Community Connnectors update

 

Community Connectors May 20 2021 View this email in your browser The NHS is 'Open for business' The NHS has launched a new public information campaign to encourage people to contact their GP, attend hospital appointments and use the NHS 111 service if they have urgent care needs or 999 in emergencies. The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in a decrease in people accessing NHS services for a range of conditions that are not related to COVID-19. Public Health England has added new resources to its Campaign Resource Centre that you can download and share with your contacts. Download the resources Vaccine survey The Covid-19 vaccination programme is currently being rolled out and overall, uptake has been good. However, there are a number of communities where uptake is lower or slower and we need to understand why this is. Kent County Council and its partners have asked ‘Activmob’ to speak to residents in Kent, particularly 18 to 40-year-olds, to understand the attitudes, barriers and motivations for getting the vaccine. As part of this work, we would be very grateful if you could take part or share the short Covid-19 vaccine insights survey with others. Step three posters available On Monday, the nation entered ‘Step three’ of the Government’s Roadmap out of Lockdown. While we’ve all regained additional freedoms, many restrictions remain in place and we should continue to follow social distancing guidelines. You can now download the latest ‘Step three’ posters with a summary of the new guidance from the Public Health England website. They’re available to print or to share on your digital platforms. Download the step three posters Local vaccination news Across the Sevenoaks District, a total of 106,263 doses of the vaccination were given between 8 December 2020 and 16 May 2021. Across Kent and Medway, 1,593,304 doses of the vaccine were given up to 16 May 2021. COVID-19 infection data The latest data we have from the Government and Public Health England is dated 13 May.  It remains a mixed picture across the county for rates of infection, but cases are decreasing in the majority of districts and boroughs, including in Sevenoaks.       The case rate in the Sevenoaks District to 13 May was 5.8, exactly half that of last week’s rate of 11.6 per 100,000. There are currently 13 active cases in the District, compared to 31 cases recorded at 6 May. According to KCC, active cases are currently associated with household clusters and single cases in residential dwellings.   Visit the NHS website for local and national vaccination data. Help share the vaccine message To encourage more people, especially younger people, to have a COVID-19 jab, we’re calling on you to help share the Public Health England’s vaccine materials. There’s lots of promotional resources available to reassure anyone who is hesitant about having a vaccine. Download the vaccine promotion materials More than 20 million UK adults receive both doses of COVID-19 vaccine Earlier this week, the Government announced that over 56 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have now been given in the UK, with over a third of adults having received both doses. Health services across the UK gave 56,677,354 vaccines between 8 December 2020 and 2 May 2021, including 36 million people (69%) with their first dose and 20 million with their second (38%). The milestone comes as Government announces that appointments for a second dose of a vaccine will be brought forward from 12 to 8 weeks for the remaining people in the top nine priority groups yet to receive their second dose. This is to ensure people in these groups have the best possible protection from the virus at an earlier opportunity. This is part of the Government’s plans to tackle rising cases of the B.1.617.2 variant of concern first identified in India. The online vaccination booking system is now available to those aged 36 or over and those who turn 36 before 1 July 2021. Vaccination booking system Support for young people The last year has been difficult for most of us but it’s been especially hard on our kids. It’s really important to recognise this and to help young people build resilience to get them through this turbulent time. If you know a young person who is struggling to cope, there is help available. Moodspark is a place where young people aged 10-16 can learn how to look after their emotional and mental health and find ways to help them bounce back when life gets tough. What do you think of this newsletter? Drop us a line at communications@sevenoaks.gov.uk Please share this newsletter with your friends, family, work colleagues and contacts.