Agenda item - Presentation - Covid Recovery Plan Strategy and Update on Outbreak Control Plan

There will be a joint presentation by the Director of Public Health, The Executive Director of Adult Health and Social Care and the CCG updating on information provided at previous meetings and on the current situation in the city.

21.1    The Director of Public Health, Alistair Hill, gave a presentation (copy uploaded to the agenda pack on the council website detailing the arrangements in place to seek to continue to contain the number of cases across the city and to support and sustain recovery. The figures provided related to the period to 2 November 2021.

21.2    In summary, it was explained that although the case rate in Brighton and Hove whilst it remained high was lower than for the south-east of England and across England as a whole. The all age case rate was no longer increasing, however, the full impact of the school half-term case rates would not be clear for several weeks, although it was known that there had been less testing.

21.3    Rates were currently highest in school aged children, followed by 40-59 year olds. Rates in those aged 60+ was the highest since January 2021 although hospital admissions were currently lower than in the Spring of 2020 and the winter of 2020/21 peaks.

21.4    Current Covid response priorities were to:

          Increase vaccination uptake including promoting first and booster doses and reducing inequalities in uptake;

          Public communication including test, trace and isolate, use of face coverings in crowded settings, ventilation, hand washing, taking up Covid and flu vaccinations;

          Test, trace and isolate support, including asymptomatic and symptomatic testing:

          Supporting educational and other settings, managing cases and outbreaks;

          Awareness and preparedness for “Plan B” – this would be activated nationally if the Government decided that further measures were required to protect the NHS.

21.5    In view of the rising case numbers in the younger age groups Councillor Bagaeen enquired regarding progress in rolling out boosters for the under 15’s and the timeframe for roll out to those aged 11 – 15. The Managing Director of Brighton and Hove CCG, Lola Banjoko, responded that she did not have the most up to date information to hand but would provide that separately following the meeting.

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21.6    RESOLVED – That the contents of the presentation be noted and received.