Nottingham's public health chief says that there is no need to be 'too worried' about coronavirus and flu this winter, as long as people are "thoughtful" about both diseases. The latest government data shows that for the week ending September 3, there were 176 cases of coronavirus recorded in Nottingham.
That equates to 52.2 people per 100,000 having the disease, but is significantly below the 7-day figure at the height of the pandemic, which at one point stood at nearly 7,000. David Mellen, the leader of Nottingham City Council, says that "we must think about the return of Covid-19" this winter.
Lucy Hubber, the Director of Public Health for Nottingham, echoed that message, but said: "I don't think we need to be too worried now. What we need to do is understand the impact of vaccination and if people are coughing and sneezing, they should catch it, bin it and kill it.
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"It still remains the case that there is a risk of serious illness for some people, but the Omicron variant doesn't have quite the same risk of serious illness and death as previous versions of coronavirus did. Having said that, we need to be thoughtful about this and if people have symptoms of coronavirus or flu, they should consider things like working from home if they are able to do so.
"The messaging around hands, face, space remains very much the same for both coronavirus and flu this winter. What we do know is that the hospitals and GPs are under pressure and people will need to make sure they're looking after themselves as much as they can."
Councillor David Mellen used a message ahead of the winter to urge people to get their autumn booster coronavirus jab. The latest dose will eventually be offered to everyone over the age of 50, as well as residents in care homes for the elderly, people aged five years and over in a clinical risk group and health and social care staff.
Councillor Mellen said: "We can't lose sight of what is ahead – and, in particular, as we move into the autumn and winter we must think about the return of Covid-19. This winter it is expected that many respiratory infections, including Covid-19 and flu, may be circulating at high levels."
Lucy Hubber also said that the autumn booster would be important, as well as people getting their flu jabs. Several 'grab a jab' sites for people to get a covid vaccine are still in use across Nottinghamshire, with locations including community pharmacies and GP practices.
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