As a new report reveals the number of people who have died as a result of covid-19 in Liverpool, a new taskforce has been established to combat future pandemics.
In a bid to coordinate pandemic emergency planning arrangements in the city, the Liverpool Pandemic Planning Group (LPPG) has been formed following a debrief on the impact of the virus. A report to Liverpool Council ’s health and wellbeing board on the continued impact of coronavirus has spelled out how the city manages its response to the virus almost three years on.
It revealed that a total of 1,666 residents in Liverpool have died within 28 days of a positive test since the start of the pandemic. It said: “Covid-19 deaths peaked in Liverpool during the first wave in week ending 17th April 2020, when there were 133 deaths registered in a single week.
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“There have been no deaths in the last seven days and 52 deaths were in the last 60 days. There were 1797 deaths registered for Liverpool residents up to 20/05/2022 with covid-19 mentioned on the death certificate, of which 5 occurred in the latest week.”
Since the UK Government adopted its living with covid strategy, the report said the health and wellbeing board was “largely relying on data from hospital admission, outbreaks in care homes, deaths and the ONS Infections Survey based on random population sampling.” In terms of spikes in cases, the peak of admissions for covid-19 patients in Liverpool hospitals was hit in January last year, with 561, while four months later, the lowest number occupying beds was three.
Figures from May 31 indicate that 34 patients were hospitalised with coronavirus. The report added: “The current decline in covid infection rates is also reflected in care home figures, with less than five staff cases in one care home currently.
“Prior to this there were no cases reported amongst staff or residents in care homes since 23/05/22.”
The wellbeing board’s findings admit that uncertainty remains about the “future course of the pandemic” and it is likely covid “ will continue to have an impact for several years on health, and on health and care services. It is likely that we will have further waves of infection, and new variants will continue to emerge.
“It is possible that variants may emerge that are less susceptible to current vaccines or resistant to antivirals or associated with more severe disease.” In a bid to better prepare for potential future pandemics, following a recommendation from Liverpool Council’s corporate covid-19 debrief, the LPPG has been set up.
The report said the group’s initial focus will be on readiness to respond to future surges of coronavirus and specific preparation for the winter ahead. Its work will also include future pandemic/epidemic outbreak response and will report to Liverpool Health Protection Board and Liverpool Council.
The report added the group will “link with Merseyside Resilience Forum, Local Health Resilience Partnership and wider health system networks to ensure plans dovetail with wider response and system arrangements.”
