Plymouth Public Health director issues plea as cases peak

As COVID-19 cases in Plymouth reach their highest levels so far during the pandemic, the city’s Director of Public Health is urging residents to keep taking all necessary precautions to stop the virus spreading.

COVID-19 cases have been rising rapidly in Plymouth in recent weeks and there have been 1,113 new cases in the last seven days, which compares to 82 a month ago (13 June).

The rate per 100,000 today (13 July) is 423.5, compared to an England average of 333.7. The rate in Plymouth was 31.3 per 100,000 on 13 June.

Dr Ruth Harrell is asking residents to continue measures such as wearing masks in confined spaces after they are no longer mandatory after 19 July, as well as to routinely wash hands, take regular tests and self-isolate if alerted by the NHS COVID-19 app.

Dr Harrell said: “The Government is asking people to act responsibility while easing the mandatory restrictions and says there is an ongoing need for caution. With the rapid rate at which the virus is currently spreading in Plymouth, we cannot afford to relax our efforts now.

“The steep increase we are seeing now is due to the ease and speed at which the highly infectious Delta variant is passed on and the fact that more people are meeting each other.

“All age groups are being impacted, though a higher proportion of young people are being infected. Over one per cent of all 15 to 24 year olds in Plymouth have tested positive in the last seven days.

“The more you are mixing with other people, the higher the chance you have of contracting the virus and passing it on to others, including those who may remain vulnerable even after being vaccinated.

“This makes it really important that anyone who is going out, whether to visit friends or family, to eat or drink, or go to work, takes regular lateral flow tests when they do not have symptoms to ensure they are not passing the virus on. If they test positive, they should self-isolate and arrange of PCR test.

“It is also really important that people don’t ignore an alert from NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app asking them to self-isolate, and that if they are a contact of someone who is positive, they take a PCR test, even if they do not have symptoms.

“The vaccine is working and I would urge anyone over 18 who has not had theirs yet to book one now. The vaccines are very effective but they do not give you a free pass. They give you good protection but it is still possible to contract the virus and pass it to others. Some people can also become very ill, though far fewer people need hospital treatment.

“However, the high number of cases we have in the city at the moment means that the number of people needing hospital treatment is also increasing and this is once again putting pressure on the NHS.

“We should also not forget that some people also get very sick after contracting the virus and some will have long lasting and debilitating effects due to long Covid. Aside from the severe personal impact this can have on individuals and their families, the more people requiring help from their GP, the more strain is put on the already hard-pressed health system, which is already having to manage backlogs in non COVID-19 related care.

“I totally understand that everyone is tired of the impact that COVID-19 is having on our lives. We can enjoy this summer but we must be careful to make sure we do it safely. This means sticking to some simple measures and ensuring we keep looking out for ourselves and for each other.”