Covid19 India variant found in Sefton

LOCAL Coronavirus Testing is being introduced in Sefton's Formby area in response to recent Covid19 outbreaks, which showed cases of the variant 1st identified in India.

Starting from Friday, 14 May 2021, Mobile, Drive through Test Centres will be set up at:- Deansgate Lane Park, in Formby (L37 3LF) and at:- Ainsdale Hope, on Sandringham Road (PR8 2PJ), and there will be a Walk Through Test Centre, at Sefton Professional Development Centre (PDC) on Park Lane (L37 6EW).

The Deansgate drive through Test Centre will be open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and the PDC on Park Lane will be open between 9am and 4pm, 7 days a week.

The Test Centre, at Ainsdale, will be open from 9am until 4pm, on Friday, 14 May 2021, but from Saturday, 15 May 2021, will be open 9am to 8pm, 7 days a week.

Appointments are not needed for tests at any of these centres.

Sefton Council's Public Health team are also finalising locations for smaller, pop up test sites in the community.

Sefton's Director of Public Health, Margaret Jones said:- "Working with Public Health England, in response to a localised outbreak of infections and cases of the variant first identified in India, we have identified sites for test centres in and around Formby. We are encouraging everyone aged over 16 who lives, works or studies in Formby to attend one of these dedicated local test sites, once they are open. Anyone who has visited any venue in Formby over the last 2 weeks is also welcome to be tested at these test sites. It's important that people go to these dedicated test sites and not to our other sites, as these are the ones specifically set up to identify the Indian variant."

This variant, which has been classified by Public Health England as a:- 'variant of concern,' has been linked with Coronavirus cases within Sefton's Formby area. Mrs Jones added:- "This variant, which was first identified in India, is not thought to affect people more seriously, inhibit the effectiveness of the vaccines, or to be more infectious than the dominant Kent variant. However, identifying cases is important so that infections can be identified, traced and contained before they spread any further will support the return to a more normal life that we all want to see. I am confident that our local communities will, as they did in Southport earlier this year, help us by taking part in this local, dedicated testing."

People across Sefton are being reminded of the need to continue taking every precaution, getting tested and registering the results. And it is important that people go along to get their first and second vaccination jabs when they are offered them. You can now get the Covid19 vaccine if you're aged 38 and over or if your 38th birthday, is between now and 1 July 2021. You can book your appointment online or by phone.

Anyone with the Coronavirus symptoms of a new, persistent cough, a fever or loss of taste or smell to self isolate and book a PCR test by calling:- 119 or visiting:- www.NHS.UK/Coronavirus.

And, whether vaccinated or not, it's still important that people going to work or out and about take rapid tests, which are free and widely available across the Borough, twice a week.

Rapid home test kits can be collected from Bootle Town Hall and Splash World in Southport from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week. No appointments are needed.

Rapid tests for people without Coronavirus symptoms usually provide a result in around 30 minutes. Rapid testing involves taking a throat and nasal swab, dropping the sample into the container supplied and then checking the result after 20 to 30 minutes. Kits can also be collected between 2.30pm and 8pm, 7 days a week, from walk through Local Test Centres, opposite both:- Bootle Town Hall and at:- Crosby Library Car Park. You can also find them at:- Netherton Activity Centre and Southport Town Hall. No appointments are needed.

Covid19 Test Kits are also available from all Sefton's Pharmacies and they can be ordered online at:- www.Gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests.

People can also choose to have assisted testing at 1 of Sefton's Rapid test sites, which are also open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week and located at:- Bootle Leisure Centre and at:- Splash World in Southport.

Anyone without symptoms can visit the asymptomatic test sites at:- Bootle Town Hall and Splash World, in Southport, from 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week, no appointments are needed.

Home Testing Kits can also be collected between 2.30pm and 8pm, 7 days a week, from walk through Local Test Centres opposite Bootle Town Hall and at:- Crosby Library Car Park, Netherton Activity Centre and Southport Town Hall. No appointments are needed.

Sefton Council has a range of schemes, grants, information and advice available to anyone who may be struggling financially due to Covid, or who may need support when Self Isolating. More information is available at:- www.Sefton.Gov.UK/COVID-Testing.

