A year on from the first confirmed coronavirus case in Aylesbury
Over 30 thousand cases have been recorded in Buckinghamshire
Today marks a year since the first coronavirus cases confirmed in Aylesbury.
On March 12th 2020 the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Aylesbury, across Buckinghamshire 32 cases were confirmed this Wednesday to Thursday (10th-11th March 2021).
Public Health England figures show that 30,494 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Wednesday (March 10) in Buckinghamshire, up from 30,462 the same time on Tuesday.
The rate of infection in Buckinghamshire now stands at 5,606 cases per 100,000 people, lower than the England average of 6,588.
Daniel Flecknoe is a Public Health Consultant with Buckinghamshire Council, who says nobody predicted the impact coronavirus would have:
"I was looking back through emails and I remember reading an email from Public Health England, on January 9th I think, that talked about this coronavirus that had been discovered in the Wuhan area.
"I remember thinking it didn't sound good, but I did not think it would take over my life quite the way it would.
"It was a bit like a train you can see coming along the tracks, because we knew what was coming but not how much to rely on other countries and how they were coping."
Importance of strong communication with residents
A year on residents have seen multiple lockdowns and tier systems which have impacted every area of their lives.
For Daniel who works on providing consistent high quality information and advice on the pandemic, communication to locals has been crucial.
He said:
"If you hammer the message home about how serious it is you have nowhere to go when it gets worse.
"I was queueing in an off-license a few years ago and the customer in front of me asked for some cigarettes.
"And the staff pulled the door back and went to grab a packet, when the customer said "Not those I like the ones with the lungs'.
"So that is a campaign that is no longer working anymore, because people are used to it.
"But, there are people for whom this is the no 1 thing on their mind. They are anxious and terrified all day, whether or not they are clinically vulnerable or not.
"The challenge is always to reach the people who are in the middle, maybe on the fence, without scaring people who are already worried about it into a decline."
Coronavirus and Buckinghamshire moving forward
Buckinghamshire Council is keen to encourage locals to continue to follow the lockdown restrictions as they are.
Last summer number in Buckinghamshire reflect what is being seen now, however in December the council announced a State of Emergency as they rose to new highs.
Which Daniel says the temptation to bend the rules early is there, he hopes people hold out that bit longer:
"This really is a marathon and not a sprint and we are just not finished yet.
"I feel it is important from a Public Health perspective to thank the community and their efforts for all they have done.
"Peoples actions have helped keep people safe and I hope there are bonds that will last formed through this.
"We are near the end, and the vaccination process is giving people hope but we need to hold on just a bit longer."