SOLIHULL’S director of public health has issued an urgent plea after a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases.
Ruth Tennant has spoken out after weeks of steady decline in infections suddenly went into reverse.
“Our rate today is 83.2 per 100,000, up from 54.1 on March 4 – a rise from 117 to 180 cases,” she said.
“And we expect this to go up further.
“Our rates are now the third highest in the West Midlands, above Birmingham, Warwickshire and Coventry.
“This is a real concern and a clear reminder that we are not out of the woods yet.
Leading the fight: Solihull’s director of public health Ruth Tennant.
“As we saw before Christmas when there was a huge surge in cases, once the new variant gets out, it spreads very quickly, causing new outbreaks and transmitting around families and workplaces.”
This recent increase is concentrated in the Smith’s Wood and Kingshurst areas of the borough but she said there were signs of increases in other areas.
“Vaccination roll-out is happening at pace and 44 per cent of people in Solihull have had their first dose, but this also means many people have not been vaccinated at all and most are not fully protected yet,” said Ms Tennant.
“We know the average age of people in intensive care locally during the second wave was 57. This still leaves many people at risk of being very severely affected by Covid.
“We need to take this as a very serious warning sign. We do not want a third wave.”
Current regulations allow people to meet only one other person outdoors.
People should not meet in groups and indoor mixing is not yet allowed as it risks spreading the virus.
“You should continue to stay at home unless you need to go out for essential reasons, which includes education for children and young people,” said Ms Tennant.
“We need to stick with this, get back to doing the right things to get our rates lower and allow vaccination to do its job.
“Please remember that you can spread the virus with no symptoms. You can spread the virus if you do not self-isolate for 10 days. “Financial and practical support is available to help anyone who needs this so you can keep yourself, your family and your community safe.”
