Weekly Update:  4th Sept 2020

  • Public Health Chief Dr Justin Varney states the next few days will be vital in determining whether or not Birmingham could avoid local lockdown.

Speaking during a Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 1st Sept, Dr Justin Varney revealed that the case rate in Birmingham has ‘stagnated’, with the percentage of positive tests rising. 

Read in full

Since Covid-19 can linger on fabrics for up to three days, establishing a safe washing routine is essential.

He said parents will be ‘mingling’ with each other – and this is greater risk than catching it from children. Therefore, it is important to stay vigilant and keep your social distance.

  • Birmingham residents will be able to travel out of the city for leisure purposes if the city gets a local lockdown, according to government guidelines.

The city’s rate of new coronavirus cases stands at around 29 per 100,000 currently, with a high rate also seen in Sandwell.

The rate in Tamworth has risen from 0 to 20 over the past week, with Sandwell and Birmingham both on the government ‘watchlist’.

The government is maintaining a keen eye on Birmingham’s rate of infections per 100,000 people. Read the full article on BirminghamLive

  • Birmingham City Council had received 739 contacts via the coronavirus whistleblowing hotline, which was established on 11 August for people to report any concerns they might have around businesses in the city.

The hotline allows residents to get in touch with the council by phone or by filling out a form on the website, if they have concerns about businesses not following coronavirus distancing guidelines.

  • Workers working from home due to coronavirus can claim £6 a week tax back on extra costs.

HMRC says it will consider claims from employees working at home due to coronavirus measures if their usual workplace is closed.

MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis has used his platform to reveal claim tax back details. He warns, “If you’re only at home due to coronavirus, it’s best to wait until you’re back at work (or a few months anyway) then make the whole claim at once. Your tax code will likely be adjusted so you pay less tax over the year, as opposed to you getting a direct refund.”

  • The Department of Health and Social Care is rolling out the most comprehensive flu programme in UK history this winter.

Providers will work to vaccinate more than 30 million people during this flu season – millions more than received it last year.

As part of an unprecedented drive, a free flu vaccine will be available to:

  • people who are on the shielded patient list and members of their household
  • all school year groups up to year 7
  • people aged over 65, pregnant women, and those with some pre-existing conditions including at-risk under 2s

Once vaccination of the most ‘at-risk’ groups is well underway, the department will work with clinicians to decide when to open the programme to invite people aged 50 to 64, with further details to be announced. 

The NHS will contact people directly, including information about where to go to get the vaccine. Full information

“Mythbuster & Spam Corner”:

  • Be careful of what you read, believe and share on social media – the rumour circulating that children can be detained without parental consent under the Coronavirus Act is FALSE, they’re intended to mislead and in no way reflect how schools will respond to children with symptoms. Dr Justin Varney, Director of Public Health, confirmed in this videos that the council has posted
  • Back to school – How can you spot misleading claims in parents’ group chat?
    1. Ask yourself where the information being shared has come from – interrogate the source – is it reliable and do you know the origin of the claim? Rumours on group chats or local Facebook groups attributed to an unnamed source are probably not. Go to reliable places for the latest updates: your child’s school, the NHS website or the BBC News app.
    2. Think about how the information makes you feel. Since these posts are often about keeping children safe, they’re likely to be very emotive. It’s the stuff that makes us fearful, angry, anxious, or joyful that tends to really go viral. And urgent calls for action are often designed to ramp up anxiety – so be careful.
    3. Stop and think before you share. Unless you’re certain information is correct, it’s better not to spread claims in group chats and with other parents. It gets everyone in a panic.
  • SCAM ALERT

If you receive the above text message on your phone – it’s a PayPal SCAM. DO NOT click the link.



