An outbreak of COVID-19 has occurred in an Isle of Wight care home — but the Island’s director of public health says he is no more concerned than normal.
In a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s first local outbreak engagement board, it was said a care home had reported the outbreak between 21st-27th September.
The number of cases recorded and location of the care home has not been revealed but an outbreak in a care home, as described by Isle of Wight Council papers, is two or more confirmed cases at the same location within a 14-day period among staff and residents.
Figures from the council’s public health team show the total number of care homes on the Island to have recorded an outbreak since the start of the coronavirus lockdown is now 33. Compared to 18 in Portsmouth and 36 in Southampton.
Despite the outbreak, Simon Bryant, the Island’s director of public heath, has said care homes are used to dealing with outbreaks of respiratory diseases with a much more heightened sense of awareness of Covid now.
Speaking after the meeting, he said:
“[There is] a cause for concern as there are vulnerable residents in care homes but are we even more concerned? No.
“We are concerned in the normal way, we want to protect our residents and make sure they are safe and we are doing all we can.
Article continues below this advertisement “I am concerned about every care home situation and every single outbreak because that means something has happened to spread that virus but in that particular case I am not overtly more worried than I would be.”
Councillor Dave Stewart, leader of the Isle of Wight Council, added the volumes of PPE bought at the start of the first wave of Covid, meant there should be fewer problems to access it for those care homes that need it. He said:
“We are better equipped to deal with the outbreaks but that does not mean there will not be one and we have to be ready for it.”
A letter was sent to care homes across the country last month by the Department of Health and Social Care’s director of adult social care delivery, Stuart Miller, warning of a rise in Covid cases in care homes again and urged bosses to take the necessary action to prevent and limit outbreaks.
This refers to the period 21st to the 27th Sept…….Have I Got Some Old News For You…..
Which care home though?
Is it the Groovy Grove in Ventnor? Oh, hang on, that’s not a care home apparently….
Need to know I’m afraid,you dont need to lol.
PCR tests do not indicate the number of cases of people with symptoms of Covid-19. They only indicate the presence of an RNA sequence present in both live and dead fragments of SARS-Cov-2 among other things In other words, the ‘second wave’ is fallacious.
covid-19 deaths in care homes is the biggest scandal of this pendemic