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Covid-19 Latest News

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Specific Guidance for East Cheshire

Coronavirus – COVID-19

The Government has issued new guidance to come into effect when England moves to step four of the roadmap from Monday 19 July.

We are urging those living and working in Cheshire East to:

Get fully vaccinated – it’s shown to be safe and effective against the virus, including new variants and is the best way to keep yourself from getting seriously ill. It also reduces the risk of passing the virus on to someone else

  • Be kind and considerate of others who may be feeling extremely nervous about the further lifting of restrictions
  • Continue wearing face coverings in crowded indoor areas where social distancing cannot be followed, such as supermarkets and on public transport, in health and social care settings, such as hospitals, care homes and GP surgeries, and where it would make others feel more comfortable
  • Continue social distancing by not unnecessarily being in crowded areas and continuing to work from home if possible
  • Continue to practice good hand hygiene, in particular hand washing
  • Keep getting tested – everyone should undertake twice weekly rapid symptom free testing using Lateral Flow Tests (LFT). If people experience generally associated symptoms such as a headache, a stuffed or runny nose, tiredness or weakness, aches and pains, sore throat or diarrhoea, they should take an LFT and follow up with a PCR test if the LFT test is positive. If people have any of the main symptoms of COVID-19 such as a high temperature, a new continuous cough or loss or change to their sense of smell or taste they must stay at home and book a PCR test. Around one in three people with COVID-19 don’t have symptoms, but can still infect others – so getting tested regularly will help slow the spread.
  • Self-isolate if you have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, especially if you work in a high-risk setting

We are urging businesses and workplaces in Cheshire East:

  • Continue to adhere to COVID-19 working safely guidance, including provision of washing facilities and proper ventilation with external fresh air
  • Continue to engage with the Test, Trace and Isolate process, and increase testing if your workplace has had an outbreak
  • Encourage your employees to get tested if they suspect they have COVID-19 symptoms and self-isolate if positive
  • Encourage your employees to have both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine when it is offered

It is difficult to say when this way of living will end, but we do know that we are likely to have a difficult winter ahead of us, which means it is likely we will need to follow this advice until spring next year.

For many this will be unwelcome, but ultimately, it is necessary. Throughout this pandemic, we have witnessed from our population extraordinary levels of personal resilience, as well as kindness and thoughtful consideration towards others, and it is with this in mind that we ask you to continue your efforts in being strong, being kind and being safe.

Guidance

Coronavirus: how to stay safe and help prevent the spread from 19 July: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-summer-2021-roadmap/coronavirus-how-to-stay-safe-and-help-prevent-the-spread

Infection Status in the Village

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On this page you will find the latest information about the status of our village. We need you to let us know if you or someone close to you has the infection. Please email: msavillagehall@outlook.com We will maintain your confidentiality and will just publish numbers and approximate location of the disease. Please bear in mind that this will not take into account those who remain apparently asymptomatic.

Total Number of Confirmed Infected People as of 06/07/22

78 plus 2 un-confirmed

Total Number of Confirmed Fatalities as at 06/07/22
0

Cases in East Cheshire as at 06/07/22
There have been 995 new cases in last 7 days (Increase of 23.8% over previous week)

Total Covid-19 related deaths in East Cheshire as at 06/07/22
441

The latest outbreak appears to be slowly increasing in our area. Cases data is now pretty meaningless due to the decrease in general testing following withdrawal of free test kits, however, the number of hospital admissions is beginning to increase again. Many of those patients will be being admitted with Covid rather than because of Covid. The infection is still around but these variants have provided the bonus of “natural immunity”. Most people in the UK now have antibodies to this virus and therefore some level of protection.

Omicron is with us and is highly infectious but far less pathogenic than previous strains.

 

Living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19

As we learn to live safely with coronavirus (COVID-19), there are actions we can all take to help reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 and passing it on to others. These actions will also help to reduce the spread of other respiratory infections, such as flu, which can spread easily and may cause serious illness in some people.

COVID-19, along with many other respiratory infections such as influenza (flu), can spread easily and cause serious illness in some people. You may be infected with a respiratory virus such as COVID-19 and not have any symptoms but still pass infection onto others.

The risk of catching or passing on COVID-19 is greatest when someone who is infected is physically close to, or sharing an enclosed and/or poorly ventilated space with, other people. When someone with a respiratory viral infection such as COVID-19 breathes, speaks, coughs or sneezes, they release small particles that contain the virus which causes the infection. These particles can be breathed in or can come into contact with the eyes, nose, or mouth. The particles can also land on surfaces and be passed from person to person via touch.

You will not always know whether someone you come into contact with is at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from respiratory infections, including COVID-19. They could be strangers (for example people you sit next to on public transport) or people you may have regular contact with (for example friends and work colleagues).

There are simple things you can do in your daily life that will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections and protect those at highest risk. Things you can choose to do are:

  1. Get vaccinated.
  2. Let fresh air in if meeting others indoors.
  3. Practise good hygiene:
    • wash your hands
    • cover your coughs and sneezes
    • clean your surroundings frequently
  4. Wear a face covering or a face mask.

Face coverings and face masks can help reduce the chance of you spreading infection to others, especially in crowded and enclosed spaces, and may protect you from becoming infected by some respiratory viruses.

