Northants public health consultants urge residents to follow coronavirus advice

Two of Northamptonshire’s public health consultants have urged residents to follow the Government’s advice about hygiene and social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rhosyn Harris and Mary Horn, two of the Northants four public health consultants working under director of public health Lucy Wightman at the frontline of trying to keep Northamptonshire’s residents safe, said advice must be heeded to help slow the spread.

In the midst of a fast developing situation Rhosyn said the primary thing Northants residents should be doing now is washing their hands.

She said: “Main advice we would give is that people need to have really good handwashing and good hygiene. Catch it, bin it, kill it. It is really important in slowing the spread of the disease.”

Yesterday the Prime Minister said it looks like the country is now approaching the fast growth part of the virus’s curve and announced a new phase of measures, which are its most drastic yet. People are being told to stay away from pubs, offices, restaurants and not travel and pregnant women, the over 70s and those with a number of chronic diseases or a weakened immune system should now stringently obey social distancing measures to reduce interaction with others.

Anyone with a fever or persistent cough should stay at home for seven days if they live alone or 14 days if they live with others. Anyone who lives with someone displaying coronavirus symptoms should also stay at home for 14 days.

Latest official figures record that 12 people in Northamptonshire have tested positive for coronavirus. The consultants would not say whether there had been any deaths, saying they could not talk about individual cases.

Currently mostly it is only those who have been admitted to hospital who have been tested, a move criticised by the World Health Organisation which wants to see testing ramped up.

The consultants, whose primary role is to disseminate the scientific advice, said people should follow national guidance about not calling 111 if their symptoms are manageable within their own home and first visit to the NHS website for advice. This is not to overwhelm the 111 service.

However if someone’s health is deteriorating they should call 111 and they will be given the correct advice of what to do.

Rhosyn said: “It is a really worrying time for people. It is important to manage our physical and mental health even if we are self isolating. We should stay connected to friends, family, colleagues either by the phone or online.

If people are feeling overwhelmed our advice would be to stop watching the rolling news. There is a alot of news out there and people can get caught in a cycle of watching the news. There are lots of good resources out there including the NHS Every Mind Matters website, which gives helpful advice.”

Mary said the team had been following very closely the emergency preparedness plans, and working as part of a multi agency effort with health and social services partners to coordinate efforts. The county council is also leading a local resilience forum which is meeting regularly.

However, like many NHS and social care services, the public health team will also have to consider how it provides a service while protecting itself.

Rhosyn said: “Today we are looking at how we can make our own team resilient. We recognise that we are going to have to be doing this for a while to come.”

The county’s emergency planning team is holding a meeting with community and voluntary groups this afternoon to make sure that responses are coordinated. Information from the meeting will be shared publicly soon.