Coronavirus information and advice 27 February 2020

27th February 2020

• Two further patients in England have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of UK cases to 15. No new cases have been identified in Brighton. The patients in question have been transferred to specialist infection centres in Liverpool and London.
• There have been recent news stories reporting that two schools in Brighton have students who have recently returned from Italy, which has seen an increase in confirmed cases. In both cases the students were 140 miles from Italian towns that have been placed in 'lockdown'. The risk to students and staff on the ski trip is low. Of course, pupils, parents and staff are being asked to be vigilant.
• Tests for coronavirus are being increased in the UK to include people displaying flu-like symptoms at 100 GP surgeries and eight hospitals across the UK, which includes our local Trust - Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals. This is to monitor the emerging situation, and not because of any perceived heightened risk.

PREVIOUS ADVICE POSTED BY HEALTHWATCH IS SHOWN BELOW FOR INFORMATION ONLY (*this has now replaced by the above post*)

20 February 2020

We are pleased to share some updated information on coronavirus, now also referred to COVID-19.  This has been prepared by the Public Health team at Brighton and Hove City Council.  We hope you find this useful.

The risk to the general public is ‘moderate’ based on the World Health Organization’s declaration that coronavirus is of international concern.  The risk to individuals however remains low, and the Government and the NHS are well prepared to deal with the virus.  No new infections have been detected locally in Brighton and Hove.

Data

• The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has now confirmed that as of 20 February, a total of 5,549 people in the UK have been tested for COVID-19, of which 5,540 were confirmed negative, and 9 positive.
• DHSC will be publishing updated data on this page on a daily basis until further notice.

Guidance

• A new blog on contact tracing and commonly asked questions have been produced.
• Latest information and advice for the public is here
• Updated guidance for healthcare providers is published here
• The Brighton & Hove City Council webpages also contains helpful information, including how people can report any experiences of hate crime.

Press advertising 

• From Monday 17 February, COVID-19 public information materials began appearing nationally in press, on social media and radio, so do look out for these. The advertising places greater emphasis on the importance of hand washing with soap and water or hand sanitiser, throughout the day and advise catching coughs and sneezes in a tissue before binning and washing hands.

13 February 2020

A statement from the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

As of Thursday 13 February, there have been no new confirmed cases of Coronavirus (now called Covid-19) across Sussex.

• Following the announcement that five cases of the confirmed Covid-19 were from the Brighton and Hove area, Public Health England (PHE) has carried out a thorough risk assessment and has traced the movements of the individuals.
• PHE have contacted people who might have had close and sustained contact with the individuals as a precaution to provide them with health advice about any symptoms in case they become unwell. These individuals have been advised to “self-isolate”. This means they should stay at home and avoid contact with other people as a precaution. It does not mean they are ill and people who have had contact with these individuals do not need to take action.
• People living across Sussex who have not been contacted by PHE are advised they should go about their daily routine as usual. There is comprehensive advice available at www.gov.uk/coronavirus for anyone who is concerned or wants to know more.
• NHS services are open as usual across Sussex and measures are in place to ensure the safety of all patients and NHS staff while also ensuring services are available to the public as normal.
• Yesterday (12/2/2020) it was established that a healthcare worker working in the Accident & Emergency (A&E) Unit at Worthing Hospital was a confirmed case. As they treated a small number of patients on 4^th and 5^th February before they became unwell and self-isolated, PHE has contacted all patients seen by this individual and all colleagues who came into close contact with them, to advise on the precautions they need to take.
• All services at Worthing Hospital, including surgery and outpatient appointments are operating normally.

10 February 2020

Healthwatch England has created the following page providing up to date information and advice about coronavirus. Please click here.

Advice from NHS England continues to be that the risk to individuals remains low.  Most people infected are likely to fully recover – just as they would from a flu.

Additional advice:

• From the UK Government can be found here.
• From Brighton and Hove Council can be found here.
• From the NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group can be found here.

Who to contact

• If you have recently travelled form a high-risk area and / or develop a fever, cough or shortness of breath, please do not leave your home and call NHS 111 immediately.

Symptoms

• The coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and symptoms usually start with a fever, followed by a dry cough.
• Generally, coronavirus can cause more severe symptoms in people with weakened immune systems, older people, and those with long-term conditions like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease.

Travel

• British people travelling and living overseas following the outbreak of novel coronavirus should check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice

All latest updates can be found here:

NHS Coronavirus COVID-19 Information

Brighton & Hove Council Coronavirus Covid 19 Informatio