Agenda and minutes

The notes of the previous Board meeting on 28 July 2022 were endorsed.

The Director of Public Health or their representative to report.

The Deputy Director of Public Health advised that there were no urgent items for escalation from the Health Protection Board.

A Report from the Health Protection Board on current issues, data and matters for information.

The Board received an update from the Health Protection Board on current issues, data and matters for information.

Matters included in the presentation and explanation which highlighted:

·       information from the Coronavirus local dashboard for Devon. The headline figures showed that around one in 70 people in the wider SW area currently have Covid.

·       51 patients in Devon hospitals including Plymouth and Torbay currently have Covid-19. There had been 4 deaths in the latest available week mentioning Covid-19 on the death certificate.

·       72.5% of the population over the age of 12 were fully vaccinated.

·       Infection rates were also remaining low.

·       Social distancing had reduced although some practices such as the use of face masks in confined spaces were still being operated by some people.

The Director of Public Health, Steve Brown, highlighted the trend chart for infections was roughly in the same position as this time last year and previously there had been a gradual rise in infections through the autumn to winter period. The current dominant strain was the BA.5, however new variants which came into the system may have a greater impact on the population. Asymptomatic testing had been paused and currently it was ONS and hospitalization data that was providing primary information.

He urged everybody who was eligible to take up their Covid vaccine booster and flu vaccinations.

There was a question regarding deaths associated with Covid and the Board was informed that it was a mix of reasons where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate and in some cases, there were other underlying conditions or factors.

The Board noted the position.   

The dashboard pages available here:

UK summary: UK Summary England Summary | Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK (data.gov.uk)

Devon Dashboard: Coronavirus dashboard and data in Devon - Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Interactive Map: Interactive map of cases | Coronavirus in the UK (data.gov.uk)

It was agreed this had been covered in the previous item.

There were no questions.

The Board and Head of Communications and Media to consider any key messages to be communicated.

The Board and Head of Communications and Media considered the key messages coming from the meeting.

These included:

·       Covid is still around, and more cases of Covid and of seasonal flu can be expected over the winter.

·       The Board encourages all eligible people to take up both a Covid booster vaccination and a seasonal flu vaccination when offered in line with the national programme. This also applies to people working in health and social care.

·       More broadly, it is common sense that people who feel ill with any respiratory illness should stay at home and avoid contact with others as much as possible.

·       People should also continue to be mindful of and support others who may be more vulnerable and need to continue to shield themselves.

·       Finally, all the above must be considered in conjunction with the broader national and local winter messaging campaigns in conjunction with the NHS and other partners.

Members of the Board will be asked for their views on the future of the Board and meetings.

Members agreed to take a pause in meeting until mid-January and to then review options.

A suitable date would be found, and a meeting invite would be sent out shortly.