A grim milestone & continued intervention
Vaccine roll-out and distribution has given us reason for hope. This past week, deaths involving in COVID-19 in care homes accounted for 3.9% of deaths, down from 4.9% in the previous week. In its weekly update, the Office of National Statistics recorded 64 deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes in the week ending 9 April, down from 76 in the previous week. And CQC data recently showed that there were 29,057 COVID related deaths in England between 10 April 2020 and 16 April 2021. Of these, 48 were notified between 10 April 2021 and 16 April 2021. If the numbers are improving, why use our Covid tracker? Here are a few reasons:
Seasonal Flu
In most years in the UK, seasonal flu kills between 10,000 and 30,000 people, depending on the strain and the effectiveness of the annual vaccine. But over the last 12 months, flu deaths have hardly registered. Changes in our behaviour such as increased sanitisation, social distancing and wearing masks have lowered the risk of flu significantly. However; experts are warning that the world will face a dramatic resurgence of flu next winter, after lockdown, masks, increased hygiene and social distancing measures cut the virus to levels not seen for over a century. Falling immunity levels to influenza are normally sustained by seasonal circulation of the virus. Scientists now fear that 2021 could present one of the worst flu outbreaks for years.
Norovirus
Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus. Noroviruses are found in the stool or vomit of infected people. People can become infected with the virus in several ways, including: eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with norovirus by food handlers who have not washed their hands adequately. You can get norovirus from having direct contact with an infected person. The average incubation period for norovirus-associated gastroenteritis is 12 to 48 hours, with a median period of approximately 33 hours. Illness is characterized by nausea, acute-onset vomiting, and watery, non-bloody diarrhea with abdominal cramps. Norovirus activity varies from season-to-season. In 2019 Hospitals in England closed more than 1,100 beds because of the winter vomiting bug norovirus. Norovirus is predominantly a winter pathogen; however, norovirus infections do occur in the summer months.
Emerging Trends
The number of Covid-19 deaths has recently hit 3 million, a grim reminder that we are not out of the woods yet. Fatalities continue to rise globally despite vaccination campaigns, as countries such as India and Brazil are battling meteoric rises in Covid-19 infections and hospitalisations. 77 cases of a vaccine Covid-19 mutation first discovered in India were identified in Britain. This variant is to be upgraded to a “variant of concern” soon. There is also uncertainty about reinfection and long-term immunity. It is not known how common reinfection is, but reports have indicated that it is occurring with variable severity.
For all of these reasons and more Safe Steps’ Covid-19 tracker is essential in care homes. Effective infection control measures during outbreaks are urgently needed in places where vulnerable individuals gather. Our app tracks symptoms, oxygen levels, and levels of confusion. We monitor test results, vaccine consent and administration. Most importantly it speaks directly to GPs and Health Care Commissioners to spot emerging trends and patients in need of accelerated care. At the moment getting to a good place with Covid. However, we must not become complacent with what we have achieved. Your residents and patients deserve the best. Find out more about our Covid tracker today.
