Yesterday several media outlets, local and national, reported that Wiltshire was on a list of areas facing a second spike in Covid-19 cases which could lead to a ‘local lockdown’, such as the one recently put in place for Leicester. I understand why constituents will find this concerning and would like to address these claims.
The reports stated there had been a recent weekly increase in cases in the county of 300%. In real terms, this figure represented an increase from one to four. Concerns were also raised about inclusion of ‘pillar 2’ testing in Wiltshire’s figures. Pillar 2 tests include swab tests of the wider population, whereas pillar 1 only accounts for swab testing in Public Health England (PHE) labs and NHS hospitals for those with a clinical need, and health and care workers. Some councils have not included pillar 2 in their overall case numbers, meaning they have been represented as lower than the reality. This is not the case in Wiltshire. Kate Blackburn, the council’s Interim Director for Public Health, has confirmed that pillar 2 testing results have been available locally and have been used in all local planning. Even including pillar 2 confirmed test results the number of confirmed cases in Wiltshire remains extremely low, she said. These figures are reviewed daily.
There has been a total of 550 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Wiltshire Council area, still comparatively low nationally, and the South West remains the lowest ranked region for cases. Wiltshire Council also has the sixth lowest rate of cases per 100,000 resident population with 110.4 cases per 100,000. This data is taken from the Public Health Coronavirus Case website.
Procedures are in place for if – and this has not currently happened - a potential second outbreak is identified. In the meantime we should continue to maintain social distancing guidelines and practice good personal hygiene to further minimise the risk of transmission.
More information about the council’s local outbreak management plan can be found at wiltshire.gov.uk/public-health-coronavirus.
