Further lockdown rules have now officially eased in England, Wales and most of Scotland, with people now allowed to socialise indoors in limited numbers, hug loved ones and visit pubs and restaurants inside again. Although this easing of restrictions is a cause for celebration, please remember to still stay safe to ensure we keep on track for the rest of the roadmap out of lockdown. Keep a 2m distance between people who are not in your household or support bubble, continue to work from home if you can, and get vaccinated once it is offered to you. It is also vital to take up the option to get the free, twice a week lateral flow tests and isolate immediately if you are positive or showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Birmingham City Council’s weekly coronavirus update can be seen here, and their dashboard of Covid-19 information for the week ending 14th May can be seen here.
Across Birmingham new cases have continued to fall, along with the overall case rates. The number of positive cases decreased by 8 cases compared with last week (188 cases this week compared to 196 last week), and 12 wards reported no new cases this week. However, the percentage of positive tests has increased, and the rate of testing using PCR, LFD or both has decreased.
Moseley’s case rate decreased slightly and the actual number of positive cases in Moseley remained low, at 14 positive cases per 100,000 people.
Total cases fell in the 0-19 and the 80+ age groups, and increased in the 20 – 59 age group, but these changes have been comparatively small. The average daily COVID admissions to Birmingham’s hospitals remained low this week with between 3 and 9 new cases a day, slightly down from between 3 and 12 last week. Encouragingly, the number of deaths dropped to 0 from 1 death last week.
Full information on the restrictions at the current stage of lockdown easing can be seen on the government website here, and in our summary here.