Singing, dancing and exercise sessions to feature in Liverpool City Region Dementia Action Week

THE Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram, is to set out his commitment to people affected by dementia during a special week of events to mark Dementia Action Week across the Region. Running from 17 May to 23 May 2021, Dementia Action Week will feature:- singing, dancing, and exercise classes as well as support and advice sessions for people living with the condition and their family carers.

More than 18,000 people live with dementia in the City Region and new research has revealed how the Covid19 lockdown increased isolation and accelerated mental health deterioration. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is seeking to become the 1st to gain Dementia Friendly Community status, which is awarded by the Alzheimer's Society. Mayor Rotheram will speak at a live online event, on Friday, 21 May 2021, as part of a week of web based activities staged by organisations from across the Liverpool City Region.

Speaking ahead of the event, Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:- "I know from personal experience that the difficulties of watching a loved 1 battle with dementia can be a very cruel and difficult experience. Those who care for them are absolute heroes in very challenging circumstances. It's something that nobody should have experience alone. I want our Region to be the most dementia friendly place possible, drawing on the best of the warm, caring nature that our region is so proudly famous for. We've partnered with a range of local charities to deliver a fantastic week of activities that I hope will give some much needed comfort and respite to dementia sufferers and their carers alike. Ours is and will always be a caring and inclusive City Region for all."

Dementia Action Week events will include information about the condition and how to find help, family carer forums, talks on research and legal matters and special items on Young Onset dementia. Sessions will also help people learn more about the condition so they can become a Dementia Friend within their community.

Liverpool based:- 'The Brain Charity' will be hosting a Music Makes Us! dance and physiotherapy event, from 11am, on 19 May 2021. The online workshop will include a live singer and dancer and involve guided exercises; all set to popular lively tunes for people living with dementia.

The Brain Charity's specialist team will take participants through exercises, which are beneficial for agility and mobility, to help maintain balance and flexibility and minimise the risk of trips and falls. The exercises are specifically for people living with dementia. Earlier this year The Brain Charity revealed how people who could no longer talk, began to sing to The Farm's anthem �All Together Now' and others with severe mobility problems began to dance to The Beatles. Music is known to activate different pathways to speech in the brain, and not only stimulates endorphins but can transport people living with dementia to happy moments in their pasts.

The Brain Charity CEO Nanette Mellor said:- "We understand the past year has been especially tough for people living with dementia. Being unable to access support service due to Covid19 worsened quality of life for those affected by dementia in the UK. We also know music can play a vital role in their daily care; it stirs memories and reduces agitation. That's why we are delighted to be partnering with the Liverpool Dementia Action Alliance to host a Music Makes Us! workshop as part of Liverpool City Region Dementia Action Week; so more people living with dementia can access this free, innovative music based therapy."

Prior to the Pandemic, these sessions were run in care homes and community settings across Liverpool City Region and had already helped nearly 250 people. It's a similar tale at Liverpool based Healthiness Ltd who will be running a 40 minute online seated exercise class for people living with dementia and their carers on 20 May 2021.

Established in 2011, Healthiness Ltd has helped more than 4,000 people through its exercise classes and gained national recognition for its work during the Pandemic. Programme Director Andy Ireland said they offered 40 classes a week to 400 people across the City before Covid19 struck. Most participants were people living with dementia and their carers, and classes were often held in care homes.

Sessions moved online when the pandemic hit with 18 weekly classes attracting more than 40,000 monthly views worldwide. However, people living with dementia and their carers were not as easy to reach due to the closure of day centres and restricted access to dementia care homes. Like The Brain Charity, they also had to cope with the deaths of many people they had helped. Merseyside Police, Liverpool John Moores University, Mersey Care, The British Gymnastics Foundation and the University of Liverpool are among other organisations hosting Dementia Action Week events.

Liverpool City Region Dementia Advisory Group chair and Dementia Action Week coordinator Jack Coutts said:-"The many excellent events planned will help to spread awareness about dementia, provide advice and support for people affected by the condition and will contribute towards making Liverpool City Region a dementia friendly place to live. There is something for everyone with any interest in dementia during the week and we are hoping for excellent attendances."

Full details of events, including the Metro Mayor's keynote address, and registration links can be found on:- Facebook.com/DementiaLCR or at:- daw21.DementiaActionLiverpool.com.

