Blogs > Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic weekly update for Malvern SeniorsClick to read our observations on politics and world events 20th February 2022 BACK TO NORMAL PreambleOver the last two years we have been keeping an eye on the published government figures and monitoring the media to asses the level of risk for Seniors in the Malvern Hills district. We have also provided links to where further information could be found. Now the worst of the epidemic is over our work is done, but we'll carry on for a few more weeks. Testing is being run down and we suspect the public are increasingly not recording the result of Lateral Flow tests so the daily cases figures reported on the Coronavirus Dashboard can no longer be relied on. Half the deaths reported by PHE are now thought be elderly patients who die with COVID but not from it. COVID deaths reported by ONS and hospital bed occupancy are now the only reliable measure of the tail of the epidemic. This page has been normally updated every Sunday between 1800 and 2400 hours GMT. Information about Coronavirus can be found on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/coronavirus ContentsFurther information: About the Zoe COVID symptom study About the NHS contact tracing app SummaryFor the majority in the UK it's time for life to return to normal, especially for those who are in reasonable health and have had three doses of the vaccine. Sadly the situation could be more complex for the clinically vulnerable who may want to discuss their condition and precautions with either their GP or Specialist. In the UK, daily hospital admissions, the number of COVID patients occupying hospital beds and the number of patients on ventilators have been slowly falling during the last month. Daily deaths from COVID are also showing a downward trend and there is speculation that up to half these might not be 'true' COVID deaths. So UK hospital metrics are all indicating the worst of the epidemic is over. The situation in Worcestershire is less clear as the ONS has recorded more deaths than usual and COVID bed occupancy has gone up, contrary to the national trend. The picture of daily cases has become fogged. The Zoe app suggests cases have gone down 16% this week, whereas the 'PHE' figures have gone down by 25%, most probably because fewer people are taking PCR tests and reporting the results of their Lateral Flow tests. COVID hospital beds and deaths are now the metrics to watch. While the Omicron virus remains prevalent there is a fair chance we will all catch COVID-19 at some time or other. It may make us feel very poorly and send us to bed for a few days; and it could take a week or two for us to recover but, except for the very frail, we are unlikely to be hospitalised and our resistance to future infection should be bolstered. The main thing the government will be keen to avoid is a lot of people, such as nurses, being off sick at the same time. COVID hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds are now said to be mostly occupied either by those who are unvaccinated or have had only 2 doses of the vaccine, so make sure to get your booster jab if you have not already done so. Lateral Flow Device kits which only require a nose swab can be used to test for COVID at home, for example before either going to an event or visiting friends. However be aware they are not 100% reliable and you could be infecting others before there is enough virus for the test to show positive. A local summary of COVID data can be found on the Worcestershire Coronavirus Dashboard. Deaths are on page 7, and hospital beds on page 9. Note: use the arrow <> buttons at the bottom of the Dashboard screen to move between pages. Click for Worcestershire County Council COVID-19 news Click for Simple Summary of Malvern numbers on the Coronavirus dashboard Click for the latest UK Government Coronavirus advice How to get vaccinatedBy now all Seniors should be fully vaccinated, for others read on:- Latest news is that all those aged 5 - 11 years can now be offered the vaccine and all those aged 16+ years can book a booster 3 months after their second dose. Click NHS link - Who can get a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine For information about walk-in centres in Worcestershire go to the website: and click the Vaccine Rollout tab at the top of the page. Click for information about vaccination at the Three Counties Showground Otherwise either see the NHS website for walk-in opening times and vaccine availability: Or click this link for more information and to book a vaccination on-line: Book a Coronavirus vaccination - NHS (www.nhs.uk) Or talk to your GP. Note: the immuno-compromised may be offered a third jab as part of their primary course, followed by a booster 3 months later. More about vaccinationsThe Omicron variant of COVID-19 is highly infectious and widespread in the community so all of us are likely to catch it at some time or other - it can make you 'very poorly' so it is essential to get your booster jab if you have not already had it. VaccinometerOur bar chart below shows the total number of:
Vaccinometer as of 20th February 2022 People are still coming forward to be vaccinated, but the rate is so slow you will see little change to this chart during 2022. Vaccination statistics can be found on the Vaccination tab of the Coronavirus Dashboard. Booster jabsThe government says everyone aged 18+ years has been offered a booster jab. To date about 49M have had two doses, and 38M booster doses have been administered, suggesting 11M still to boost in the UK; but those under 16 years are not yet eligible for a booster jab, so there are probably 6M people who have not bothered to get their booster. Vaccinations WorldwideA chart of the worldwide vaccination situation can be found on the Our World in Data website. Click for worldwide statistics Hint: click the country list on the left hand side of the screen to add or remove countries from the chart. Number of casesThere are three sources reporting the prevalence of COVID-19 in the UK.
