Covid-19 community update – 17 June 2021

Update and information from South Cambs District Council

I’m sure that, like me, you are disappointed about the delay to the relaxation of rules until 19 July (more below), but with the increase of the Delta variant, we need to keep up our guard against the spread of the virus. It may have felt over the last month or two that regularly taking Lateral Flow Tests wasn’t an urgent priority, but with cases on the rise again right across the country, the best way for everyone to protect family, friends, colleagues and other members of the community is to regularly (twice a week) take a Lateral Flow Test. Every asymptomatic positive case picked up by the Lateral Flow Tests means another person with Covid-19 who doesn’t spread the virus to others. You can order tests online to be delivered to your home – so it is easy to organise.

End of lockdown delayed to 19 July

The Prime Minister confirmed earlier this week that lockdown restrictions, with some exceptions, will be extended by four weeks, to 19 July. The 30-guest cap for weddings will be lifted, with the maximum number of attendees to be based on the venue capacity (allowing for social distancing). The Prime Minister said it was “time to ease off the accelerator” in order “to save many thousands of lives”. He described 19 July as a “terminus date”.

Vaccination update

The Prime Minister provided an update on the vaccination programme and confirmed that vaccination greatly reduces transmission with two doses providing a high degree of protection against serious illness and death. The Government’s target of offering vaccines to all adults by the end of July has been brought forward to the new 19 July date.

  • As of this week, anyone over the age of 21 can book a vaccination appointment – with this to be widened to over 18s from tomorrow (Friday 18 June)
  • Those people above the age of 40 who used the national booking system can reduce the period between their first and second jabs from 12 weeks to 8 weeks. They should first cancel the 12 week appointment, after which they will see the available 8 week appointments to make a new booking.

Translations of easy-read Covid-19 vaccination leaflets

Public Health England (PHE) has published translated versions of easy-read leaflets on the Covid-19 vaccinations. The leaflets, which include information on what to expect after your vaccine and information for women who are pregnant or are breastfeeding their baby, are now available in 21 languages including English, Arabic, Urdu and Polish. COVID-19 vaccination: easy-read leaflets.

Safe and Well visits

Colleagues supporting the South Cambs Community Safety Partnership are promoting the opportunity for vulnerable residents to have free Safe and Well visits. You can find out more in a recent update from the Fire Service. The Safe and Well team visit residents’ homes to assess six key elements:

  • Fire safety in the home – including cooking, general safety and escape plans.
  • Falls prevention – including simple remedial action such as replacing lightbulbs or taping down loose carpet.
  • Alcohol use – alcohol related hospital admissions are steadily increasing.
  • Stay well and warm – can residents afford to heat their home? Do they have access to a hot meal? Do they access the all the services available to them?
  • Crime reduction – providing advice on making their home more secure in addition to advice to make them less vulnerable to scams or fraud.
  • Smoking – if people need a helping hand to quit, our Safe and Well partners can offer the help and advice people need.
  • Hoarding – if people need advice in relation to the health and safety of individuals with hoarding concerns.

Find out if someone is eligible for a free Safe and Well visit by completing a short questionnaire or contact the automated message line on 0800 917 9994 and leave a message including the person’s name, address and daytime phone number to receive a call back.

What do adults with learning disabilities need?

Cambridgeshire County Council has launched a survey to find out what adults with a learning disability in Cambridgeshire think is important to help them to live happier, healthier lives. This will help the County Council to know what to focus on when planning services and supporting people with a learning disability in the future. Have your say before 30 June 2021. Or if you’d like to share this information in your community, please feel free to share these Facebook or Twitter posts.

We will send a further community update when there is useful information to share. Thank you again for all your support.