Today’s update includes
- World Health Organisation marks 100-days since it was first notified of the first cases of what we call Covid-19
- Updates, Requests and Offers from the Stroud Coronavirus Community Response team and beyond
- Summary of local news
- Key national/international points
100-days since WHO was first notified of the first cases of what we call Covid-19
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the WHO, said at a media briefing on Thursday:
“Today marks 100 days since WHO was notified of the first cases of what we now call COVID-19.
Much has changed since we launched the first Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan two months ago.
The global spread of the virus has overwhelmed health systems, disrupted the global economy, and lead to widespread social disruption.
The fatality rate is estimated to be 10 times higher than influenza.
More than 1.3 million people have been infected, and almost 80,000 people have lost their lives.
This pandemic is much more than a health crisis. It requires a whole-of government and whole-of-society response.
In the last 100 days, COVID-19 has shown us the damage it can mete out in wealthy nations.
We are yet to see the devastation it could wreak in poorer and more vulnerable countries. We’re committed to doing everything we can to prevent that from happening.”
Read his full statement on the WHO website.
Updates from the Stroud Coronavirus Community Response team and beyond
- We shared our set of printable posters and flyers you can use in your area, to help reach those of us who aren’t online so much (or at all).
- We shared a post from local NHS worker at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, specialising in geriatric care, “about advanced care plans and why it’s important to talk to loved ones about their or your wishes”
- Stroud District Council shared a post with our group on how they are calling thousands of the district’s most vulnerable people to make sure they’re getting the help they need
- Stroud Town Council has “launched a special fund to support community groups responding to the Coronavirus pandemic. It has allocated a total of £10,000 for grants of up to £500 available to community groups working in Stroud Town Parish.”
- Good On Paper shared details of their TV project: “a new ongoing on-line project in which we have invited local DJ’s, musicians, authors, artists and performers to produce self-recorded-sessions which we premiere via our YouTube channel enabling viewers to join the live chat and together create an online community….The series also includes rarely screened or hard to find films by directors and filmmakers… Sunday saw the launch Good On Paper Kids TV – a series with children’s authors and illustrators reading their own books every Sunday at 5:30pm”
- Guideposts in Gloucestershire shared details of their Stay Connected service: “a helpline for people who are anxious about self-isolation and need some support and reassurance with both practical tasks and their mental health. It’s particularly for people who aren’t as confident online so if you know of any family of friends who need help please share this with them!” You can call the helpline FREE on 0800 048 7035, 9:00am – 5:00pm, Monday – Friday, or visit the Stay Connected website.
- We are grateful to Abbie Warren, who shared a post from Sunflowers Suicide Support about local and national resources for anyone who is “struggling with thoughts of Suicide and needs help”. Sunflowers Suicide Support is a locally-based charity, which Abbie set up in memory of her brother Pete Morris, who lived in Stroud, and died in September 2016. On their website, Sunflowers say: “After losing Pete, it quickly became apparent that there was not much provision or signposting to support after Suicide Bereavement in Gloucestershire – In particular, there was a real need for access to information and advice about the inquest and professional advice and support, especially to help work through the trauma. Suicide Loss it is a lonely and confusing journey and we do not want others to have to walk this path alone.”
- We have a (growing) list of resources to support your emotional and mental health during this time on our website.
- Please complete our questionnaire to be added to our Local Services Directory! We are particularly looking for people who are emergency maintenance/repair folk like plumbers/gas engineers etc. The form allows you to list a price for services – everyone cannot be expected to volunteer and keeping businesses going where possible is important.
- Local University UWE Bristol are asking people to fill in a survey about their experiences of providing neighbour support, mutual aid / community response at this time.
Local updates:
- “The number of people who have died in Gloucestershire since they tested positive for coronavirus has risen to 59. It means that six more people have died in the county in the past 24 hours – an increase on the 53 deaths reported yesterday, Wednesday April 8. Of those who died in the last day, five were being treated at Gloucestershire Hospitals while one was being cared for through Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.” (Gloucestershire Live)
- “A temporary morgue will be set up in Gloucestershire in preparation for further deaths in the county during the coronavirus outbreak. The resting place will be used to store dead bodies as the number of COVID-19 victims is expected to rise. The exact location of the morgue is not being made public, although health chiefs have confirmed it is within Tewkesbury Borough.” Sarah Scott, chair of Gloucestershire’s strategic coordinating group on the local resilience forum, said: “I would ask everyone to respect the need for privacy and time to grieve for all those that will be affected directly and indirectly as a result of covid-19.”(Gloucestershire Live)
- Yesterday the NHS in Gloucestershire launched a moving campaign to remind the public that every coronavirus death is a person, who will be remembered by their loved ones (Gloucestershire Live).
