'We cannot stay under heavy restrictions forever' says Hampshire health director

As the UK prepares for more Covid-19 restrictions to be lifted at the start of next month - including an end to free testing and the NHS Covid pass - Hampshire County Council's director of public health, Simon Bryant, has told councillors that we will have to 'learn to live' with the virus.

Speaking at the health and social care select committee on Tuesday, he said: 'The rates of infection are steadily coming down and that will probably continue through to the summer.

'Looking forward, we are moving to a place where we will simply have to live with Covid-19, and so things will need to change. Testing will be stood down which means the way we record cases will work in a very different way, and we have to be careful in how we record data going forward.

'Self-isolation will be recommended rather than compulsory and that's in line with other illnesses like diarrhea - that being said, when restrictions are lifted we are likely to see a bit of a spread.

'But people have been vaccinated and we cannot stay under heavy restrictions forever. With statutory sick pay ending, for us it's now about supporting those people who choose to self-isolate when they test positive.’

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One area of infection that had concerned health bosses was in children and young people.

Data provided to the local outbreak engagement board on March 1 showed that the seven-day rolling rate of infections is continuing to drop.

Mr Bryant has accredited this to a sucessful vaccine roll-out, both in schools and the rest of the county.

He said: 'We have had high rates of infection in children and young people, but are starting to see that fall.

'The vaccine programme has been very effective in preventing illnesses in education settings.

'We're only seeing a small number of deaths each week now, and there's actually still a small uptake in people having their first Covid-19 vaccines, which is great news.'

As of February 25, there were only seven people in ventilation beds across the county. In December, this figure stood closer to 50 patients.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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