Liverpool City Region COVID-19 Updates

Rail travel vouchers extended for passengers

RAIL passengers with unused travel vouchers have been given extra time to redeem them to ensure they are not left out of pocket from COVID related restrictions. Thousands of passengers with Rail Travel Vouchers which have expired or are due to expire between 20 October 2020 and 30 June 2021 will get an additional 6 months after their original expiry date to redeem them, to recognise the fact that most passengers had been unable to use them during the second and third national lockdowns. The Government's roadmap out of lockdown has ensured significant parts of the indoor economy and further outdoor settings have reopened including non-essential retail, personal care and hospitality businesses in England and overnight stays permitted.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:- "This extension ensures that passengers with travel vouchers are not penalised for following government advice. By offering people more time to redeem their vouchers, we are ensuring that passengers will not be left out of pocket as they come back to the railways."

Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive Officer of the Rail Delivery Group said:- "This welcome extension means more people will be able to get out and about by train as restrictions ease. With rail companies boosting cleaning, adding services to support social distancing and the vast majority of people wearing face coverings, returning passengers can travel with confidence."

The Government is still advising people to minimise their travel and work from home where they can. However, for those who are travelling, people are advised to walk and cycle where possible, and if travelling on public transport to plan their journeys in advance and travel at quiet times and on quieter routes. When travelling, people should regularly sanitise their hands, wear a face covering unless exempt and keep their distance where possible. With further sectors of the economy opening up today, people may expect to see busier services. To ensure people can travel with confidence on the railway, more than 1,000 weekday services have been added since mid-February from approximately 16,900 per day to almost 18,000 from today. An even more significant service uplift is planned for 1 May 2021.

Love lives affected as elbow pain hits North West

NEARLY � of North West residents with joint pain say it's their elbow pain that is having the greatest impact on their sleep and their love lives. A survey carried out by the Hospital network Circle Health Group has shown that 75% of people in the North West who have elbow pain say it impacts their sleep. This is in contrast with responses from people with pain in other joints such as the shoulder (74%) and hip (69%). In the same survey, over 65% of those with elbow pain stated that it has severely impacted their love lives.

An anonymous patient in the survey contributed:- �When I am in pain, the last thing I want to do is have anyone near me. I just want to sleep and try to relax. This puts a lot of pressure on my relationship with my husband. Also, I have low moods regularly which damages my relationship with my husband.� Another said:- "I can't do much. Even if my husband tries to hug me, my bones crack painfully."

Another expanded:- "Being in pain makes it difficult to respond to my spouse in a loving way and being intimate is sometimes impossible."

The findings are part of a large scale survey by Circle Health Group to examine the impact that pain has on people's lives. In total, there were 8,545 responses, 1,019 of which were from the North West. As well as causing loss of sleep, elbow pain has also caused 52% of sufferers to miss work, which is1 of the highest causes of all joint pain. This is in comparison to those with hand and wrist pain (41%) and shoulder pain (40%).

Consultant specialist Mohammad Waseem, from BMI The Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle, sees the impact of elbow pain 1st hand:- "When we talk about joint pain, we often think of the back, hips and knees. But elbow pain is particularly impactful in people's lives. It affects us in all aspects of our lives. When we sit or lay down, we put weight on our elbows. For many people, that can mean excruciating pain. It also affects people in employment with desk based jobs, as well as the more obvious physical positions like builders, plumbers and clinical professionals. Most recently in the Pandemic, we have seen an increase in cases where conditions have been worsened by poor working conditions. The vast majority of us are working in makeshift offices with poor setups. This is often a trigger for increased pain, whether it's muscle or bone. It's not until you endure specific joint pain you realise how reliant you are on that joint. That is particularly tough for people who have been diagnosed with life long conditions that need medication and management to get by, such as arthritis. It is unsurprising that many people with elbow pain find life in the bedroom extremely difficult. Even the simplest of things such as getting dressed can be challenging."

The survey found that various forms of arthritis are the leading cause of joint pain, with 66% of respondents in the North West having been diagnosed with one form or another. This includes rheumatoid, osteoarthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Arthritis is most prevalent in the older population. In the most recent figures (2018), the over 65 population of Greater Manchester was 450,787, which would naturally present a high incidence of joint conditions.

North West residents responding to the survey described further effects that joint pain had on their lives in general, with 37% of people saying it affects their relationships with others around them and 45% rating their quality of life as:- 'poor' or 'extremely poor' because of it.

In a wider response among the 8,545 respondents, the vast majority had lived with joint pain for over 10 years and over 50% said joint pain had affected their careers. 76% of the respondents reported that joint pain affected their relationships with children or grandchildren.

The survey was carried out by Circle Health Group in November and December 2020.

Did you see the very 1st ever flight on an other planet take place today?

NASA's 4lb rotorcraft, Ingenuity, fired its blades to 2,500rpm, flew up 10ft, hovered to take a photo then landed, making it the 1st ever craft to fly on another planet. The flight on the Red Planet took place at 8:34am BST, today and will be the first of what is hoped to be many more over the next few weeks, until the team hands back to the main mission, Perseverance. Did you watch this historic the 'Wright Brothers moment,' on another planet? Did you know the 1st ever aircraft to fly on Earth was also in part on the Mars helicopter? The Mars helicopter had a small swatch of fabric from Wright Brothers' 1903 Wright Flyer as it took off on Mars!

Total UK cases Covid19 cases in and around Liverpool City Region

THE total number of UK Coronavirus (Covid19) infections that have been laboratory confirmed, within the UK, has risen by:- 2,963 cases and the total number now stand at:- 4,390,783 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:- 4 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:- 127,274, within 28 days of positive test. Deaths with Covid19 on the death certificate:- 150,419.

The number of Covid19 patients currently in UK Hospitals:- 2,186. The current number of Covid19 patients currently in mechanical ventilation beds in UK Hospitals:- 332 Daily number of Covid19 patients admitted to UK Hospitals:- 179.

In England, there are a total of:- 3,836,833 confirmed cases. North West - total of:- 603,999 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, 48,387 confirmed cases.
13

► Halton, 11,921 confirmed cases. 4

► Knowsley, 17,349 confirmed cases. 5

► Sefton, 23,845 confirmed cases. 4

► St. Helens, 17,031 confirmed cases. 4

► Wirral, 24,228 confirmed cases.
10

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

32,932,448 10,152,039

Jab Stats correct as of:- 18 April 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.