Community Connectors newsletter

 

Community Connectors 4 February 2020 View this email in your browser

Vaccinations gather pace in Kent   A staggering 279,363 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been given to residents in Kent and Medway according to the latest NHS data published today (4 February). The data cover the period up to 31 January 2021 and includes first and second doses. In more good news, it was announced on Monday (1 February) that a third large-scale vaccination centre will open in Kent in the next two weeks. The latest vaccination hub will open at the Angel Leisure Centre in Tonbridge, serving residents in the south of the District, and joins large-scale centres in Gravesend and Folkestone. In addition, there are dozens of other smaller vaccination centres across the county, including pharmacies and GP surgeries with more becoming available all the time. Full list of the operational sites Don’t forget, the NHS will let you know when your jab is ready for you.     Testing times for Council leader     Our Council Leader, Cllr Peter Fleming, recently filmed himself taking a COVID-19 test at his local test centre in Sevenoaks. The purpose of the video is to show how easy, quick and efficient the test really is and to encourage more people to get tested. We’re sharing the video with our social media followers and on YouTube. If you get the chance, please share with your contacts too. Book a test     Look into my eyes     Public Health England (PHE) has updated its hard-hitting marketing campaign that encourages more of us to stick to the rules. Featuring real patients, the campaign asks us to consider the consequences for others of bending the rules. You can download the marketing materials to share with your contacts.     Election Campaigning   In four months' time, Kent County Council and Kent Police and Crime Commissioner elections are scheduled to take place on Thursday 6 May. The current Government guidance is that these elections should go ahead as planned. And as you’d expect, we’re making some changes to our polling stations to keep everyone safe. We’re also letting residents know they can apply for a postal vote instead of voting in person. Government has now issued political campaigning guidance in the run up to the election. In a nutshell, the Government has said the current restrictions do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by party activists. Instead, they are urging political parties to campaign remotely. The situation is under constant review and the Government will issue updated guidance when things improve. View the current electoral campaigning guidance in full.     Vaccination explainer videos   In the last week, PHE released a series of short videos covering many aspect of the vaccine programme, from how did we develop the vaccine so quickly and how does it works to possible side effects and who needs it. The videos also tackle some of the common vaccine myths, including its effect on fertility. You can view the videos on YouTube Please feel free to share one or more videos with your contacts.     Latest local COVID-19 data   The latest data we have from the Government and Public Health England is dated 29 January. COVID-19 rates are falling in all districts of Kent and Medway. The R value for Kent and Medway overall is below 1 and rates are expected to continue to fall.   Most new cases are in adults of working age, and the number of new cases is falling in all age groups, including those over 65 years   The case rate in the Sevenoaks District to 29 January was 207.9 per 100,000, down from 329.6 on January 24. The current case rate in Sevenoaks District now lower than the England rate, which is currently 267.7 per 100,000.   There are currently 251 active cases in the District, falling from 546 recorded five days previously. These are associated with clusters in residential dwellings and care settings.   Although the decrease in rates of infection is welcome news, it still remains incredibly important that we follow the guidance and make use of symptom free testing at this critical period.     View the latest national COVID-19 data.     What do you think of this newsletter?   Drop us a line at communications@sevenoaks.gov.uk

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