Wiltshire families urged to stick to the rules this half term
However, a childcare bubble can be formed as long as they meet the criteria
Wiltshire Council is urging families in the county to make sure they're sticking to the rules around Covid-19 this half term.
Children should be off school or home learning next week, but we are being asked to remain in our own households.
After the break in October 2020, sleepovers during that time led to a number of outbreaks.
This half term, a childcare bubble can be formed for a child under 14, with one other household, ideally who live locally.
But it is just for childcare only and shouldn't be used socially.
It is different to a support bubble, which can only be formed if you meet one of the following criteria:
- You live by yourself
- You have a child under one
- You're a single adult living with one or more children under 18
- You're the only adult in your household not in need of continuous care
- You have a child under 5 with a disability who requires continuous care
- You're aged 16 or 17 living with others of the same age and without any adults
Kate Blackburn, Director of Public Health for Wiltshire, said:
"The rate of COVID-19 cases reported in Wiltshire has fallen over the last seven days and this is largely due to the fact that local people have played their part and followed the lockdown rules.
Next week is the school half term holiday and I am appealing to parents, children and young people to continue to follow social distancing guidance. I know this will be hard and that many children are missing their friends, but please do not be tempted to break the rules; this will help to contain the virus and so make it possible for children to go back to school and meet up with friends again in the future.
I am also asking people not to hold sleepovers this half term, as Halloween sleepovers held during the October half term break led to a number of outbreaks last year. By following the rules, you are helping to reduce the spread of infection so we can all get back to normal faster."
CASE NUMBERS
Here are the latest Covid-19 cases numbers for Wiltshire.
In the seven days to the 5th February there were 670 positive Covid-19 cases recorded.
This is down 141 on the previous week.
It gives the county a rolling rate per 100,000 population of 134.0
The average in England is 202.5.
What is Covid-19?
Covid-19 emerged as a virus in December 2019 as the first cases are reported in Wuhan, China. Scientifically known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus created a global pandemic as it began to spread around the world. Symptoms can range from very mild to severe, causing death in some cases. Some people are completely asymptomatic and do not realise they even have the virus.
Has there been a virus like this before?
The SARS pandemic in 2003 was similar to Covid-19 in that it was also caused by a coronavirus. SARS stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The global outbreak of SARS lasted from 2002-2003, infecting over 8,000 people and killing 774. Covid-19 and SARS are both respiratory illnesses, but SARS was much more deadly and less infectious.
What are the main symptoms?
The NHS say the main Covid-19 symptoms are a high temperature, a new and continuous cough and loss or change to taste of sense or smell. NHS advises people with Covid-19 to take plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, and take paracetamol for a high temperature.
What was the Government reaction?
The UK Government announced the first of several lockdowns in March 2020. By the end of the month, more than 100 countries around the world introduce full or partial lockdowns, preventing people from going to work, restricting everyday tasks and affecting the livelihoods of billions of people globally.
Which countries have been worst hit?
During the first year of the pandemic, the US recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world and the most deaths, reporting an unprecedented 100,000 new cases in one day on November 4th 2020. Thousands of new cases were recorded on the same date in India (46,000+), the United Kingdom (22,000+), Brazil (17,000+) and Mexico (5,000+), while Ireland records less than 1,000 (578). Hundreds of other countries also reported a high rate of infection.
How have vaccines fought against Covid-19?
Vaccines began being approved for use across the globe. By January 2021, the UK approved the use of three different vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the Moderna vaccine are rolled out to the public, with older people and those with greater health concerns getting priority. In April 2022, just under 53 million people had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
What are new Covid variants?
Four new variants of Covid-19 were discovered around the world. Beta was found in South Africa, Gamma in Brazil and Delta in India, while the Alpha variant was first located in Kent, UK. New variants are not likely to make someone more seriously ill than Covid-19 would, but variants like Delta have a higher infection rate, meaning it can be more easily spread.
The Omicron variant was first detected late 2021 in South Africa. Since then, it has become one of the most dominant variants in the world, with its own sub strains - BA.4 and BA.5.