Received from Central Bedfordshire Council
You will no doubt be aware of the media coverage of the new Variant of Concern, first detected in India and the related outbreaks in the north of the UK but also more locally in Bedford.
The latest data we have on cases for Central Bedfordshire is showing an increase in cases and at a faster rate than we have seen in recent weeks.
In the last week, the number of new cases had risen to 86 by Monday with final figures still to come (we had 54 cases the week before). Whilst this number is relatively low compared to previous outbreaks during the pandemic, we also know 17 cases have been confirmed as the Indian Variant in Central Bedfordshire.
Evidence suggests that this variant might more transmissible that previous variants, so we want to act now to control the spread and prevent a serious outbreak here in Central Bedfordshire.
We will be changing the tone of our public communications to alert people to the rising cases and the presence of the Indian variant and encouraging everyone to:
- Remember hands, face, space and fresh air – meet outdoors wherever possible
- Get vaccinated if they are eligible
- Get tested (rapid lateral flow test) before going anywhere that they will come into contact with others
- Get a PCR test and isolate straightaway if they have any symptoms that they are concerned could be Covid.
We are writing to all parents of secondary age school children via schools to ask them to be alert for symptoms, to continue to support participation in rapid testing, and to remind parents to book their vaccine as soon as they are eligible. Where we are notified of cases or outbreaks in individual schools, we will liaise with the schools to recommend that face coverings are used. We will also be submitting a request through the Department of Education to issue advice to all Central Bedfordshire schools recommending that face coverings are used at the current time. We know that cases have spread very quickly among this age group in Bedford and we feel it is better to be cautious rather than act too late.
As restrictions were eased this week, it is natural that residents will be planning to enjoy the new freedoms and whilst we are not advising people not to do this, we do want them to be aware of the latest data and take extra care.
I appreciate residents in your communities may be anxious about this situation and I hope this briefing will you helpful to you in providing up to date and accurate information about this development. We will shortly be posting to our social media channels and email bulletins to raise awareness of these changes and to encourage people to continue to do everything they can to protect themselves and others. Please do help by sharing these messages in your communities.
Kind regards
Vicky Head, Director of Public Health
Marcel Coiffait, Chief Executive