The AREA Committee is asked to consider “Document “G” which provides an update on COVID-19 in Bradford District.  It describes the district response between March 2020 and January 2021.  The latest data on cases, admissions and deaths will be reported verbally at the meeting. 

The report sets out how the Bradford District COVID-19 response is being managed, explaining the leadership role of the COVID-19 Management Group and the working groups that feed it.

Recommended –

That Bradford East Area Committee notes the contents of the report and the work that is taking place across district to respond to the Covid 19 pandemic.

(Ian Day – 07896728186)

(Health & Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee)

The Area Committee considered “Document “G” which provided an update on COVID-19 in Bradford District.  It described the District response between March 2020 and January 2021.  The report set out how the Bradford District COVID-19 response was being managed, explaining the leadership role of the COVID-19 Management Group and the working groups that fed it.

Members were advised that Bradford was still in the top 10 local authorities for rates of COVID and was regarded as an area of stubborn and enduring transmission. The reasons for this were explained, including the high number of key workers in the area; the young population within the District and the struggle that people were having with self-isolation.

Members were also advised about the latest rates of COVID infection and their reduction over the last few days. The number of lateral flow tests being carried out in schools was explained as was the ongoing concern about the level of infection in the community. It was stressed that hospital admissions were on the way down and that local hospitals were not now under pressure. The percentage of the local population who had been vaccinated was explained as was the extremely good vaccine take-up in the Yorkshire and Humber region. It was also stressed that there was no evidence of risk of blood clots from the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine and that the World Health Organisation had confirmed that it should continue to be used. Members were advised that it would be very helpful if that message could be communicated in the community.

The work of the central hub was explained to the Committee, including work on vaccine hesitancy and community testing. Local support and advice was being provided and was making significant progress, especially among groups which the National Team was struggling to reach. The work of the Young COVID ambassadors was especially praised and the joint work of the Police and Environmental Health in dealing with breaches of the lockdown restrictions was highlighted.

In response to a question about the provision of information in different languages, Members were advised that there was a District Communications Partnership and that most material was translated into a variety of different languages. The use of social media had also been prioritised and the Young COVID ambassadors had been key stakeholders in the production of information videos which had been extremely well received.

Members were also advised that any help they could give in reaching out to communities which were vaccine hesitant would be very gratefully taken up.

The Chair asked if it was possible to have the vaccine at home if a person had severe mobility issues and the officer undertook to respond to that question after the meeting. There was a wide variety of access points for vaccination in place to enable as much take up as possible, including faith and community settings.

In response to a question about vulnerable people such as the homeless, it was explained that a great deal of work was ongoing to vaccinate difficult to reach groups but that some individuals would always remain outside the system. For those people, the vaccination of others to prevent the spread of the virus would be their best protection.

In conclusion, Members were advised that he COVID hub would be mobilised until the end of the calendar year, after which work would move to a constituency basis. At the moment work was closely allied to the Government’s roadmap and the key dates within that. If the final date of 21 June 2021 remained in place, that would signal a shift to a recovery support based focus, including support for major issues such as poverty, mental health and loneliness. An agile workforce would be kept in place to deal with any possibility of an Autumn spike in cases.

Resolved –

(1)  That this Committee recognises the challenges faced over the last twelve months and welcomes the work done across the District in response to the COVID pandemic.

(2)  That a report on work being done to tackle health inequality be presented in twelve months’ time.

(3)  That an update report on COVID response and recovery be presented in six months’’ time.

Action:  Director of Public Health/Strategic Director, Place

(Health & Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee)