Important briefing
Important briefing
Message from Katrina Stephens – Director of Public Health for Oldham
I am writing to you to let you know the following:
Today (Wednesday 4th March) The UK Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that 32 further patients have tested positive for COVID-19 infection bringing the total number of cases in the UK to 85.
One of these cases is a resident of Oldham and became infected while in Northern Italy.
I am sure that you can appreciate that due to patient confidentiality we are unable to comment further on the details of this particular case.
I would like to reassure you that Public Health England, Oldham Council and the local NHS are working closely together in Oldham to deal with this matter.
Public Health England is currently contacting people or organisations who may have had close contact with the confirmed case. You do not need to take action in response to this confirmed case unless contacted by Public Health England. Close contacts will be given health advice about symptoms and emergency contact details to use if they become unwell in the 14 days after they had contact with the confirmed case. This tried and tested method will ensure that any risk to them is minimised and the wider public is protected.
Based on current evidence, Coronavirus COVID-19 presents with flu-like symptoms including a fever, a cough, or difficulty breathing. The current evidence is that most cases appear to be mild.
PHE and the NHS are well-prepared to deal with coronavirus and the priority is to safeguard local communities which sometimes involves taking preventative measures to help reduce the risk of further cases.
Oldham has robust infection control arrangements in place and strong partnership arrangements across the health and care system. All partners are working closely together to prevent further spread of the virus.
We will continue to work with Public Health England to share timely and relevant information with the public and our partners.
Anyone who is concerned about is advised to follow the advice about what to do on the Government and NHS websites at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public
Anyone worried about their symptoms or those of a family member or colleague, should call NHS 111. They should not go to their GP or other healthcare environments.
The important messaging for the public is that they should follow standard infection control measures to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses:
Do
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately (please place tissues in the general waste bins only, and not in the blue/brown recycling bins). See Catch It, Bin It, Kill It
• wash your hands with soap and water often – use hand sanitiser gel (with an alcohol content of at least 60%) if soap and water are not available
• try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell
Don’t
• do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean
If you have any questions having read the guidance on the Government/NHS websites (links above) please send these through tohealthprotectionteam@oldham.gov.uk
Thank you
Katrina