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COVID-19 Bulletin: Wednesday 30 December

December 30, 2020

New: 

  • Sandwell and Birmingham move into Tier 4
  • Arranging COVID pneumonia follow-up appointments

Updated:

  • Vaccination slots available today and tomorrow
  • Wear the right PPE and save lives

1. New: Sandwell and Birmingham move into Tier 4 

As you know, the government has announced that Sandwell and Birmingham along with the rest of the West Midlands, has entered into Tier 4 Coronavirus restrictions.

This means stricter government restrictions will be in place from midnight until further notice. These measures are necessary to help stop the spread of Coronavirus and we ask each member of our SWB family to follow this guidance and stay safe.

A new year is just around the corner and we want to start it off looking towards a brighter year. We have made huge progress over the past few months and we have two vaccines available which brings fresh hope of returning to a more normal way of life.

These are the restrictions in tier four we all need to be aware of:

  • Residents should stay at home, unless they have a “reasonable excuse” such as work or education
  • All non-essential shops are closed
  • You cannot meet other people indoors, unless you live with them or they are part of your support bubble
  • People should not leave tier four areas or travel abroad, except for limited reasons (including work and education)

There are things you are still allowed to do in Tier 4. Activities allowed include:

  • Meeting one other person from another household in an open public space, if you are both alone
  • Shopping for essentials such as food and medicine
  • You can leave home for work, education, training, childcare and for medical appointments and emergencies
  • Support bubbles are still allowed and children can move between separated parents
  • People can also exercise outdoors or visit some public outdoor places, such as parks, the countryside accessible to the public, public gardens or outdoor sports facilities.

For a full list of what you can and can’t do click here.

We have come this far and we will see this through. Please continue to follow this guidance and together we will look to a happier, healthier 2021.

2. New: Arranging COVID pneumonia follow-up appointments

COVID-19 continues to evolve, which in turn means we must do so too. Keeping our patients safe and well remains our number one priority as we head into 2021, and we need your continued support to do this.

If your patient is aged over 16 and has suspected or confirmed COVID-19 or PLUS COVID (a rare bacterial infection) with changes on their chest X-ray or chest CT scan, the respiratory team would like to see them for a follow-up appointment.

Should your patient fit these criteria, please email swbh.covidfollowup@nhs.net with the patient’s RXK number and date of admission. The patients will then be contacted to arrange a follow-up.

3. Updated: Vaccination slots available today and tomorrow 

Our vaccination programme got off to a good start yesterday, with 250 colleagues receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech jab at the Education Centre in Sandwell.

Slots are still available tomorrow for those who fit the criteria.

The phased roll out is currently targeting colleagues in the very high, high, or moderate risk categories and those working in Red areas, including porters, ward service officers, therapists, imaging staff and colleagues in the community both adult and children who have contact with COVID+ patients.

If you have received an email inviting you to book an appointment please call ext 4112. 

If you have an appointment please note the following:

  • Arrive on time (not early) and wear warm clothing as you may have to wait outside
  • The process will take around 30 minutes
  • If, for whatever reason, you are no longer able to attend your appointment, please contact the booking team to cancel and reschedule.

It is important that you continue using the self-testing home kits (lateral flow test) following your vaccination. You can upload your test results here via Connect, but only when you are on the Trust network.

Our programme of vaccination will include patients and care home partners from next week.

Please note, if you have either a first or follow up appointment booked at Walsall Manor Hospital, they will be honouring these so please ensure you attend.

For more information about the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, read the frequently asked questions here.

4. Updated: Wear the right PPE and save lives 

One of the key things we must all do is continue to observe the infection control guidelines we have laid out; in particular around PPE (including the use of masks), being bare below the elbows and appropriate social distancing.

Along with the addition of the Very High infection risk area, which has its own PPE requirements beyond those of a regular Red ward, earlier this month we rolled additional updates to the PPE guidance which you can view in full here.