“Stay strong and stick with it” – latest local pandemic data breakdown published by Wrexham Council
A fith detailed briefing on the pandemic situation locally has been published by the local authority.
The below update was published yesterday part of the new twice weekly update system, and echos recent updates with community transmission in households thought to be the driver of the high local covid figures.
Again update has also come with a set of social media graphics, with three copied top, above and below.
The full update from yesterday afternoon is copied below, and as usual all bolding and underlining of points is copied from Wrexham Council’s data:
Dear Councillors, Community Councillors and the media,
COMMUNICATIONS
Please share this document and the attached graphics and animations (GIFs) widely in your communities.
A link to today’s Council public briefing note, which you can also share on social media, is provided here: https://news.wrexham.gov.uk/covid-19-briefing-note-do-your-bit-stay-strong-and-stick-with-it/
The key messages remain:
- Any reduction in the spread of the virus is purely because of everyone’s sustained efforts to abide by the lockdown regulations and any relaxation in behaviour will send the figures soaring again.
- “Don’t call us; we’ll call you”- don’t call your GP for a vaccine; wait to be called.
- It will take months before the vaccination programme significantly reduces the rate of transmission so continue to act as if you, and everyone you meet, has Covid-19
DATA ON THE VIRUS
Please find attached:
Table 1 – the summary of the weekly data for Wrexham as a whole compared to other councils in North Wales. From today, this will include data on the number of vaccinations administered in North Wales.
The table as supplied – the vaccination bit was chopped off
Table 2 – the summary of daily data for the 18 ‘MSOA’ statistical sub-areas of Wrexham used by Public Health Wales in their Tableau.
The County Borough as a Whole (Table 1) (NB – the data for week ending 17th January are very tentative and will not be finalised until next week).
Wrexham remains worst in Wales for the rate per 100,000 population (660.5 today) and positivity (26.5% today). The ‘UK’ variant accounts for most new cases, but there are not, as yet, any known cases of the ‘South Africa’ or, much more worrying, ‘Brazil’ variants.
The figures are better than reported on Monday (867.9 and 28.8) and the trend over the last few weeks suggests that the virus has peaked.
Hospital admissions for Covid-19 in North Wales (167 week ending 17th January) are almost twice the peak of last year (91 in May), placing even greater strain on an over-stretched NHS in general and local hospitals in particular. This figure has been updated by PHW and is even higher than reported in this note on Monday. The figure for week ending 17th January (152) is probably an under-estimate and will not be finalised until next week. We should expect hospital admissions to remain high for several weeks to come.
Sadly, deaths are rising in North Wales too (29 for week ending 10th January, though this is a tentative figure).
The Sub-Areas (Table 2)
Most of the 18 ‘MSOA’ sub-areas of Wrexham used by PHW in their Tableau have improved since my last report to you on Monday, but the figures remain very high.
- 1 has recorded its worst figures since 20th October (shown in bold on the table), compared to 0 on the 18th
- 13 have greater than 550/100k, compared to 16 on the 18th.
- 5 have greater than 800/100k, compared to 8 on the 18th.
- 16 are in the worst decile (10%) in Wales, compared to 16 on the 18th, but this threshold is much lower (460/100k) than it was on Monday (511), reflecting the fact that cases have fallen much more quickly in South Wales.
- The 7 with more than 700/100k (compared to 11 on Friday) are set out below:
o Gwersyllt West & Summerhill has 1198 – down from 1232 on the 18th
o Chrik and Ceirog Valley has 972 – up sharply from 602 on the 18th
o Caia Park has 896 – down from 1064 on the 18th
o Wrexham West has 888 – down from 1056 on the 18th
o Hermitage & Whitegate has 811 – down from 1040 on the 18th
o Town North, University & Rhos-ddu has 743 – down from 923 on the 18th
o Acton & Maes-y-dre has 732 – down from 890 on the 18th
- 1 has less than 300/100k, compared to 0 on 15th December. The lowest is 271/100k, compared to 376 on the 18th
Settings
The principal settings for the virus remaining households followed, some way below, by outbreaks at the Maelor Hospital, in care/nursing homes (including, sadly, a number of hospitalisations and deaths) and the prison. There are also several work-place clusters.
MANAGING THE VIRUS
General
The Level 4 Alert lockdown has finally begun to have an effect on the rate of infection.
Schools
Schools continue to provide education to pupils via remote learning. On-site provision continues for those children who are vulnerable and for the children of key workers. Unless there is a significant reduction in cases of Covid-19 before 29 January these arrangements will continue until the February half term (week beginning 15th February), which seems likely.
Other Council Services
The Council is continuing to provide critical services as publicised on our website.
Vaccination Programme
The vaccination programme is fast-moving and subject to daily change.
- Care Homes
Staff and residents at care homes continue to be vaccinated. To date, over 67% (700) residents have been vaccinated and 46% of staff. Plans remain in place to vaccinate in homes which have had an active outbreak as soon as that becomes possible
- Local Vaccination Centre
On Tuesday the 26th of January the Local Vaccination Centre in Wrexham will be opened operating at the Catrin Finch Centre on the University campus. For next week it will operate between Tuesday and Thursday, 8am to 6pm. Opening times will expand as vaccination supplies allow. People cannot just turn up; they must wait for an invitation.
- GP Practices
As previously reported, all GP practices have agreed to provide vaccinations and will have received some supplies this week. This will continue and expand in the coming days with priority groups being contacted to attend for vaccinations. Again, people cannot just turn up; they must wait for an invitation.
More information on vaccinations can be obtained via the following links:
- Wales – https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/immunisation-and-vaccines/covid-19-vaccination-information/about-the-vaccine
- North Wales: https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/covid-19/covid-19-vaccination-information/
Regards
Chief Officer Planning and Regulatory
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