This week MPs voted through the amended Tier system so we can confirm that Birmingham is in Tier 3 – Very High Alert level. Here is an outline of the restrictions
News
I: Vaccine update
I.I Get your flu jab!
This year the seasonal flu jab is being given free of charge to all people aged 50+. It is available now – you don’t have to do anything as your GP will contact you to book an appointment. The Government is urging all people over 50 to have the flu jab this year to reduce possible complications if people contract flu and Covid-19 at the same time.
I.II Covid-19 vaccines
The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) has approved the Pfizer BioNtech vaccine for use in the UK. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55145696
At a meeting with Public Health Birmingham on 2nd December, Dr Clara Day from QE Hospital said it is likely the ‘Oxford’ vaccine being developed by Oxford University in partnershop with AstroZeneca will also be approved very soon.
The Government has set out a priority list for vaccination:
- Older residents in care homes + care home staff
- People over 80
- Health and social care workers
The vaccination schedule for the rest of the population will be based on age and health risk factors.
Note: the actual vaccination schedule will depend on which vaccines are available as they have different storage requirements
The Pfizer and Oxford vaccines both need two doses administered 1 month apart. If you are eligible for a flu jab and a Covid-19 vaccination, there should be a gap of at least 7 days between the two; therefore, get your free flu jab ASAP if you are entitled to it. If you are not entitled to a free flu jab, you can pay to have it privately.
The Covid-19 vaccination will not be mandatory – it will be your choice whether to have it or not.
II: Care home visits
The Government have said families will be able to visit relatives in care homes if they take Covid-19 tests
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55152413
Each care home will set its own visiting policy eg visiting days, times, number of visitors allowed, etc. Visitors would take a lateral flow swab test which gives results in 20-30 minutes, and tells you if you are currently infectious.
At a meeting with CCC-B Members last week, Birmingham Director of Public Health Dr Justin Varney advised that the lateral flow test is less reliable in the early stage of infection when there is not much virus present in the body. (The alternative PCR test tells you if you have Covid-19 but not how infectious you are).
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Restrictions 2.12.2020 – 27.12.2020 The Tiers will be reviewed every 14 days, so the first review will be 16.12.2020. For a 5 day period over Christmas, the Tiers will be lifted and replaced with the ‘Christmas Bubble’ system. What happens from 28th December will depend on the case rates – we will keep you informed. |
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DATES |
TYPE OF RESTRICTION |
KEY POINTS |
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02.12.2020 – 16.12.2020 |
Tier 3 applies |
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16.12.2020 – 23.12.2020 |
To be confirmed |
This will depend on the 2-week review |
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23.12.2020 – 27.12.2020 |
‘Christmas Bubbles’ |
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28.12.2020 onwards |
To be confirmed |
What happens after Christmas will depend on whether household mixing causes a spike in cases, especially if the NHS is overwhelmed. We may revert to Tier 3 or 2 or there may be another national lockdown. |
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Should you form a Christmas Bubble? The Government has relaxed the rules for 5 days so families and friends can get together without penalty. You must decide whether to form a Christmas Bubble based on the risk factors for your household/support bubble. Remember that anyone can catch Covid-19 but some groups are at higher risk of complications and of dying if they contract the virus. These are:
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The R number in Birmingham is currently 0.8
Dr Justin Varney said that although the case rate is coming down, it is not coming down quickly enough. It is currently 276 cases in 100,000 but needs to be below 200 for at least a week before the Government would consider moving Birmingham back into Tier 2. Birmingham is unlikely to come out of Tier 3 before Christmas.
There have been spikes among 30-40 year olds as well as the white British population.