In this section we have been logging (PHE) daily cases by date reported from the Coronavirus dashboard. However the steep fall in recent weeks is not being mirrored by ONS and ZOE data suggesting part of the fall is illusory and due to the government restricting the availability of PCR tests and the public failing to record the result of Lateral Flow tests on the NHS website. The latest ONS infection survey suggests the prevalence of COVID-19 is still high with about 1 in 20 testing COVID positive, while the ZOE COVID Symptom Study estimates 162,000 cases per day compared to 192,000 last week a fall of 16% During the last week the number of people testing COVID positive in the UK reported by PHE on the 'Coronavirus Dashboard' fell from 57,836 to 43,101 cases per day a fall of 25%. The chart below shows how the daily rate reported by PHE has varied since 1st September 2020.
UK daily confirmed COVID cases 1st September 2020 to 20th February 2022 Zooming in, the next chart shows in more detail how the PHE figures have been falling. UK daily confirmed COVID cases 8th January to 20th February 2022 During the last week 298,893 COVID positive tests were recorded and the cumulative total of confirmed UK COVID-19 cases reported by PHE rose to 18,605,752 (including repeat infections). In Worcestershire there have now been 154,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 (including repeat infections) with 3,126 cases recorded last week. The next chart illustrates how daily cases in Worcestershire have been falling. Note: the gap represents the time taken for the rolling average to re-establish following addition of historic repeat cases on 31st January.
Daily cases in Worcestershire from 1st January 2021 to 20th February 2022 The breakdown by Worcestershire Lower Tier Local Authorities (LTLA) is shown in the following table, together with comparisons for Herefordshire, a more sparsely populated county, and the city of Leicester. Note: the cumulative cases are copied from the 'Cases by area' (whole pandemic) data set of the Coronavirus Dashboard. The weekly increase is the difference between this week and last week's total.
Cumulative cases reported by PHE in Worcestershire to 20th February 2022 Note: the weekly increase is indicative; the seven day average by area, which varies day to day, is an alternative metric that can be found on the Coronavirus dashboard. Cases in Malvern Hills by age groupOn the cases tab of the Coronavirus dashboard you can either select the county of Worcestershire or a local authority such as the Malvern Hills, and there you can find a heat map showing cases by age group over time and a chart comparing the number of cases under 60 years with those aged 60+. Case rates fell last week, particularly in the younger age group. The rolling number of cases per 100,000 per week reported to 14th February was 347 in the over 60s; and 805 in those aged 0 - 59 years. Click for cases by specimen date age demographics in the Malvern Hills Interactive mapsAt the bottom of the Coronavirus Dashboard (daily update) page there is an Interactive Map which is coloured to show infection rates across the country. Click for Interactive Map of COVID cases Note: the Interactive Map works on desktop PCs but it's possible you may encounter difficulties using a tablet or smartphone. Recent weekly cases to 15th February are down: North Malvern 68; Malvern Link 42; Pickersleigh 33; Barnards Green 30; Malvern Wells and Priory 38; Callow End and Hanley 39; Upton and Welland 40. Another map can be found on the Zoe COVID Study website indicating extrapolated cases based on reports from those using the Zoe app. Click for People with COVID (estimated from the Zoe app) Number of deathsStatistics on COVID deaths are published by Public Health England, The Office of National Statistics, and NHS England. PHE figuresPublic Health England reports there were 1,011 COVID (28) deaths in UK hospitals and care homes in the last week bringing the cumulative total to 160,581 (including deaths linked to repeat infections), with the daily average falling from 179 to 144 deaths per day. In comparison averaged over recent years 1,700 people die daily from all causes.
