Liverpool Health Protection Board, which oversees the city’s response to the pandemic and is chaired by Director of Public Heath Matthew Ashton, has issued the statement below with advice and guidance for people living in, working in or visiting the city.
Liverpool needs to prepare for what is likely to be a very difficult winter.
The last 20 months has been hard for everybody, but sadly the pandemic is far from over. In Liverpool, COVID-19 cases remain high.
Other parts of the region are seeing cases rise steeply again, and we are likely to see the same rise locally.
The NHS is under extreme pressure due to the number of cases still needing to be hospitalised and GP services are already over-stretched.
With vaccine uptake in Liverpool lower than the rest of England, we are likely to see more people becoming seriously ill from COVID.
We are also expecting a lot more flu this winter.
Local action is needed now, to prevent us having a winter crisis, and to keep our critical services running, including education. Don’t delay your vaccines. They will help protect you and those around you, including the vulnerable and elderly.
Most hospitalised COVID patients are unvaccinated and regret delaying. Some are very sick, including young adults. It is never too late to have your first COVID vaccine.
- Get your booster jab if you are invited, as protection from the vaccine may decrease over time.
- If you are pregnant, get vaccinated. COVID is dangerous for you and your baby and is leading to unvaccinated pregnant women being hospitalised and, in some cases, needing intensive care. It is much safer to be vaccinated against COVID than to get COVID whilst pregnant.
- Work from home if you can. We will work with employers to support a balanced approach to home-working when possible.
- Use masks in crowded indoor spaces and on public transport, and open windows and doors to increase ventilation, and wash your hands. After half-term, parents should wear face-coverings at the school-gate, and secondary school pupils should wear face coverings in communal areas outside the classroom.
- Isolate immediately if you have symptoms of COVID, and book a PCR test.
- Do a rapid COVID test (lateral flow test) twice a week. Around 1 in 3 people with Covid-19 don’t have symptoms, but can still infect others.
- Get your information from trusted sources like the NHS. Don’t believe everything you read on social media – misinformation is common and dangerous.
- Be kind to each other, and look out for friends, family members, and neighbours. COVID has had a big impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing, so it is essential Liverpool continues to do what it does best – looking out for people who need help and support.
Liverpool Health Protection Board (HPB) was established as a sub-committee of the Health and Wellbeing Board in July 2020 to lead the governance requirements locally for COVID-19 control. It has oversight of implementation of the Covid-19 outbreak management plan.
The HPB has broad membership across NHS, primary care, social care, higher education, children’s services, faith and voluntary sector, Healthwatch, business sector and Liverpool City Council.
