RISING Covid cases in Warwickshire and the wider West Midlands area have prompted concern from a healthcare official that people of all ages are letting their guard down about the virus.
A senior health expert at Public Health England (PHE) West Midlands has warned that the pandemic is ‘nowhere near over’ amid a rapid rise in Covid cases in the region.
As at June 29, there were 7,244 new Covid cases in the West Midlands during the previous seven days.
Cases in the region have more than doubled in the last fortnight in some areas, led by Birmingham, Tamworth and Warwickshire. The majority are 11 to 24-year-olds and some are being hospitalised.
There has also been an increase in cases among university students, with many cases in student households as well as a small number of halls of residence.
NHS data is suggesting hospital admissions and ITU admissions have started to increase.
Deputy Director for Health and Wellbeing, PHE West Midlands, Lola Abudu said: “I am very concerned – Covid is nowhere near over.
“The road out of lockdown has been a hard trek and it is understandable that people want to take full advantage of the summer and lifting of restrictions.
“With Covid on the increase in our region, it is still important to follow the current guidelines – especially as the opening of the road map has given us more freedoms.
‘We know some students, deprived of the university experience, are delaying their journey home for the holidays. It is really important they get tested for coronavirus before they go home and if they do test positive they should self-isolate before returning home.”
She said there were still ‘concerningly large’ numbers of people in the region aged over 50 – often the most vulnerable – who have not taken up the offer of the first vaccine.
She added: “I would urge everyone to make every effort to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families from possible serious illness.
“One in three cases do not have symptoms but can spread the virus to more vulnerable people. Testing regularly, if you are out and about and mixing with others, and reporting all results is important in identifying cases and to break chains of transmission.
“If you have symptoms, no matter how mild, please play safe, take a test and stay at home until you know you are in the clear.”