COVID-19 (28) death rate 1st January to 20th February 2022 Click to view the UK government Coronavirus Dashboard Note: in half the cases recently reported by PHE it is thought COVID-19 may not be the underlying cause of death. ONS figuresThe Office of National Statistics (ONS) separately reports registered deaths in England and Wales where COVID-19 is mentioned somewhere on the death certificate. The ONS figures lag the PHE figures by 10 - 14 days and do not include Northern Ireland and Scotland. Click for national ONS data on deaths (Excel spreadsheet) The ONS figures are broken down by District providing a glimpse of where deaths are occurring. The provisional cumulative total of COVID related deaths in Worcestershire reported by the ONS up to 4th February (week 5 of 2022) is shown below. Note: the numbers are from the ONS Death Registrations-Pivot table
Provisional cumulative COVID-19 deaths registered by ONS to 4th February 2022 Note: summation of rows 9 to 339 of the ONS deaths Registrations-Pivot table. There was 1 death in a care home and 1 in hospital in Bromsgrove; 2 deaths in hospital in the Malvern Hills; 1 death in a care home and 2 in hospital in Redditch; 1 death in hospital in the city of Worcester; 1 death in a care home and 1 at home in Wychavon; and 2 deaths in a care home, 1 at home, 2 in hospital and 1 elsewhere in Wyre Forest. In England and Wales 1,238 COVID-19 related deaths were reported in the week to 4th February, 145 less than the week before, a fall of 10.5%. Of these 267 were in a care home, 85 at home, 26 in a hospice, 850 in hospital and 10 elsewhere. Note: according to the ONS, COVID was the underlying cause of death in just 71% of these cases. Click for ONS Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights: Deaths The provisional UK COVID-19 death toll (as reported by PHE and ONS) for all weeks of the epidemic can be found on the Deaths tab of the Coronavirus Dashboard. NHS England figures for WorcestershireThe table below shows latest COVID deaths in Worcestershire hospitals reported by NHS England on 18th February 2022.
Click for NHS COVID-19 total announced deaths Click for Summary of Malvern numbers on the Coronavirus dashboard Risk of COVID-19 death by age band (Delta and Omicron)NHS England provides an analysis of COVID-19 deaths in hospital in England and Wales by age band. Shown below is a snapshot of 3,971 recent deaths for the period 7th January 2022 to 3rd February 2022. During this period deaths from Delta probably fell while those from Omicron increased. We do not know the exact mix, but there is an indication the risk of death is moving towards those aged 80+ years, who will generally be more frail and have co-morbidities.
Relative risk of COVID-19 death by age band The latest figures show the risk of death has fallen slightly in those aged 40 to 79 years, rising in those aged 80+. Those aged 60+ still account for more than 90% of deaths, but remember that due to vaccination the death rate as a proportion of new cases is five to ten times lower than in 2020. One commentator on the TV news this week suggested the risk of the elderly dying from Omicron is now just double that of dying from the Flu (note: we haven't found evidence to support this). Many historic deaths are likely to have been of the vaccine-hesitant, and those with co-morbidities such as Diabetes, the frail, and those that are immuno-compromised. Pregnant mothers, the overweight and deprived individuals with a poor diet are also said to be at increased risk. An NHS leaflet offered to patients being admitted to hospital suggests we are at higher risk of complications from COVID-19 infection if we have one or more of the following conditions:
See link to the latest UKHSA vaccine surveillance report below which points to an analysis covering a mix of Delta and Omicron cases that also highlights that many deaths are now of vaccinated individuals by virtue of a large proportion of the population being vaccinated and the vaccines not giving 100% protection. Click for UKHSA COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report Week 5, 3rd February 2022 Healthcare numbersThe UK government Coronavirus Dashboard includes important information about healthcare statistics and NHS bed occupancy.