If you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as COVID-19, and you have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities, you are advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people.

There is guidance on steps you can take to protect other people if you are unwell with symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19.

1. Get vaccinated

Vaccines are the best defence we have against COVID-19 and other respiratory infections such as flu. They provide good protection against hospitalisation and death. They also reduce the risk of long-term symptoms. The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and vaccine programmes are continuously monitored.

If you are eligible and you have not yet received your full course of a COVID-19 vaccine, you should get vaccinated. A full course of a COVID-19 vaccine provides protection against severe disease, including against the Omicron variant, but this protection wears off over time. Booster doses significantly improve the protection offered by vaccines. You should get a booster vaccine for COVID-19 if you are offered one.

You may be eligible for other vaccinations, particularly if you are at risk of becoming seriously ill. Get vaccinated as soon as you are able to.

There is more information about the vaccinations available and when you should have them on the NHS website.

2. Let fresh air in

The amount of respiratory virus in the air can build up in poorly ventilated areas. This increases the risk of spreading COVID-19 and other respiratory infections, especially if there are lots of infected people present. The virus can also remain in the air after an infected person has left.

Meeting outdoors greatly reduces this risk, but this may not always be possible.

Bringing fresh air into a room by opening a door or a window, even for a few minutes at a time, helps remove older stale air that could contain virus particles and reduces the chance of spreading infections. Trickle vents (small vents usually on the top of a window) or grilles can also be useful for bringing a little fresh air constantly. The more fresh air that is brought inside, the quicker any viruses will be removed from the room.

Ventilation is most important if someone in your household has COVID-19 or another respiratory virus, to try and stop the virus spreading. See further guidance here.

Good ventilation has also been linked to health benefits such as better sleep and fewer sick days off from work or school.

There is further advice on what you can do to improve ventilation.

3. Remember the basics of good hygiene

Following these basic rules of good hygiene will help to protect you and others from COVID-19 as well as many other common infections:

  • cover your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze
  • wash your hands
  • clean your surroundings

GermDefence is a useful website that can help you identify ways to protect yourself and others in your household from COVID-19. It provides scientifically proven advice on reducing the risks from COVID-19 and other viruses in your home.

Cover your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze

Coughing and sneezing increases the number of particles released by a person, the distance the particles travel and the time they stay in the air. If an infected person coughs or sneezes without covering their nose and mouth, it will significantly increase the risk of infecting others around them. By covering your nose and mouth, you will reduce the spread of particles carrying the virus.

Cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues when you cough or sneeze. Put used tissues in a bin and immediately wash your hands or use hand sanitiser. If you do not have a tissue, cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not into your hand.

Wash or sanitise your hands

Hands touch many surfaces and can become contaminated with viruses and other germs. Once contaminated, hands can transfer these to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the germs can enter your body and infect you.

Washing or sanitising your hands removes viruses and other germs, so you are less likely to become infected if you touch your face. Using soap and water is the most effective way to clean your hands, especially if they are visibly dirty. Hand sanitiser can be used when soap and water are not available. You should do this regularly throughout the day.

In addition, wash your hands:

  • after coughing, sneezing and blowing your nose
  • before you eat or handle food
  • after coming into contact with surfaces touched by many others, such as handrails, and shared areas such as kitchens and bathrooms
  • when returning home

Clean your surroundings

Surfaces and belongings can be contaminated with COVID-19 and other germs when people who are infected touch them or cough, talk or breathe over them. Cleaning surfaces will reduce the risk of you catching or spreading infections.

Clean surfaces in your home often. Pay particular attention to surfaces that are touched frequently, such as handles, light switches, work surfaces and electronic devices such as remote controls.

4. When to consider wearing a face covering or a face mask

Wearing a face covering or face mask can reduce the number of particles containing viruses that are released from the mouth and nose of someone who is infected with COVID-19 and other respiratory infections. Face coverings can also protect the person wearing the face covering from becoming infected by some viruses.

When to wear a face covering

  • when you are coming into close contact with someone at higher risk of becoming seriously unwell from COVID-19 or other respiratory infections
  • when COVID-19 rates are high and you will be in close contact with other people, such as in crowded and enclosed spaces
  • when there are a lot of respiratory viruses circulating, such as in winter, and you will be in close contact with other people in crowded and enclosed spaces

If you have symptoms or have a positive COVID-19 test result and you need to leave your home, wearing a well-fitting face covering or a face mask can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections. See further advice in the guidance for people with symptoms of a respiratory infection or a positive test result.

Those attending education or childcare settings will not normally be expected to wear a face covering. Face coverings for children under the age of 3 are not recommended for safety reasons.

What makes a good face covering

Face coverings work best if they are made with multiple layers (at least 2 and preferably 3) and form a good fit around the nose and mouth. A wire nose bridge can improve the fit and may also help to prevent glasses from fogging. Scarves, bandanas or religious garments are likely to be less effective if they do not fit securely around the mouth and nose, and are of a single layer.

Reusable face coverings should be able to be washed with other items of laundry according to fabric washing instructions and dried without causing the face covering to be damaged. Single-use disposable masks should not be washed or reused and should be disposed of responsibly.