Community

From the Shropshire Council website:

During the 7-day period from 1-7 January in Shropshire:

• 1,457 new cases reported
• This was an increase of 687 cases compared to the previous week
• The seven-day infection rate for Shropshire was 450.9 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 of the population.
• For the West Midlands it was 599 per 100,000
• For England it was 610.8 per 100,000
• 10,228 COVID-19 tests were undertaken in Shropshire
• There were 20 COVID-19-related deaths in Shropshire hospitals
• 86 hospital beds at the Royal Shrewsbury & Princess Royal Hospitals were occupied by COVID-19 patients
• 498 cases relate to people under the age of 30
• 148 cases relate to people aged 70+
• During the last week 30% of cases were in the Shrewsbury & Atcham area
• 42% were in north Shropshire
• 28% were in south Shropshire

Testing for precautionary symptoms

If you have any of following less common symptoms, we are asking you to consider getting tested as a precaution:

• Shortness of breath
• Headaches
• Aches and pains
• Feeling very tired for no good reason
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Sometimes ‘tummy ache’ in children.

There are a number of testing sites across Shropshire which can be booked online at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. People can use the option of “my council has asked me to book a test” if they have the other symptoms.

People across Shropshire who have symptoms such as headaches, fatigue or sore throats are being urged to book a COVID-19 test.

Shropshire Council has increased its testing capacity as the county looks to strengthen its response to the sharp rise in cases.

Currently, anyone in Shropshire who has one of the main symptoms – a high temperature, new cough or loss of taste or smell – must self-isolate immediately and book a test.

But with more people testing positive, who may who have other symptoms, Shropshire Council is now encouraging anyone to consider getting tested as a precaution if they have any of the following symptoms:

• Shortness of breath
• Headaches
• Aches and pains
• Feeling very tired for no good reason
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Sneezing
• Sometimes ‘tummy ache’ in children.

People with any of these less common COVID-19 symptoms can carry on going to work if they are well enough to do so, and only need to self-isolate if the test comes back positive.

There are a number of testing sites across Shropshire which can be booked online at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. People can use the option of “my council has asked me to book a test” if they have the other symptoms.

Further information

For local advice and support during the pandemic (especially if you are self-isolating or shielding), call Shropshire Council’s COVID-19 Helpline on 0345 678 9028 (lines open on the weekend on Saturday from 9am-4pm and Sunday 9am-12pm) or visit our website at www.shropshire.gov.uk/coronavirus.

News from Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP)

Local organisations have joined forces to call on local people across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin to be a part of history by giving the gift of their time to help in the county’s fight against coronavirus and COVID-19.

Shropshire Rural Communities Charity (Shropshire RCC), Shropshire Youth Association (SYA) and Shropshire Council are working with the county’s health and care organisations to lead a volunteer recruitment campaign to support local rapid testing and vaccination services.

Testing and vaccination are the country’s best hope of a return to more normal life.

#BeAPartOfHistory

The people of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin can help by signing up to one of the available roles, including vaccination marshals, car parking marshals, results recorders and reception assistants.

In Shropshire, volunteers are needed to help with the county’s rapid testing programme.

Everyone who registers their interest to volunteer will be risk assessed and before starting their role will receive the appropriate training and induction.

To sign up, people can visit the Shropshire RCC website at www.shropshire-rcc.org.uk/covid19volunteers.

Partners involved include Shropshire Rural Communities Charity, Shropshire Youth Association, Shropshire Council, Telford & Wrekin Council, NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, NHS Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust.

This volunteer recruitment campaign is part of the local campaign #BeAPartOfHistory which is also looking to recruit current and retired healthcare professionals, but also non-clinical staff in a range of administrative, reception and other front-of-house roles to support the vaccine rollout.

This is taken from the Shropshire Council website:

During the 7-day period from 25-31 December 2020 in Shropshire:

• 770 new cases reported
• This was an increase of 443 cases compared to the previous week
• The seven-day infection rate for Shropshire was 238.3 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 of the population.
• For the West Midlands it was 420.1 per 100,000
• For England it was 517.2 per 100,000
• 269 cases relate to people under the age of 30
• 103 cases relate to people aged 70+
• 71 beds were occupied by COVID-positive patients at the Royal Shrewsbury & Princess Royal Hospitals
• During the last week 32% of cases were in the Shrewsbury & Atcham area
• 43% were in north Shropshire
• 25% were in south Shropshire

During the last week we have also seen a sharp rise in household transmissions – with 50% of new cases being linked to people in the same household.

Our local hospitals are also coming under increasing pressure – so we are pleading with people to stay home as much as possible and limit their contact with people outside their household and support bubbles.