Headline summary of patients in hospital reported on 20th February 2022 The trend in UK COVID-19 bed occupancy continues downwards. Bed numbers by region in EnglandTabulated figures for COVID bed occupancy in England can be found on the NHS England website and these give a good indication of direction of travel: Click for NHS England COVID-19 Hospital bed Activity statistics Note: see the latest Daily Admissions and Beds spreadsheets, then look for all COVID beds.
Comparison of All beds COVID data for London and Midlands In the last week the number of COVID-19 General and Acute beds fell by about 7% in London and 15% in the Midlands. For the same period, COVID beds in England fell from 10,367 to 9,258 a drop of 10%. For comparison, the number of beds occupied during the peak of the epidemic in January 2021 is shown in red in the right hand column of the table. Worcestershire hospital bedsTabulated figures for bed occupancy in Worcestershire Acute and Care hospitals can also be found on the NHS England website. There were 98 patients in hospital with Coronavirus on 20th February 2022 of which 4 were ventilated beds. Roughly 31% of the peak experienced last January. Some of these may be patients testing COVID positive after admission to hospital for other reasons. Note: Healthcare statistics can be found on the Healthcare tab of the UK Coronavirus Dashboard. At the top of the page where it says Healthcare in United Kingdom, click the drop down arrow to select Area Type as NHS Trusts, and Area Name as Worcester Acute Hospitals. Click to view Worcester healthcare figures Alternatively, Click for Summary of Malvern numbers on the Coronavirus dashboard Deaths in Malvern HillsBetween 14 February 2022 and 20 February 2022, there have been 3 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test. Forecast for the week aheadTrends suggest that during the next seven days (up to 27th February), in Worcestershire up to 3,000 COVID-19 positive tests can be expected, and up to 400 in the Malvern Hills district. The number of UK COVID (28) deaths (as recorded by PHE) may increase by up to 1,000 towards 161,550 during the 7 days ending 27th February 2022, with the average daily death rate hovering around 140. In the county of Worcestershire, assuming a 0.1% death rate, the 3,126 new cases this week could translate to 3 COVID deaths per week by the middle of March. UK daily hospital admissions might fall towards 1,075; based on ZOE reporting 16% fewer cases last week. Longer term outlookGeneralHalf term should cause cases to dip further, but how fast cases fall is difficult to predict, especially given the possibility all legal restrictions being removed on 24th February. At some point a background level of cases will probably be reached but we have little idea of whether that will be close to where we are now or a lot lower. During the last fortnight the fall in daily COVID positive tests can be represented by an exponential component halving every 2 to 3 weeks, superimposed on a background of 10,000 cases per day. Were that to continue daily cases reported by PHE could drop to 20,000 by the middle of March.
Actual and projected daily COVID positive tests to 14th March Note that true COVID infections might be higher as part of this fall could be due a drop in the reporting of COVID tests. See also summary of links section for UCL and IHME modelling projections.
RatiosFor a fixed level of vaccination, daily cases have been a signpost to whether daily hospital admissions and deaths are going to go up or down. Based on our heuristic 'rules of thumb' hospital admissions and deaths during January appeared to be to following daily cases very roughly in the ratio:
Now that COVID positive tests reported by PHE are becoming an unreliable indicator these ratios might perhaps be rebased against estimated ZOE cases - we'll take a look next week.