As Hospital activity increases, the health service must have the tools it needs to cope, RCEM says

EMERGENCY Department (ED) performance figures published today by NHS England for April 2021 show the highest number of attendances at Type 1 Emergency Departments this year and the highest since January 2020. In April 2021, there were 1,259,983 attendances at Type 1 EDs, an increase of 8 percentage points compared to March 2021, equal to nearly 100,000 patients. The data show that 78.8% of patients stayed less than four hours in a Type 1 Emergency Department before being admitted, transferred, or discharged, a decrease of 1.2 percentage points on the previous month.

Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said:- "Hospital activity has already risen and will continue to rise; we know departments are becoming much busier. An increase in attendances means an increase in pressure and Covid is still a danger. The Prime Minister himself recognised Covid still poses a threat with a risk of variants spreading through the community and a potential surge in hospitalisations in the late summer and as we begin to approach winter. While we are pleased to hear that there will be an inquiry into the pandemic, before we reach Spring 2022, the health service faces a series of major and urgent challenges on multiple fronts. The NHS and its staff are still recovering from the Pandemic, there are growing numbers of patients on waiting lists, and there is no clear workforce plan. With these challenges ahead, there is no time to lose. We cannot once again be under -prepared and under resourced as we approach the next set of challenges. We must be ready. And staff must have confidence that they and their departments have the tools and resources they need to cope with potentially huge system demand towards the end of this year. The College has outlined recommendations in Summer to Recover: Winter Proofing the Urgent and Emergency Care system for 2021 that can be taken to ready Emergency Departments. If we leave it too late, the health service and its workforce will once again be pushed to its limit. Busy, but under resourced EDs, will result in capacity issues which could lead to further delays to elective care operations; if there aren't enough beds, we may find that those earmarked for operations have to be used for emergency patients. The whole system is interconnected, and as we recover in the coming months, we must have a clear strategy to support the entire Health and Social Care service. Without a clear plan the challenges ahead will pose a serious threat to patient care and patient health."

For more information please see The Royal College of Emergency Medicine - Summer to Recover - Winter Proofing the Urgent and Emergency Care system for 2021 statement:- RCEM.AC.UK.

THE total number of UK Coronavirus (Covid19) infections that have been laboratory confirmed, within the UK, has risen by:- 2,657 cases and the total number now stand at:- 4,444,631 that includes tests carried out by commercial partners which are not included in the 4 National totals.

The total number of Covid19 associated UK fatalities added to the total, was sadly reported to be:- 11 within 28 days of positive test, according to the Department of Health. The total number of deaths of people who have had a positive test result confirmed by a Public Health or NHS laboratory is:- 127,651, within 28 days of positive test. Deaths with Covid19 on the death certificate:- 151,765.

The number of Covid19 patients currently in UK Hospitals:- 1,098. The current number of Covid19 patients currently in mechanical ventilation beds in UK Hospitals:- 136 Daily number of Covid19 patients admitted to UK Hospitals:- 99.

In England, there are a total of:- 3,882,574 confirmed cases. North West - total of:- 611,417 confirmed cases.

The number of laboratory confirmed cases within the Liverpool City Region are as follows:-

Area and number of confirmed cases:- Risen by:-
Liverpool City Region

Nation Lockdown

National UK Restrictions

► Liverpool, 48,600 confirmed cases.
12

► Halton, 11,999 confirmed cases. 4

► Knowsley, 17,420 confirmed cases. 3

► Sefton, 24,167 confirmed cases. 21

► St. Helens, 17,120 confirmed cases. 5

► Wirral, 24,348 confirmed cases.
3

Colour Key:- 0 1 to 10 11 to 20 21 to 30 31 to 40 41 to 50 51 to 100 100 to 199 200 & over

Daily reported Covid19 deaths are now measured across the UK as deaths that occurred within 28 days of the 1st laboratory confirmed positive Covid19 test. Daily and cumulative numbers of Covid19 patients admitted to Hospital. Data are not updated every day by all 4 nations and the figures are not comparable as Wales include suspected Covid19 patients while the other nations include only confirmed cases.

Total UK people who have received Vaccination

1st Dose 2nd Dose

35,906,671

18,890,969

Jab Stats correct as of:- 13 May 2021

The Vaccination programme began on 8 December 2020 with people receiving the Vaccine developed by Pfizer / BioNTech, and people began receiving the Oxford University / AstraZeneca Vaccine from 4 January 2021. Both Vaccine s are given as 2 doses, at lEast 21 days apart, for a full Vaccination course.