWORK TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE FIT IN

PAUL: SO FROM TODAY, HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO FIND OUT IF IT IS THE NEW VARIANT?

DR H: IT WILL TAKE 5 DAYS FROM THEM BEING RECEIVED IN LIVERPOOL.

PAUL: DON’T WE NEED TO UPDATE THE RULES IF IT IS THE NEW VARIANT?

DR H: STILL OVER 15 MINS WITHIN 2 METRES. THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER, AN HOUR IN A POORLY VENTILATED ROOM WOULD INCREASE RISKS

JOSH: WHAT ELSE WILL CHANGE IF SPREAD CONTINUES?

DR H: IF EVERYONE STICKS TO THE RULES, WE WILL GET IT UNDER CONTROL

CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER IN UK ADVICE IS THAT EVERYONE SHOULD BEHAVE AS IF WE ARE INFECTED WITH COVID. A GOOD TAKE HOME MESSAGE.

JOSH: IF COMMUNITY SPREAD IS CONFIRMED, WILL YOU MOVE TO 5A BORDERS?

HQ: IF NEW EVIDENCE COMES ALONG THEN WE WILL TAKE IT ON BOARD AND LET YOU KNOW

ADRIAN: WILL CLASS GROUPS BE OFFERED TESTING?

DR H: YES, CLASSMATES AND STAFF

ADRIAN: IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY TO PREVENT THIS CURRENT SITUATION?

HQ: WE WERE QUICK OFF THE MARK WITH NEW CHANGES, INFECTION RATE IN THE UK ROSE SHARPLY.

SOME SAID WE LOCKDOWNED TOO EARLY

AL BELL: IF 111 HAVE A FLOWCHART THAT THEY FOLLOW TO GIVE ADVICE, IS IT GOING TO BE PUBLISHED?

DR H: THEY HAVE PROTOCOLS, WE’RE NOT GOING TO PUBLISH THEM

AL BELL: WE’VE HEARD THAT HUB SCHOOL ATTENDANCE IS UP COMPARED TO THE LAST LOCKDOWN?

DR AL: 3% PRIMARY OF SCHOOL KIDS ATTENDING HUBS, UP A BIT BUT STILL RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBERS

ADVICE TO ALL PARENTS – KEEP YOUR KIDS AT HOME IF YOU CAN

ST MARY’S HAD SOME CHILDREN WHO WENT TO HENRY BLOOM NOBLE. ALL KIDS WERE KEPT SEPARATE TO OTHER KIDS

SAM: FOR ST MARY’S, WHO IS BEING CONTACTED AND TESTED?

DR AL: WE ARE LOOKING AT THE INDEX CASE, THEN THEIR CLASS, THEN THE YEAR GROUP. IF THERE ARE EXTRA POSITIVE CASES THEN WE WILL GO FURTHER

ASYMPTOMATIC YOUNG KIDS DON’T SPREAD IT AS WIDELY AS ADULTS

TESTING AND TRACING IS HAPPENING AS WE SPEAK, BEEN WORKING OVERNIGHT. CAN’T GIVE YOU EXACT FIGURES, AS WE ASSESS THE RISK IT MAY GET LARGER.

TEST RESULTS WILL BE BACK TONIGHT SO RESULTS LIKELY TO BE RELEASED TOMORROW

SAM: SUPPORT BUBBLES? WILL YOU BUDGE ON THEM?

HQ: NO MOVEMENT YET, UNLESS YOU ARE VULNERABLE. WE’VE GONE IN HARD TO BREAK THE LINKS. IT’S IN EVERYONE’S INTEREST THAT WE DEAL WITH THIS QUICKLY

GO ON THE FACEBOOK, TEAMS OR THE PHONE.

LEANNE: WILL THERE BE A CHANGE TO THE 21 DAY LOCKDOWN?

HQ: WE NEED 14 DAYS OF NO NEW COMMUNITY CASES BEFORE WE CAN MAKE CHANGES

LEANNE: WILL RESTRICTIONS BE TIGHTENED FURTHER?

DR H: WE NEED TO COMPLETE CONTACT TRACING FOR BOTH CASES, CHILD AND ADULT. WHEN WE HAVE THE DATA WE CAN REASSESS

TIM: BEEN INUNDATED WITH CORRESPONDENCE, PEOPLE FEEL THAT THERE IS A LACK OF URGENCY. THEY WANT TIGHTER BORDERS, MORE TESTING, FOR YOU TO STOP BEING MEAN TO PAUL, QUICKER VACCINATION ROLL OUT….

ARE YOU IN DANGER OF LOSING THE ROOM?

HQ: YOU GET CONCERNED WHEN PEOPLE USE INFLAMMATORY LANGUAGE AND WANT TO PANIC THE PUBLIC.

DR H: TESTING HAS IMPROVED – DAY 1, 6 OR 7 AND 13. YOU CAN NO LONGER ISOLATE WITH THE HOUSEHOLD.

HQ: I’VE BEEN CRITICISED FOR BEING TOO SLOW. DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON’T

TIM: WHAT IS OUR DAILY CAPACITY FOR TESTING?

DR H: TWO PARTS TO THIS – SWABBING AND RUNNING THE TEST

SWAB SQUAD – WE CAN BRING IN SURGE CAPACITY

AT PRESENT WE HAVE NO ISSUES

TIM: BUT WHAT IS THE FIGURE?

DR H: LAB CAN COPE WITH UP TO 1,000

SWAB SQUAD CAN BE FLEXED TO MEET DEMAND

HQ: EXTRA RESOURCES HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED LATELY

CLOSING

WE’VE BEATEN IT BEFORE, CONFIDENT WE CAN DO IT AGAIN

STAY SAFE