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GOOD AFTERNOON and welcome to my regular South West Surrey update No. 105. As of today, we have a total of 3,817,176 positive cases of COVID-19 with 106,158 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 5,288 confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 206 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 485 active cases in Waverley, a significant reduction from last week. All data is accurate as of 11am this morning.

SENSATIONAL SCIENTISTS We start February with the welcome news that the deaths of COVID-19 inpatients have passed their third wave peak ([link removed]) . Overall we are seeing a gradual decline in COVID-19 infections, hospitalisations and deaths across the country - including daily infections at half the level of a month ago and hospital admissions down a quarter in just the last week. But things are still serious as evidenced by the very sad news that Captain Tom Moore was admitted to hospital ([link removed]) yesterday with coronavirus. We wish him all the best. Encouragingly the Novavax vaccine has proved 89% effective
([link removed]) against COVID-19 in UK trials and is now off for examination by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) which will be made in Stockton-on-Tees if approved - and for which we have acquired 60m doses of the jab. Meanwhile, the single-dose shot made by Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals was found to be 66% effective ([link removed]) with 30m doses secured. What are we going to do with all our excess doses? It is a real sign of changing fortunes of our national coronavirus response that there is now a debate about who we should give them to - Ireland perhaps, because it is our closest neighbour and in the Common Travel Area or Africa following the call by the WHO for global equity in vaccine distribution
([link removed]) . I told Sophy Ridge on Sky that no country has done more to help Africa fight the virus than the UK ([link removed]) . All these vaccines are a result of decades of basic science research, with lipid-mediated mRNA delivery ([link removed]) stemming all the way back to the 1970s and the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine going back to UK government funding for a vaccine for MERS ([link removed]) when I was Health Secretary and we were learning lessons from Ebola. We are very very lucky with our British scientists.

VACCINE STATS As of yesterday an astonishing 8,977,329 people in total have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the UK – only China and the US have vaccinated more people and we are by far the biggest country in the world for vaccinations per head. We now have over 1,000 GP services and 250 hospital sites offering vaccinations in England. Locally, between 8th December 2020 and 24th January 2021, 103,329 people had received the first dose in Surrey Heartlands (covering Godalming and Haslemere), around 76.3% of people over 80 years of age. In Frimley (covering Farnham), over 71,151 doses have been delivered (86.6% of over 80s). Both areas are on track to offer vaccinations to all those in JCVI priority cohorts 1-4 by mid-February.

NHS TEST & TRACE have also turned things round with around 94% of test results returned the next day ([link removed]) , up 9% from the week before. 93% contacts are reached and told to self-isolate - the highest percentage ever. However, 40% of people asked to self-isolate aren’t fully doing so I still believe the government should go further and offer financial support to individuals who lose their wages as I asked Boris about last week ([link removed]) (without success but I’ll keep trying!).

TIME FOR A 1948 MOMENT? As we reflect on the horrible year that we have just had, we should also remember that sometimes great opportunities arise from tragedies. The Attlee government set up the NHS in 1948 with cross party support when we were still shell-shocked and broken after WW2 - should we not do the same now and turn 2021 into a ‘1948 moment’? On my list would be a) sorting out long standing workforce issues so we really do train enough doctors and nurses b) reforming the social care system with extra funding and a 10 year plan and c) making the NHS the highest quality healthcare system in the world (as well as the most accessible which it already is) by getting, for example, our cancer survival rates as good as France and Germany.

EATING DISORDERS Recent research ([link removed]) has shown that those with eating disorders are more likely to be negatively affected by lockdown, something confirmed by Sir Simon Stevens to the Select Committee last week ([link removed]) . My good friend and colleague, Vicky Ford MP, who is now Children’s Minister, wrote a very moving article for the Sunday Times about her own battle with anorexia which you can read about here. ([link removed]) Early intervention is essential, which is why I introduced a new standard that 95% of children should receive treatment within a week for urgent cases and four weeks for routine cases by 2021.

