(a)

the Covid case rates (per 100,000 people) were as follows –

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Plymouth 430

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South West region 360

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England 360

(b)

nationally, infection rates were roughly flat but at a high level; locally the cases had slightly reduced but the level had stayed about a third higher than the England average; Plymouth (and the South West as a whole) had not been in a position of having the highest rates in the country before and it was not a comfortable place to be;

(c)

although the highest rates were amongst younger people, rates were high throughout and there were around 240 (per 100,000 people) of over people over 60 (years of age) who had currently tested positively for Covid19; whilst this was far less alarming than it was in January 2021 when few people had been vaccinated, these rates were still high;

(d)

hospital admissions had also flattened off but again remained at a high level; in Derriford there were over 50 Covid19 cases and this had a significant impact on the way in which the hospital operated; the high levels of infection throughout the City (and wider) also had an impact on the healthcare system as a whole (staffing, care homes, etc);

(e)

there were deaths locally due to Covid19; when compared to the national figures, the City had an excess of deaths from all causes of around 12% over the five year average;  there were around 650 deaths weekly that had Covid19 stated as a cause of death on the death certificate; many of these were in older people, though there were 30 under 44’s and 165 below 65’s;

(f)

deaths recorded (week ending 27 August 2021) -

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1 to 14 (age) – 1

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15 to 44 (age) – 29

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45 to 64 (age) – 135

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65 to 74 (age) – 114

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75 to 84 (age) – 194

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85+ (age) – 176

(g)

vaccination levels in Plymouth were higher than the national average for each age category and the City had seen a strong uptake in younger people; however, the Council did want more people to be vaccinated; there were plenty of opportunities to book appointments or just walk in to clinics; these were regularly held at Home Park and also at a range of locations across the City;

(h)

the Enhanced Response Area for Plymouth, Torbay, Devon and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly had been announced over a week ago; this had been due to the very high rates in these areas; whilst some of these cases could be linked to festivals such as Boardmasters, case rates had fallen slightly, however, they were still high and had remained high in Plymouth;

(i)

the Enhanced Response Area had been a awake up call for the City; everyone wanted to get back to life as normal but Covid19 could not be ignored, as it was a highly infectious disease; everyone needed to moderate their lifestyle so that the right balance could be struck;

(j)

in addition, as part of the Enhanced Response Area, secondary schools would be using face coverings in communal areas of schools; there had been higher sampling of the positive cases for whole genome sequencing (these higher rates would continue); no different variants had been found but it was important to keep checking; the Council was also working with Government to provide some support to the vaccination programme;

(k)

members of the public were urged to remember that -

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Covid19 spread from person to person easily and to consider how many close contacts were made and to also limit those contact to the most important;

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ventilation was important, meeting outdoors if possible; if spaces were crowded or poorly ventilated then avoid these areas and also wear a face covering, if crowded areas could not be avoided;

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if anyone had the classic Covid19 symptoms then they had to isolate and take a PCR test; symptoms could be mild, a slight temperature, a mild cough;

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a lateral flow test should be taken twice a week;

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people that were not vaccinated were urged to do so; the vaccination reduced the risk of catching and passing on Covid19 and it meant that if someone contracted the infection, it was likely that this individual would have a milder illness.