- Vaccine roll-out drive bolstered in Bedford, Burnley,
Hounslow, Kirklees, Leicester and North Tyneside to protect the
most vulnerable
- In partnership with local authorities, additional testing and
contact-tracing measures being deployed across these locations to
isolate cases and break transmission chains
The government has outlined new decisive actions to halt the
spread of the B1.617.2 variant of concern first identified in
India.
Following extensive COVID-19 surveillance, which has rapidly
detected cases of the B1.617.2 variant first identified in India,
additional surge testing, tracing and isolation support measures
are being deployed at pace across Bedford, Burnley, Hounslow,
Kirklees, Leicester and North Tyneside.
The government continues to work in close partnership with local
authorities to ensure the right action is taken at the right
time, and to boost uptake of the approved vaccines for those
eligible in these areas.
We are also providing support to the Scottish Government, who are
adopting similar action to control the spread of variants in
Glasgow and Moray.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
We are determined to do all we can to ensure this new variant
doesn’t put our recovery at risk.
So we’ve acted fast, to guard the gains that we’ve made
together. We are putting in place more testing – more testing
sites – and on vaccinations, we are making more vaccinations
available to everyone who’s eligible.
To everyone in these areas, please exercise caution, get a
test, and as soon as you’re eligible, get the jab.
The latest data on the B1.617.2 variant shows the number of cases
across the UK has risen to 2,967 cases. Most cases remain
predominantly in the North West of England, with some in London.
While there is no evidence to show this variant has a greater
impact on severity of disease or evades the vaccine, the speed of
growth is of note and the government is working quickly to ensure
the appropriate action is being taken.
Targeted activity will take place across Bedford, Burnley,
Hounslow, Kirklees, Leicester and North Tyneside to continue to
drive vaccine uptake amongst eligible cohorts to protect the most
vulnerable.
This includes, based on an assessment of local need, exploring
opportunities to:
- expand existing assets – for example, extending opening hours
and capacity of existing sites
- develop new capacity to support outreach directly to
communities – for example, vaccine buses, additional pop-up sites
- utilise innovative methods of delivery where appropriate –
for example, drive-through and roving delivery to workplaces via
St John Ambulances
- co-locate vaccination sites with surge testing to support
increased convenience for local residents
- increase local and targeted communications, working with
community leaders to target underserved communities
Working in partnership with local authorities across Bedford,
Burnley, Hounslow, Kirklees, Leicester and North Tyneside,
strengthened testing operations are helping to control the spread
of COVID-19 variants.
Testing will be ramped up to meet local needs, which will include
additional mobile testing units, door-to-door testing and extra
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits for community
testing sites.
In Bolton, a 100-strong Surge Rapid Response Team continues to
support the local authority with door-to-door testing and
encouraging residents to take a PCR test. The response team
are now engaged with Bedford, providing some planning and
coordination support to help them develop their testing strategy.
Additional measures will be implemented in areas where clusters
of cases have been detected to stop further spread. These
include:
- enhanced testing and contact tracing, including enhanced
community and surge testing in areas defined by the local
authorities and regional teams
- genomic sequencing of positive cases
- increased community engagement, including ensuring that
messages are accessible in languages that are used by communities
- working closely with communities and community leaders to
ensure that individuals are supported to test and self-isolate
- encouraging uptake for the age and risk groups currently
prioritised for vaccination.
NHS Test and Trace works with each local authority to tailor the
response to the local community to best meet local needs. Some of
these areas are using genomic sequencing and enhanced contract
tracing without more targeted testing, depending on the outcome
of the public health assessment.
The government and its scientific experts are monitoring the
evolving situation and rates of variants closely, and will not
hesitate to take additional action as necessary.