Every social interaction is the opportunity for the virus to infect and spread. The new lockdown restrictions for Shropshire will mean everyone must Stay at Home and may leave only for a limited set of reasons.

This is taken direct from Shropshire Council’s website:

During the 7-day period from 18-24 December 2020 in Shropshire:

• 327 new cases reported
• This was an increase of 28 cases compared to the previous week
• The seven-day infection rate for Shropshire was 101.2 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 of the population.
• For the West Midlands it was 261.7 per 100,000
• For England it was 365.7 per 100,000
• 91 cases relate to people under the age of 30
• 35 cases relate to people aged 70+
• During the last week 27% of cases were in the Shrewsbury & Atcham area
• 42% were in north Shropshire
• 31% were in south Shropshire

Shropshire has now moved into the Tier 3 ‘Very High’ alert level. For all the Government advice on what you can and cannot do in an area in Tier 3 of local restrictions visit www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-3-very-high-alert

For local advice and support during the pandemic (especially if you are self-isolating), call Shropshire Council’s COVID-19 Helpline on 0345 678 9028 (lines open on the weekend on Saturday from 9am-4pm and Sunday 9am-12pm) or visit their website

From 00:01am on 31st December 2020, all parts of Shropshire will enter in to Tier 3 of the Government’s tiered system.

Key changes from Tier 2 to Tier 3 

• A maximum of six people can meet in an outdoor public space
• Pubs, restaurants and bars can only open for takeaways
• Indoor leisure remains open, however classes should not take place
• Accommodation is now closed
• It’s advised not to stay overnight in other households, except within your support bubble
• Wedding receptions are now not permitted
• Indoor entertainment venues are now closed to the public
• Where possible, you should stay local and avoid travelling outside your local area, meaning your village or town, or part of a city. People should continue to travel for reasons such as work, education, medical attention or if they have caring responsibilities.
• You can still travel to venues that are open, or for reasons such as work or education, but you should reduce the number of journeys you make wherever possible. You should avoid travelling outside your tier 3 area other than for the reasons such as those above.
• You should avoid higher-risk contact sports and group exercise activities and sports indoors should not take place, unless with your household or bubble
• No spectators at sporting events

For all the Government advice on what you can and cannot do in an area in Tier 3 of local restrictions visit www.gov.uk/guidance/tier-3-very-high-alert.

The following is taken directly from Shropshire Council’s website:

During the 7-day period from 11-17 December 2020 in Shropshire:

• 299 new cases reported
• This was an increase of 6 cases compared to the previous week
• The seven-day infection rate for Shropshire was 92.5 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 of the population.
• For the West Midlands it was 214.1 per 100,000
• For England it was 282.2 per 100,000
• 86 cases relate to people under the age of 30
• 39 cases relate to people aged 70+
• During the last week 29% of cases were in the Shrewsbury & Atcham area
• 43% were in north Shropshire
• 28% in south Shropshire

Shropshire Council is asking all residents not to travel to Tier 4 areas and Wales for the festive break.

If you are currently in a Tier 4 area or Wales and were planning on returning to Shropshire for Christmas, please stay at home and protect your loved ones.

We are asking anyone who has travelled to the region from any Tier 4 areas or Wales, to self-isolate for at least ten days when they arrive. This means remaining inside the house where you’re staying for the whole ten days. Other people who live in the house do not need to self-isolate unless anyone gets symptoms, but no visitors should be allowed in that house at all, even on Christmas Day.

Rapid testing is available for people who have travelled from a Tier 4 area or Wales. Please note this testing is only available if you do not have any covid symptoms. You will still need to self-isolate, regardless of the result of this test.

Rapid tests can be booked using the following link – http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/lfdpublictesting/

If you have travelled from a Tier 4 area and have symptoms, you MUST get tested by calling 119 or online here . You MUST self-isolate for 10 days, and don’t wait for your test result to start self-isolating.

Here are some key things you can do:

• Do not travel to Tier 4 areas
• Although our region is not in Tier 4, rates are increasing, and it is highly likely that the new variant is circulating. So please reduce your contact to a minimum, and act like people you see have the virus. Remember that people may have the virus and show no symptoms.
• Change your Christmas plans as much as you can. You can only meet your Christmas bubble on 25 December. Keep your visit as short as possible, as few people as possible and outdoors if you can.
• If you need help with food, call Shropshire Council’s dedicated helpline: 0345 678 9028 or email customerfirst@shropshire.gov.uk
• Look out for other people: pick up the phone, see people online and check if they are OK. Ask for help if you’re not. There is lots of local support available

For local advice and support during the pandemic (especially if you are self-isolating), call Shropshire Council’s COVID-19 Helpline on 0345 678 9028 (lines open on the weekend on Saturday from 9am-4pm and Sunday 9am-12pm) or visit the council website.