Advice for SeniorsWe judge the risk of exposure to the Omicron variant still to be HIGH; see our riskometer opposite. How this affects you will depend on your vaccination status. UKHSA say those who have had two doses plus a booster have roughly a 12% chance of being hospitalised compared to the unvaccinated. Two doses give little or no protection. 6M people remain unvaccinated in the UK and as many again have not had their booster; for many time is running out and perhaps up to 6,000 will die unnecessarily in coming weeks. Recently there have been no more than 16 COVID related deaths per week in Worcestershire which has a population of 600,000 so we currently judge the risk of death for triple vaccinated Seniors to be fairly LOW while the risk of Long COVID might be MODERATE . In these uncertain times, when it is likely that, despite being triple vaccinated, Seniors will become ill with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the simple safeguards to remember are to:
Notes: 1) Wash your hands thoroughly before touching your face to avoid transferring virus from contaminated surfaces to your mouth, eyes and nose. If outdoors use an alcohol based hand gel. 2) Two metres is further than you think - roughly an arm and a walking stick away. 3) The COVID Symptom Study people suggest that if you have symptoms of a common cold there is roughly a 37% chance you might have COVID. AnnexCommentaryThis weekNot a lot to report as life returns to normal and the media turned its attention to Prince Andrew and the situation in the Ukraine. The ONS infection survey shows the prevalence of COVID-19 in the UK is still very high. Click for Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey 18th February 2022 We heard Prince Charles's wife has COVID, a friend has COVID, HM Queen has COVID. All triple vaccinated. Despite precautions there seems a fair chance we will all get it as Omicron BA.2 is both highly infectious and widespread in the community. COVID video updatesThe usual charts can be found in the Zoe COVID Study and Independent SAGE weekly updates. Click to watch Zoe COVID Symptom Study update on 17th February 2022 presented by Tim Spector (worth watching). Click to watch Independent SAGE update on 18th February 2022 The Independent SAGE update starts with a short review of the charts and is followed by a discussion about the forthcoming public inquiry. Their attitude seems to be more about who to blame than learning lessons for the future. Dr John Campbell's videos on YouTube are often worth a look as he keeps an eye on the worldwide situation. For example see discussion with Dr Pilz about Natural Immunity on 17th February. U3ASome groups have started meeting again in person. Attendance is gradually rising. Overseas travelRefer to current government advice, and prepare contingency plans in case circumstances change in the country you are visiting. List of vaccinesHere is the updated list of COVID-19 vaccines ordered by the UK. It looks as though for now the government has settled on Pfizer as first choice with Moderna second and Astrazeneca held in reserve. Valneva has been cancelled, and approval has not yet been sought for using Novavax in the EU and US although approval has been sought for use in third world countries. For two doses plus boosters, only about 200M doses will be needed in 2021 and Jan/Feb 2022 for the population of the UK. The government has now signed deals to buy 114 million additional doses of the Pfizer (54M) and Moderna (60M) vaccines to use in 2022 and 2023. The press announcement goes on to say that 60M doses of Novavax vaccine are expected to be delivered in 2022 and 7.5M doses of GSK/Sanofi, so there seems no intention to cancel these late arrivals. Click for Guardian report - Novavax expected to be become fourth Covid vaccine available in UK
Table of vaccines ordered by the UK government
Present rate of new casesThe average rate of infection per 100,000 population per week copied from the Coronavirus Dashboard is shown in the following table.
Seven day Case Rate per 100,000 reported 20th February 2022 Note: actual infections could be 2 to 3 times the number testing positive. As a yardstick we suggest a figure of below 10 can be considered LOW, so there is a long way still to go.
