New coronavirus app shows potential for your area to rise or fall levels next week

A new Covid-19 dashboard shows how widespread the virus is in your area, giving an idea of ​​how likely it is to be seen moving up or down levels next week.

If you’re not fed up with data by now, the ZOE Covid Symptom Study app presents your daily data from experts at health sciences company ZOE and King’s College London, in a useful new dashboard.

It shows the “prevalence rate” (cases per 100,000 population) of coronavirus in all areas of England, as well as the rate among people aged 60 and over.

In a ray of hope, it shows only four “sub-regions” that are at Level 2 and where the case rate is increasing.

This includes Suffolk County in eastern England, and in the south east the combined “sub-region” of Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell Forest, Windsor and Maidenhead and West Berkshire has seen an increase in cases.

Meanwhile, in the Southwest region, the Wiltshire and Swindon “sub-region” has also seen an increase in cases.

If these places continue to see an increase in cases, they could enter the dreaded Tier 3 next week when the tiers are ready to be reviewed.

The ZOE Covid Symptom Study Report is submitted to the government every day.

The latest report shows that in most of England the cases per 100,000 inhabitants decrease or remain the same.

But this is bad news for the Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull ‘sub-region’ in the West Midlands as they are at the hardest Level 3 and are seeing cases spike, meaning they may be stuck there for a while. .

Figures from the ZOE Covid Symptom Study UK Infection Survey are based on around one million weekly reporters and the proportion of new symptomatic users who have positive smear tests.

The team leader is Professor Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London and Principal Investigator of the ZOE Covid Symptom Study app.

He tweeted on Friday: “We launched today on the ZOE app, a complex dashboard on statistics of English levels based on the government’s criteria for prevalence, trends and NHS capacity.

Professor Spector said his team would be simplifying the format of the data, but it is currently available to all users who report on the app.

The boffin said that England’s R transmission rate is around 0.8 across England.

But it is above 1 in Wales.

The capital, London, is now seeing more new cases than in the north, where new infections have been stable.

ZOE’s Covid Symptom Study UK Infection Survey found that there are 20,497 new daily symptomatic cases of the virus in the UK on average over the two weeks to November 29, excluding nursing homes.

This compares with 29,311 new symptomatic cases daily a week ago and more than 42,000 six weeks ago, the researchers said.

The survey found that in Scotland, cases have fallen to the same levels as in late September, but recently stalled and there are still around 40,000 infectious individuals.

It found that in Wales, cases have fallen to roughly the same level as in late September, but have started to rise again.

Professor Spector said it was “encouraging” to see rates drop, but cautioned against complacency.

“It is encouraging to see rates continue to fall in most parts of the UK, and we are now below 21,000 cases, less than half the second wave peak we saw in October.

“However, while we are now also seeing steady drops in admissions, it is important that we not be complacent.

“Although the UK will start launching the vaccine next week, many of us will not get one for a few months, so keeping the numbers low and in check is really important to the NHS.

“I’m sure the data from the Zoe app is really the most up-to-date image we have,” he said.

The latest survey figures were based on data from 11,124 swab tests conducted between November 15 and November 29.

Boris Johnson’s 3-level reinforced locking system will be checked every two weeks.

Since it was implemented on December 2, this means that Wednesday of next week will be the date of the first review.

Decisions will be made based on the latest data on case rates, how much capacity the NHS has, and what advice and recommendations are given by local directors of public health.

Any changes will take effect on December 19, after a decision is made in a cabinet committee.

The plan is to bring the tiered system to MPs on January 27, by which time it will have been reviewed four times.

Vaccine details emerge

It comes as Downing Street confirmed more details today of who will be first in line to receive the vaccine when the first doses are delivered tomorrow.

In addition to those already revealed to be online to receive the doses, issue 10 has confirmed that people who are discharged from the hospital after treatment will also be eligible for the vaccine, provided they meet one of the other criteria. .

The first priority groups for hospitals will be people over 80, those who work in nursing homes or on the NHS front.

Nursing home residents are also at the top of the priority list, but implementation has been delayed because approval to split doses of the vaccine for delivery to individual homes was not confirmed until today.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The NHS established over the weekend that we have 800,000 doses available.

“The first vaccine will target people over the age of 80, along with home-based workers and front-line workers in the NHS.

“They have also established that a small number of NHS primary care networks will begin delivering the vaccine from next week, the week starting on the 14th.”

They also confirmed that hospitals “will invite people who already have outpatient appointments if they meet the criteria, as will people who leave the hospital after treatment.”

“The others will be added throughout December and the next few months,” they added.

When asked about when nursing homes will begin dosing, they added: “The nursing home delivery process will begin shortly … I don’t have a date.

“Nursing homes are right at the top of the list, so they will be prioritized.”

Downing Street ruled out the possibility of the NHS vaccination cards becoming a form of “immunity passport” to allow people who have received the jab to enjoy additional freedoms.

“We have made it clear that there are no plans to introduce immunity passports,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.

“The cards… are reminder cards from the NHS that urge people to get the second dose they need.

“It is well established practice in the NHS to offer cards to people to remind them of their next appointment.”

The government said it expects “most” of vulnerable people to be vaccinated in January and February.

Downing Street did not confirm whether they expected four million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to arrive by the end of the year.

“We obviously have 40 million doses on order, but the scale of delivery depends on the manufacturing process as we move through December,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.

About 25 million people are covered by the 10 priority categories established by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization.

The first vaccines will go to nursing home staff and residents, frontline NHS workers and people over the age of 80, about six million people.

When asked how many people will be vaccinated at the end of February, the spokesperson said: “Most of the vaccination of the vulnerable will be in January or February.”

But the spokesperson stressed that regulators were still evaluating two more vaccines, which could increase the number of doses available.