Small increase in coronavirus cases across Shropshire 'nothing to be alarmed about'
There has been a small increase in the proportion of coronavirus cases in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin but there is nothing to be alarmed about at this stage, health commissioners have been told.
Planning director Sam Tilley told a meeting of Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Groups' governance boards that the county is currently in a "reasonably steady state" and had been luckier than other areas of the country where prevalence rates had escalated.
But she also stressed that it was important for the public to remain vigilant and take steps to protect themselves.
At the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak some of the county's health services had to be stood down, but board members were told yesterday that nearly half of these have now been fully restored.
Giving an update on the situation locally, Mrs Tilley said: "In Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin we find ourselves in a reasonably steady state currently but we are beginning to see small increases in prevalence rates.
"This is nothing to be alarmed about at this stage, we are however tracking the position very carefully.
"It remains important for us to continue to reinforce the range of options for managing the spread of the virus – wearing a mask, washing hands, social distancing, and if you have symptoms getting a test.
"There are a range of testing options still available.
"We are aware there are some issues both nationally and locally with some of these options but we have been assured that these are being addressed and they are temporary.
"We have been relatively lucky in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin that our prevalence rates have not escalated in the way they have in some other areas that we are aware of.
Vigilant
"We do need to continue to push the messages that the public need to be vigilant and take the right steps to protect themselves.
"Otherwise the situation may not remain that way."
Steve Trenchard, interim executive director of transformation for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin CCGs, also told the governing bodies that, of the services which had to be stood down, 47 had now been fully restored – accounting for 44 per cent.
He said another 36 have been partially restored and there are 23 services that still need to be restored.
The meeting was told that most primary care services had now been fully restored.
The county's orthopaedic trauma service had also been temporarily moved to The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, near Oswestry, following the coronavirus outbreak, but it returned to The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust at the end of last month.
It represented the next step towards restoring routine services since all non-emergency elective work was suspended in late March.