- “Frontline care staff received more than 400,000 items of personal protective equipment such as face masks and eye protection yesterday to help defend them from contracting the coronavirus… Officers from the army, the county’s fire and rescue service, police and community volunteers distributed the PPE to 79 different care locations across Gloucestershire today after the delivery came in on Tuesday” (Gloucestershire Live)
- “The NHS in Gloucestershire is reaching out with important information about local services to make sure people know how to seek medical help over the Easter Weekend if they need it. NHS services are exceptionally busy during the coronavirus pandemic, and it’s really important that the public help stop the spread of coronavirus by staying at home wherever possible. However, if you do find yourself ill or injured, need urgent advice or care and are not sure where to seek help” their website has everything you need to know.
National:
- “As of 9am 9 April, 298,169 tests have concluded, with 16,095 tests on 8 April. 243,421 people have been tested of which 65,077 tested positive. As of 5pm on 8 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 7,978 have sadly died.” (Department of Health and Social Care tweet)
- This means there were 4,344 new cases confirmed yesterday, and 881 people died. This is the second-highest number of people to die in a single day. It is higher than the number of people who died in Spain and Italy today – though both countries experienced days where more individual people died (971 people died on 28th March in Italy, and 950 people died in Spain on the 3rd April).
- “The UK coronavirus death toll is expected to continue to rise for at least two weeks, the government’s chief scientific adviser has said, despite encouraging signs about the rate of infections and hospital admissions” (The Guardian)
- Health Secretary Matt Hancock has previously accepted the peak in the number of people dying in a single day could be around 1,000 people in a day around Easter Sunday. (Evening Standard)
- “Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has urged the public to stay indoors over this Easter weekend, telling people: “Let’s not ruin it now.” He said after almost three weeks of lockdown “we are starting to see the impact of the sacrifices we’ve all made”. Mr Raab said it was still “too early” to lift the restrictions.” (BBC News)
- “Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved out of intensive care but remains in hospital, Downing Street has said.” (BBC News)
- A “memo to the bosses of hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups in London read: “There are no immediate stocks of gowns due in the national supply chain over the next few days and we are unsighted on when further deliveries will be made.” “Senior NHS leaders in London who were warned about the shortage in an email on Thursday evening say they are “alarmed” and that the lack of gowns is “a disaster in waiting for staff health”.” (The Guardian)
Global Summary:
- Worldwide cases exceed 1.5m (1,579,690), over 90,000 people have died (93,425) and 346,780 recovered.
- There are 18 countries with over 10,000 confirmed cases, 12 of these have over 20,000 confirmed cases
- More people have now died in the US (15,774) than in Spain (15,238, above all from Johns Hopkins University tracker)
- South Africa: “coronavirus lockdown will be extended by a further two weeks.”
- “The World Health Organization has reported a drastic shortage of intensive care beds to treat Covid-19 patients in Africa, where it estimates there are only around five per million people, compared with 4,000 per million people in Europe.”
- “António Guterres, the UN secretary general, has released a statement saying he welcomes the unilateral ceasefire declared by Saudi Arabia over its war in Yemen, which he said he hopes will help the war-torn country handle its coronavirus epidemic”
- “president of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi, and 63 of the country’s MPs are to self-isolate after a nurse assigned to screen legislators for coronavirus tested positive for it herself.”
- “The International Organization for Migration has issued a call for states to “uphold international obligations”, days after Italy closed its ports in an apparent attempt to block access to boats carrying migrants across the Mediterranean.”
Please remember that we have a (growing) list of resources to support your emotional and mental health during this time on our website.
A Happy Easter, Happy Passover and Happy Ramadan to all our readers, and thanks to everyone who contributed to this Daily Update.