How to request a COVID testIn order to protect others it is important to get a test and self isolate if you feel unwell with either classic COVID symptoms, or cold and flu like symptoms which can be caused by the Delta variant. There are now two types of test you can get. The more accurate PCR test involving a throat and nose swab which is sent to a laboratory for analysis and the Lateral Flow Device test. Click for government guidance on types of tests Getting a PCR testClick the link below for information on how to get a free NHS PCR test if you think you may have Coronavirus: https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test We feel the website discourages people from seeking a PCR test who don't have all the classic symptoms. If you feel strongly enough, press on answering the questions so as to get your PCR test. In case of difficulty you can try phoning the Coronavirus contact centre by dialing 119. Alternatively settle for a 'Nasal swab' Lateral Flow Device test in the comfort of your own home (see below). According to Google there is a 'drive through' COVID testing station at County Hall near the Countrywide Centre, and a 'walk through' at Pershore. There is also a COVID testing station at the Worcester Royal Hospital for screening patients before admission. If you cannot get to these you can order a home PCR test kit. If you test COVID positive you should self-isolate for 10 days. Getting a Lateral Flow Device testLateral Flow Device tests (LFD) can either be booked at Claremont Pharmacy in Barnards Green, Evans Pharmacy in Malvern Link, or taken at home. The test is intended to screen those who do not show the classic symptoms of COVID-19 and provides a means to check you are 'virus free' at home - either before visiting an elderly person, going to work, or attending a crowded event. It also provides a means to check whether or not you have Coronavirus if you are feeling poorly with cold and flu like symptoms. You can collect home test kits, for example packaged as the COVID-19 Self-Test (Rapid Antigen Test) in boxes of 7 tests, from Malvern library, the Co-op, and most pharmacies such as Boots and Murrays in Church Street, Claremont House and Lloyds in Barnards Green, Murrays at Prospect View, Evans and Murrays in Malvern Link, and Boots and Morrisons on the Enigma Retail Park. If collecting from a pharmacy you now have to go on-line and get a collection code to present to the pharmacy in order to obtain a pack of 7 tests. This involves giving NHS Test and Trace your email and/or mobile phone number and address. http://www.gov.uk/get-collect-code The LFD now comes in two versions.
(Lateral Flow Device cassette shown on the right). ACON Flowflex comes in a blue and white pack. Orient Gene comes in a green and white pack. MP Biomedicals come in a blue, white and grey pack. Click for instructions for using the LFD test kits
Leaflet at Boots the Chemist The new Nasal swab test kit which only requires a nose swab is the easiest to use and the best one to get but it is not yet widely available. On 10th November we found Boots in Church Street and Malvern Library were still supplying the old Throat and Nose kit; Murrays in Church Street had the new kits and Malvern library thought the library in St John's Worcester might have the new kits. Click for NHS information on Rapid Lateral Flow Test sites and collection sites in Malvern Hint: to see the list, click on 'filter' and then 'pick up sites for test kits' checkbox. Click for WCC info about Lateral Flow Tests In our opinion, many Seniors will find the classic Throat and Nose Swab home test kit difficult to use as you need to rub the tonsils or thereabouts with the swab-stick without touching the tongue, teeth, cheeks, gums or any other surface before swabbing the nose. Doing this standing in front of a mirror on your own without gagging while holding a torch in the other hand, won't be easy unless you have a steady hand and good eyesight. The Nose Swab kit is by far the best one for testing yourself at home. If you test COVID positive you should isolate and take a more accurate PCR test to confirm the result. NHS Test and Trace want people to report the result of their home LFD tests within 24 hours at: www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result This helps NHS Test and Trace monitor where the issue of the free LFD tests is proving most effective and the spread of the disease. However, it's tedious to enter your Lateral Flow Test result on the government website and we imagine many people now don't bother.
Nose swab home test kit obtained from Murrays
About the COVID Symptom Study app (Zoe)You can help others by downloading the COVID Symptom Study app onto your smart-phone or Ipad and reporting how you feel either daily, or as you are able. Note there is no desktop PC version for Windows. For further details click this link: https://covid19.joinzoe.com The Zoe app, which is easy to use, allows you to report whether or not you are feeling well and if you have had a test for COVID. This helps Kings College London monitor the spread and symptoms of the disease and give advice to government. This is an important source of data as we progress through the EXIT wave. There are questions allowing you to enter your vaccine type and whether any side effects; this now includes boosters and flu jabs.