每周疫情快讯:2020年9月4日

  • 公共卫生主管贾斯汀·瓦尼博士 (Dr Justin Varney) 说,未来几天将是关键重要的, 将决定伯明翰能否避免本地局部封锁。

9月1日,贾斯汀·瓦尼博士 (Dr Justin Varney) 在一个健康和社会保障综述和审查委员会上说,伯明翰的病例率“停滞不前”,阳性率上升。

阅读全文

由于冠状病毒可以在织物上停留三天,因此建立一个安全的洗涤程序至关重要。

  • 公共卫生主管贾斯汀·瓦尼博士 (Dr Justin Varney) 警告,家长们最有可能在学校门口感染冠状病毒

他说,家长们之间会在学校闸门“混为一谈”,这比从孩子身上传染的风险更大。因此,保持警惕和保持社交距离是很重要的。

  • 根据政府的指导方针,如果伯明翰真的面临局部封锁,居民将允许出城旅游。

目前,该市新增冠状病毒病例的比率约为每10万人中有29人,在桑德威尔 (Sandwell) 也有很高的发病率。

过去一周,塔姆沃思 (Tamworth) 的这一比率从0上升到20,桑德威尔 (Sandwell) 和伯明翰都在政府的“观察名单”上。

政府正密切关注伯明翰每10万人的感染率。 

阅读伯明翰生活的全文

  • 伯明翰市议会通过冠状病毒举报热线收到了739个报告案例,该热线于8月11日设立,以便市民举报该市任何商店企业不遵守安全准则。

该热线允许居民通过电话或在网上填写表格。如果他们担心企业不遵守冠状病毒隔离准则,与议会联系。

  • 因冠状病毒在家工作的工人, 每周可申请6英镑的额外费用。

英国皇家海关总署表示,如果在家工作的员工通常的工作场所关闭,将考虑因冠状病毒措施而提出的索赔。

节约资金专家马丁·刘易斯(Martin Lewis)利用自己的平台披露了索赔退税的细节。他警告,“如果你只是因为冠状病毒而呆在家里,最好等到你回到工作岗位(或者至少几个月),然后立刻提出全部要求。您的税码可能会进行调整,以便您在一年中少缴税款,而不是直接退款。”

  • 英国卫生和社会保障部(Department of Health and Social Care)今年冬天将推出英国历史上最全面的流感防治计划。

在这个流感季节,医疗机构将努力为超过3000万人接种疫苗,比去年多了数百万人。

作为一项史无前例的行动的一部分,免费流感疫苗将提供给:

  • 屏蔽病人以及病人的家庭成员
  • 7年级以下的所有学年组
  • 年龄在65岁以上的人、孕妇,以及一些有先天性疾病的人,包括两岁以下的高危人群

最“高危”人群的疫苗接种工作顺利进行之后,该部门将与临床医生合作,决定何时开放该计划,邀请年龄在50至64岁的人群,具体细节将另行公布。

NHS将直接与人们联系,包括接种疫苗的地点等信息。阅读全文

“粉碎流言谣言中心 (Mythbuster & Spam Corner)”:

  • 当心你在社交媒体上读到的、相信的和分享的内容 – 根据《冠状病毒法》(Coronavirus Act),未经家长同意,儿童可以被拘留的谣言是虚假的,意在误导,绝不能反映出学校将如何应对有症状的儿童。公共卫生部主任贾斯汀·瓦尼博士  (Dr Justin Varney) 在这段视频中澄清
  • 返回学校 – 你怎么能在家长的群聊中发现误导性的信息?
    1. 问问你自己被分享的信息是从哪里来的 – 询问消息来源 – 它可靠吗?你知道这个信息的来源吗?关于群聊或Facebook本地群的谣言可能并非如此。去一些可靠的地方获取最新的更新:你孩子的学校,英国国民保健系统网站 (NHS) 或英国广播公司的新闻网站 (BBC News)。
    2. 想想这些信息给你的感觉。因为这些消息通常都是为了保护孩子们的安全,所以他们很可能会很激动人心的。正是那些让我们感到恐惧、愤怒、焦虑或快乐的信息,才会真正传播开来。而紧急呼吁行动往往是为了加剧焦虑,所以要小心。
    3. 在分享之前停下来想想。除非你确定信息是正确的,否则最好不要在群聊和其他家长之间散布谣言。它让每个人都惊慌失措。
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