Issue - meetings

(To receive a report from the Director of Public Health which presents the Director of Public Health's Annual Report 2020)

That the Annual Report from the Director of Public Health be received and published.

The Director of Public Health presented his annual report, entitled The Impact of Covid-19 on Lincolnshire, which focused on the impact of Covid?19 from March 2020 to date.  The report made reference to the strength of the multi-agency response in Lincolnshire; the plans for the remainder of the winter 2020/21; the recovery activity in the medium to long term; and the demographic challenges of Lincolnshire's older than average population. 

In particular, reference was made to the long term impacts of Covid-19, such as depression, anxiety, loneliness and fatigue; as well as the economic impacts of lost income and reduced opportunities, especially for younger adults.

The Director of Public Health and his team were thanked for their work during the Covid-19 pandemic, for example working with partners on the sourcing of personal protective equipment.

The following points were clarified:

• The Lincolnshire system was prepared to begin the vaccination programme, once any vaccine had been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
• Those working or living in residential care homes and NHS front line staff would be given priority to receive any vaccine, thus offering a degree of protection to those in vulnerable and at risk groups.
• The vaccination programme was likely to begin in December 2020, but was expected to accelerate from January 2021 onwards.
• Coronaviruses were less likely to mutate as much as influenza viruses, but it was too early to say how long any Covid-19 vaccine would offer protection.
• The rate of Covid-19 infection in Lincolnshire had peaked between 17 and 19 November 2020 and the current overall trajectory of the infection rate was downwards, with some localised differences in district council areas expected.   

RESOLVED

That the Annual Report from the Director of Public Health be received and published.