About the NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app (England)Release of the NHS COVID-19 contact tracing app for Apple and Android smartphones was announced on 24th September 2020. Click this link for NHS Coronavirus app information If you have been close to someone who has tested COVID positive, your smart-phone will be pinged and you may be advised to self-isolate The period for self isolating keeps changing. You can now take an LFD test from 6 days after the day your symptoms started, or the day your test was taken if you did not have symptoms, and another LFD test at least 24 hours later. If both these test results are negative, and you do not have a high temperature, you may end your self-isolation. Otherwise the isolation period is 10 days. Bear in mind some individuals may take much longer to fully recover. Note: be aware triple vaccinated individuals can still catch the Delta variant of the Omicron variant and pass it on to others.
About the NHS app and Covid PassAn NHS COVID Pass shows your coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination details and/or test results. This is your COVID-19 status. You may be asked to show your pass to travel abroad, or at events and venues in England asking for proof of your COVID-19 status. For large UK events you may get in either by the fact:
You will need the NHS app installed on your smartphone and be registered with the NHS in order to display your vaccination status. Note: this is not the NHS COVID-19 app If you don't have a smartphone you should be able to login from a PC to obtain a printed copy. Click to login from a desktop computer or laptop You can use your NHS login when signing in to report the result of Lateral Flow Device tests taken at home, which must be done within 24 hours.
Summary of LinksSymptomsArticle about the effects of Coronavirus on the human body
Reporting and how to obtain a testHow to get a test https://www.nhs.uk/coronavirus About joining the Zoe COVID Symptom Study:
GuidanceUK government Coronavirus guidance COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan 2021 for England UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) website
COVID Alert statesGuidance on UK COVID-19 alert level methodology: an overview COVID-19 Alert Level lowered to 3 on 10th May 2021
TiersGuidance on tiers: what you need to know Government postcode checker to find tier for other areas
StatisticsUK government COVID-19: Omicron daily overview UK government Coronavirus Dashboard Coronavirus Dashboard Interactive Map ONS data on deaths in England and Wales (Excel spreadsheet) NHS England COVID-19 Daily Deaths NHS England COVID-19 Hospital Admissions NHS England vaccination statistics Worcestershire Coronavirus Dashboard Worcestershire COVID-19 Vaccinations Dashboard
HSA COVID-19 vaccine weekly surveillance reports Information about NHS hospital bed numbers: past, present, future
A glimpse of the worldwide vaccination situation can be found on the Our World in Data website. Click for chart showing % vaccinated
ModellingA forecast of the progression of the COVID-19 epidemic can be found on a University College London (UCL) website. Click for UCL Long-term forecasting of the COVID-19 epidemic A projection of the future COVID-19 death toll and daily deaths can be found on The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation website. Click for IHME projection of COVID-19 deaths
ReportsCoronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights by ONS A live roundup of the latest data and trends about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic from the ONS and other sources.
The bigger pictureWorldometer summary of coronavirus cases worldwide European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control info https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases World Health Organisation info
Window on the USACentre for Disease Control (CDC) Find maps and charts tracking cases, deaths, and trends of COVID-19 in the United States. American Association of Retired People (AARP)
WorcestershireHelp: http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/here2help Worcestershire County Council COVID-19 information: http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/coronavirus Here you will find a useful link, 'Website: Number of new cases by date in Worcestershire' which displays interesting COVID charts and statistics for Worcestershire
MiscellaneousSpanish Flu Dr Jeff Kildea's commentary about the 1919 outbreak of Spanish Flu in Australia
Views of Martin McKee, Professor of European Public Health Follow Martin McKee on Twitter
SAGE membership Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE)
Scottish government: Link to Scottish Government website Link to Postcode checker for COVID restrictions by protection level in areas of Scotland
Welsh Government: Guidance on COVID alert levels in Wales
The interpretations and opinions expressed are our own |
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Last updated 21st February 2022 |