GOOD AFTERNOON and welcome to my regular South West Surrey update No. 102. As of today, we have a total of 3,505,754 positive cases of COVID-19 with 93,290 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 4,886confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 157 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 878 active cases in Waverley. All data is accurate as of 11am this morning.
THE + NEWS As of yesterday, 4,609,740 people in total have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the UK – that is more vaccine doses than Italy, France, Germany, and Spain combined. It is genuinely impressive that we have now vaccinated (with one dose) more than half of those aged 80+. Some regions have been doing exceptionally well and have moved on to the next groups, people aged 70+ and the clinically extremely vulnerable. Many of you are asking for more localised data to see how well Surrey is doing. I asked Boris last week to release vaccination data by local authority and as soon as we have this I intend to include it here. I also requested the publication of vaccine wastage rates by local authority/vaccination centre as although some waste is normal, it should be kept to a minimum. However there are some concerns for the vaccine programme, including delays to the delivery of Pfizer vials, the possibility of the vaccines not working with the new Brazilian strain and this new study from Israel, suggesting efficacy is only 33% after one Pfizer jab (although it is not peer-reviewed).
SUICIDE RATES UNCHANGED It’s too early to establish the overall effect of COVID-19 on suicide rates in England but there appears to be no statistically significant rise in suicides during lockdown so far. The bad news is that we still have far too many suicides even though by international standards our rates are comparatively low. However they appear to have been increasing in recent years, although that is partly because the methodology for counting them changed in 2018. We will be looking at this issue closely in a forthcoming mental health inquiry for the Select Committee.
ACROSS THE POND Congratulations to Joe Biden on being sworn in as America’s 46th President. His inauguration speech is a must watch, a genuinely heartfelt, generous and authentic plea for unity. As I tweeted, America must be united at home to show leadership abroad and boy do we need that. Congrats too to Kamala Harris for making history by becoming the first female, first Black and first South Asian Vice President of the United States. I have written more about the challenges they face in my Herald column. I guess the most important question is: who performed better at the inauguration - Lady Gaga or Jennifer Lopez? My vote goes to Lady Gaga who belted out the national anthem as you have never seen it before.
The key number to remember for anyone with pandemic-related difficulties remains 0300 200 1008 the Surrey Helpline run by Surrey County Council (Mon-Fri 9 am to 5 pm).
WHAT’S GOING ON IN WESTMINSTER
MATERNITY SERVICES On Tuesday the Health Committee discussed maternity safety, training and workforce. We spent a lot of time looking at how to make sure there are enough midwives and doctors (there is a way to calculate the number of midwives a unit needs but not yet one for doctors) and how to dismantle the blame culture that stops people being open and honest when things go wrong. I asked the head of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Andrea Sutcliffe, whether our culture in healthcare is too adversarial when mistakes are made. Click here to view her very honest response.
SAFER SURREY STREETS The government has announced a £148 million new investment to tackle drug crime. This is excellent news for Surrey and will permit our police to target local gang leaders more effectively while simultaneously helping people recover from addictions.
WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY
ROYAL SURREY UPDATE On Tuesday I had a call with Louise Stead, Chief Executive of the Royal Surrey Hospital to see how they are coping. Although COVID-19 admissions are falling in the South, the situation remains serious. Intensive care capacity has been surged to 32 beds of which 31 are occupied and almost all patients on ventilators. Other Surrey hospitals have been sending people out of the county but the Royal Surrey has not had to do this - indeed it is taking patients from other Surrey hospitals (and has treated some from Kent). However, if demand continues increasing there is a risk of urgent cancer surgery having to be delayed. For a more detailed update, please check out my Facebook page. The overall message is that they are doing a magnificent job keeping their head above water - just - in the most testing of circumstances.
‘COVID & ME’ CAMPAIGN Surrey County Council has launched a campaign investigating the impact of COVID-19 on Surrey residents. The Council has teamed up with Peter Gordon, a renowned local broadcaster, to bring you real life stories from people who have suffered from the disease. The Council will be posting short videos on social media – here is Chris describing his experience. Thank you Chris for reminding everyone that young people are at risk of COVID-19 too.
LOCAL HEROES Today’s South West Surrey Hero is Haslemere Homecare. Congratulations to the team where care staff have been working determinedly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, looking after our local elderly community in their own homes. Thank you for your hard work – your commitment is incredible. Well deserved!
FARNHAM FALCONS Some good news from the Chairman & County Recorder of the Hampshire Ornithological Society, Keith Betton. Due to pesticides and persecution, Peregrine Falcons became one of our rarest birds but they have recovered and a few are now in Surrey. I might get in trouble for releasing personal information but I’m told that one of the chicks has relocated to St Andrew’s Church in Farnham.
CLARIFICATION For the avoidance of doubt, following my email on Monday, I want to clarify that the Farnham vaccination centre (at the hospital) and the Farnham testing centre (in Mike Hawthorn Drive) are not walk-in centres. You need an appointment so please do not turn up without one for which you will contacted by the NHS. Apologies for any confusion.
See my list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents here.
THE ECONOMY AND JOBS
INFLATION UP Recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows that UK inflation doubled to 0.6% in December, up from 0.3% in November. Rising clothing and transport costs pushed up inflation. Jonathan Athow, ONS’s statistician, stated: ‘clothing prices put upward pressure on inflation in December, despite some evidence of continued discounting. Transport costs, including air, sea and coach fares, as well as petrol prices, rose as some travel restrictions eased during parts of the month.’ We will have to wait a month to find out if there has been a Brexit effect.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
BOTOX FOR CLOTHES If you dislike ironing as much as I do, keep reading. People have shared a hack that will mean you’ll never need an ironing board post-lockdown ever again – and there’s only one thing you need… an ice cube. Apparently (and that’s the key word) if you chuck a few ice cubes in the tumble dryer alongside your shirts, they’ll come out wrinkle free. Thank me later and have an ice day…
PS If you don't want to receive this email please unsubscribe from the mailing list on the box below or let me know on [email protected] and we will take you off the mailing list. Anyone who wants to receive the email should also email the same address. We will not share your data with third parties.
This email and any attachments to it (the 'Email') are intended for a specific recipient(s) and its contents may be confidential, privileged and/or otherwise protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient or have received this Email in error, please notify the sender immediately by telephone or email, and delete it from your records. You must not disclose, distribute, copy or otherwise use this Email. Please note that email is not a secure form of communication and that the Conservative Party ('the Party') is not responsible for loss arising from viruses contained in this Email nor any loss arising from its receipt or use. Any opinion expressed in this Email is not necessarily that of the Party and may be personal to the sender.
Promoted by Sean Donovan-Smith on behalf of Jeremy Hunt MP and South West Surrey Conservatives, all at 2 Royal Parade, Tilford Road, Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6TD.