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Coronavirus update from Somerset County Council – 02/08

Posted on 2nd August, 2021 in News

All our help and information is now available in a single place on the SCC website https://www.somerset.gov.uk/latest-coronavirus-updates/

This page is refreshed through the day so please check in regularly to keep across developments and news.

Public Health dashboard: Detailed Public Health information dashboards are available on our website www.somerset.gov.uk/coronavirus just scroll down to ‘Covid-19 dashboard’. These are updated daily.

Top stories today:

Large vaccination site at the Bath and West Showground to move to Haynes Motor Museum

At the end of this week, more changes will be seen in the Somerset COVID vaccination programme, as the large vaccination site at the Bath and West Showground moves to Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford.

The last booked jabs to be offered at the site, will take place on Sunday 1 August. Walk-ins for anyone aged over 18 will also continue to be offered until 6pm on Sunday as planned for first and second dose AstraZeneca and Pfizer.

Over the next few weeks, work will take place on site in the Showering pavilion, in preparation for the Bath and West Country Festival. A pop-up COVID vaccination clinic will also be on offer for anyone who wants to walk-in and get their first or second Pfizer jab during the festival.

Thanks to the time and dedication of hundreds of GPs, nurses, vaccinators and volunteers, the local COVID vaccination programme has been a huge success in Somerset; with high uptake levels seen across all cohort groups.

Across the county, both first and second doses of the COVID vaccine will continue to be offered to everyone aged over 18, with more than 775,630 jabs given so far (as at 25 July 2021).

Joint senior responsible officer for the Somerset COVID vaccination programme, Andy Heron said “We are hugely thankful to the Bath and West Showground team for supporting us over the past seven months and to our dedicated vaccinators, support staff, and amazing volunteers who have all helped to ensure the smooth running of the site and the delivery of an incredible 75,000 jabs.”

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Expectant mums urged to get Covid jab

Expectant mums in Somerset are being urged to get the Covid-19 vaccine after new data shows the overwhelming majority of pregnant women hospitalised with the virus have not had a jab.

The figures also reveal that no pregnant women with both doses of the vaccine had been admitted to hospital.
Since May, just three women had been admitted after having their first vaccine. In contrast, almost all (98%) pregnant women admitted to hospital with COVID-19 had not been jabbed.

Now Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Chief Midwifery Officer for England, has written to fellow midwives and GP practices across the country stressing the need to encourage pregnant women to get the jab to protect them and their baby.

She said: “Vaccines save lives, and this is another stark reminder that the COVID-19 jab can keep you, your baby and your loved ones, safe and out of hospital.”

Since April, pregnant women have been offered the jab in line with their age cohort, and health leaders are calling on more younger adults to come forward and close the uptake gap.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College of Midwives have both recommended vaccination as one of the best defences for pregnant women against severe Covid-19 infection, while the independent JCVI confirms the jab has been shown to be effective and safe for women carrying a baby.

Any pregnant women who have questions or concerns about the vaccine can speak to their GP, midwife, or obstetrician to get more information and advice. Even if they have previously declined the vaccine, they can book an appointment to get their jab on the NHS National Booking Service website or call 119 between 7am and 11pm.

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Clinton takes a health check

Now we are moving into a more open society, it is a good time to look at our lifestyle – potentially a few of us have drifted into a slightly less healthy way of living over the last 18 months due to lockdown – drinking more, eating a less healthy diet and exercising less.

One of the ways you can take stock, providing you don’t have long term health issues, and if you are aged between 40 and 74 is to book a health check. In the latest Covid Catch up film

Clinton discusses this and takes a health check himself: Somerset Covid Catch up – Week 33, 28 July 2021 – YouTube

Consumers urged to be wary of ‘inaccurate’ thermometers

Trading Standards is urging members of the public and healthcare professionals to take care when purchasing infrared thermometers online.

It follows an alert by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) who have seen an increase in the number of infrared thermometers, that give inaccurate readings, making their way into the UK market.

This is believed to be caused by the COVID-19 pandemic creating a massive increase in demand for these products.

Contactless infrared thermometers are widely used to check people’s temperature as a method for screening for a raised temperature, and possible COVID-19 infection.

Products marketed with claims that they can be used for a medical purpose are medical devices and therefore regulated by the MHRA.

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Free activities in libraries to reflect on Covid

The Somerset Library Service is inviting people to share their experiences of the last sixteen months, to be recorded for future generations to see.

As part of ‘Reflections’, a county-wide creative response to the pandemic, libraries will host a series of at free drop-in sessions throughout August, in library buildings and online, with responses via social media.

They will give the local community the opportunity to explore and reflect upon their experiences during the pandemic, by recording them via video or audio and fun creative activities to help share their memories and emotions. An artist will work with the community in mini workshops to produce a collaborative artwork.

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Digital Covid-19 passport scam

People in Somerset should beware of the latest coronavirus scam, which asks people for payment in exchange for a ‘coronavirus digital passport’.
The email claims to come from the NHS and says it will “allow you to travel safely and freely around the world without having to self-isolate” if you’ve had a Covid-19 vaccine or have recently recovered from the virus. It asks people to click a button to access their “digital passport” which then takes you to a fake NHS website asking for personal information and payment details.
If you receive this email, please forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk If you have disclosed bank account details you should contact your bank immediately and notify Action Fraud.

International travel update

The Government has announced that passengers arriving from amber countries who have been fully vaccinated in Europe (EU Member States, European Free Trade Association countries and the European microstate countries of Andorra, Monaco and Vatican City) and the USA will not have to quarantine when entering England.

Passengers who are fully vaccinated in the EU with vaccines authorised by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or in the USA with vaccines authorised by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or in the Swiss vaccination programme, will be able to travel to England without having to quarantine or take a day eight test on arrival, from 4am on 2 August 2021.

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