To check case and death rates in your ward http://ukcovid19.nw.r.appspot.com/
每周疫情快讯: 2020年12月4日
本周国会议员投票通过了修改后的3级疫情警戒系统，伯明翰已确定列为第3级 “非常高”级别。以下是疫情警戒级别第3级的具体限制措施
新闻
I：最新疫苗动态
I.I 请接种流感疫苗！
今年，季节性流感疫苗接种将免费提供给所有50岁以上的人群。现在流感疫苗已经到位，您不需要做任何事情，您的家庭医生会与您联系、预约。政府敦促所有50岁以上的人在今年接种流感疫苗，以减少民众同时感染流感和新冠病毒时可能出现的并发症。
I.II 新冠疫苗
英国药品和医疗产品监管局（MHRA）已批准辉瑞BioNtech疫苗在英国使用。 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55145696
伯明翰QE女王伊丽莎白医院的Clara Day医生在12月2日伯明翰公共卫生举行的一次会议上表示，牛津大学与阿斯特罗·塞内卡（AtroZeneca）合作伙伴开发的“牛津”疫苗很可能也将很快获得批准。
政府已列出优先接种疫苗人群的清单：
1.养老院的老年人+ 养老院工作人员
2. 80岁以上的长者
3. 医疗系统工作者和社会护理工作者
其余人群的疫苗接种时间表将基于年龄和健康风险因素决定。
注意：实际的疫苗接种时间表将取决于可用的疫苗，因为不同疫苗有不同的存储要求
辉瑞和牛津疫苗都需要两次注射，间隔1个月。如果您有资格接受流感疫苗和新冠疫苗接种，两者之间的间隔时间至少应为7天。如果您有资格获得免费的流感疫苗，请尽快接种。如果您无权获得免费的流感疫苗，则可以自行付费接种。
新冠疫苗不强制民众必须接种 – 您可以选择是否接种新冠疫苗。
II：疗养院探访
政府表示，在做过新冠病毒测试后（呈阴性）的家庭可以探访住在疗养院的亲人
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55152413
每个疗养院会制定自己的探访规定，例如访问日期、时间、允许的访客数量等。访客探访时将进行侧向拭子测试，访客可以在20-30分钟内得出测试结果，并告之您当前是否具有传染性。
在上周伯明翰华人社区中心举办的一次在线会议中，伯明翰市政府卫生部总监Justin Varney博士指出，在感染新冠病毒的早期阶段，人体体内的新冠病毒数量不多，所以采用侧向拭子测试的可靠性比较低（另一种名叫PCR的测试可以告诉您是否感染了新冠病毒，但不能显示传染性的强度）。
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防疫措施:2020年12月2日至2020年12月27日 重新恢复的3级疫情警戒级别系统将每14天评估一次，第一次评估日期为2020年12月16日。 在圣诞节假期期间，将暂时放松防疫限制，实施为期5天“圣诞防疫泡泡”。 从12月28日之后，将根据疫情状况来决定下一步的防疫措施，具体更新我们将及时告知您。 |
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日期 |
限制类型 |
关键信息 |
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2020年12月2日至2020年12月16日 |
实施第3级疫情警戒 |
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2020年12月16日至2020年12月23日 |
待确认 |
取决于实施2周疫情警戒级别后的评估结果 |
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2020年12月23日至2020年12月27日 |
“圣诞防疫泡泡” |
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2020年12月28日起 |
待确认 |
圣诞节后的防疫措施将取决于家庭混合是否会导致新冠个案的激增，特别NHS医疗机构是否会不堪重负。届时，我们可能会恢复到疫情警戒级别系统的第3级或第2级，或者可能实施新的全国封锁。 |
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您是否应该参与圣诞防疫泡泡？ 政府将实施为期5天，暂时放松防疫的限制，以便圣诞节期间家人和朋友可以相聚，不受处罚。 您必须评估您家庭/支持泡泡成员的风险因素，决定是否组成圣诞防疫泡泡。 请记住，任何人都可能感染新冠病毒，但某些人群感染新冠病毒会面临高危并发症或死亡风险，包括：
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伯明翰目前的传染率R值为0.8
Justin Varney博士说，尽管伯明翰的新冠确诊率正在下降，但下降速度还不够快。 目前的“确诊病例率”是每10万人口中的确诊病例人数为276例，当这个数字至少下降到低于200例时，政府才可以考虑将伯明翰的疫情警戒级别下调至第2级，根据目前的情况，伯明翰不太可能在圣诞节前从疫情警戒级的第3级中被移除。
最近的统计显示，30至40岁年龄段的人群，以及英国白种人群当中都有确诊新冠病例激增的趋势。
点击链接查看您所在地区的确诊病例数和死亡数