Agenda item

To receive a verbal update on the Covid-19 pandemic and the vaccination programme.

Dr Will Maimaris, Interim Director of Public Health, introduced the item which provided an update on Covid-19. It was explained that there had been a peak of Covid-19 cases in Haringey between December 2020 and January 2021 and that this had gradually declined; there had been approximately 400 cases per day during the peak and now there were approximately seven cases per day. It was noted that cases were currently low but there was still some transmission in the community. However, there were currently no particular areas of concern and that there were very few cases in the over 60s which suggested that the vaccine was working in suppressing Covid-19 cases.

It was noted that there were some variants of concern, particularly the variant first identified in India known as the Delta variant. It was explained that the Delta variant was now prevalent in most parts of England, particularly in urban areas, and it was proving to be more transmissible than the Kent variant. In terms of the effectiveness of vaccines against the Delta variant, early data suggested that two doses of a vaccine provided good protection. However, it was noted that the transmissibility of the variant could have an impact on the easing of the Covid-19 restrictions which was currently due to occur on 21 June 2021.

The Interim Director of Public Health noted that the vaccination programme had been progressing well and that more than 100,000 Haringey residents had received their first dose. It was stated that the majority of people in various age groups and ethnic groups were taking up the vaccine. It was noted that there was some hesitancy in certain ethnic groups but that this was reducing over time. It was commented that anyone aged 30 or over was now eligible to receive the vaccine and that more work would be required to close the gap for vaccine hesitancy in younger age groups.

It was explained that engagement work to encourage uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine was underway through the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), schools, and businesses. There were a number of link workers in the community, many sessions with community and faith leaders, and pop up vaccination centres. It was noted that there had been focused work in Northumberland Park, the area with the lowest vaccine uptake in Haringey. It was explained that the vaccine had been opened up to anyone over 18 in this area and that this was permitted in areas of high deprivation in order to protect the community. It was added that all households had received leaflets and that specialist teams were in the area to provide additional information. It was noted that vaccination data could be found on the Local Government Association website: COVID-19 Cumulative Vaccinations Local Authority View | LG Inform.

It was summarised that Haringey was in a positive position overall but that there were concerns about the new Covid-19 variants. It was highlighted that people should continue to follow Public Health advice, share accurate Covid-19 messaging with all local communities, undertake regular testing, and take the Covid-19 vaccines as soon as possible.

Sharon Grant, Healthwatch Haringey Chair, enquired whether there was any data to compare Haringey with other boroughs to see how well we were doing and what we could learn from others. The Interim Director of Public Health noted that data was published which compared London Boroughs; it was commented that Haringey was the fourth most deprived borough but was not in the bottom four in relation to vaccine take up. It was explained that Haringey was learning from other boroughs and that there was regular information sharing between Directors of Public Health; it was noted that it may be possible to share more information about this learning to a future meeting. It was added that it was challenging to directly compare different boroughs as there were often different populations, communities, and issues.

Councillor Kaushika Amin noted that a number of people from different areas had attended the vaccination centre at the Eric Allen Centre in Northumberland Park. She enquired whether alternative, more central locations on the estate had been considered, such as the Resource Centre, or whether specific sessions for each building could be provided to maximise take up of the vaccine. The Interim Director of Public Health noted that a roving model for vaccinations had been considered but that there were a number of challenges. Rachel Lissauer, CCG Director of Integration, noted that as all people over 40 were now eligible to receive the vaccine and there was less pressure on supply of the vaccine, there was less concern about people from different areas attending the vaccination centre in Northumberland Park. It was explained that the vaccination sites were placed as close as possible to the areas where the door-to-door teams were operating. It was considered that the Eric Allen Centre was sufficiently close and it was noted that there had been attempts to use the Resource Centre but this had been more difficult to organise.

Cllr Lucia Das Neves praised the work that had been undertaken with hard to reach communities. She noted that engagement with women in the Latin American community had been very informative around women’s access to healthcare and vaccinations and pregnancy. The Interim Director of Public Health explained that there had been significant learning about how to work more effectively with local people and that this would be useful for future work.

RESOLVED

To note the update.