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?

EU U-TURN On Friday the EU caused outrage by declaring that they will introduce controls on vaccine exports to Northern Ireland, thereby overriding the Brexit deal. This was a huge wrong step for the EU ([link removed]) so it's very welcome that the decision was speedily reversed ([link removed]) . The Commission labelled the move as a mistake but somewhat stretched credibility by saying it was an ‘accident’ and refusing to reveal who was responsible. Yesterday the International Trade Secretary confirmed that ‘there will be no disruption of contracts that we have with any producer in the EU’. This is great news and means that vaccines will continue arriving in the UK as planned. On Friday the EUs European Medicines Agency (EMA) finally approved AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine - the delay perhaps another clue to what has gone wrong with the EU vaccines procurement. Brexit may,
curiously, have caused Brussels to behave in a particularly bureaucratic way, determined as they clearly were to show they got a better result negotiating as 27 countries than one. This meant things took them longer as the EU sought to get a lower price than paid by the UK. It also meant a less collaborative partnership with the vaccine companies, not a smart move in a pandemic.

WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY?

WOKING AND EGHAM SOUTH AFRICAN STRAIN OUTBREAK The Goldsworth Park and St Johns areas of Woking and Egham are having mass house to house testing organised by Surrey County Council as we speak following two cases of the South African strain ([link removed]) . I was in touch with Matt Hancock and Surrey Leader Tim Oliver about this on Friday. Important to note the new strain is not more lethal. However the extra precautions are being taken because it is still not clear the extent to which vaccines are less effective against some of the new strains emerging. The tests are PCR swab tests which are more reliable than the on the spot lateral flow tests.

HASLEMERE VAX ISSUES Last week I had a long call with Dr Phil Ridsdill Smith who is responsible for the vaccination programme in Guildford and Waverley (but not Frimley/Farnham). He is acutely aware of the strong local desire to get St Christopher's reopened, as would be expected from a GP who normally operates from the Haslemere Health Centre. The main takeaways were a) Overall the programme is going well, with vaccination levels above the Surrey average and three quarters of over 80's actually completed; b) All care homes have been done bar one where there was a significant outbreak so vaccinators not allowed to enter c) G Live and Cranleigh centres working well not least thanks to enormous help from volunteers - indeed all the volunteer slots were taken within 52 minutes of being advertised. They do now have supplies of the AZ vaccine and will reopen St Christophers when they can resolve staffing issues. For more details check out my Facebook page ([link removed])
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MORE POLICE Since the last election, the government have already recruited over 6,000 new police officers ([link removed]) towards the election pledge of an additional 20,000. I recently had my regular catch-up call with Waverley Borough Police Commander, Sam Adcock who told me that crime levels were not too bad at the moment - although they had seen an increase in garage and outbuilding break-ins (presumably because people are at home so much more). Please be sure to secure your sheds and garages and don't leave anything of value visible. The good news is that we now have dedicated neighbourhood specialist officers for the three towns who are on the case with local policing matters: Godalming - PC Chris Skillicorn-Aston; Farnham - PC Barry Baldwin; Haslemere - PC Kat Farmer. If you want to contact one of the team members email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) but note that this email address is not a place for
crimes to be recorded for which you should call 101 or 999 in an emergency.

BINSCOMBE CHURCH has already secured £1.7m to get its ambitious project over the line. However, £500k is still needed so if you would like to contribute and learn more, click here ([link removed]) . Your help would be hugely appreciated to such a thriving church community.

LOCAL HEROES Today’s South West Surrey Hero is Dunsfold Village Stores. Congratulations to Gary Halls, the Manager, and his team who have provided an outstanding service, including medical support and deliveries, to the residents of Hascombe and Dunsfold. The Hunt family also enjoyed their delicious snacks in a socially distanced way after a late summer cycle ride. I would also like to give a shout out to Debbie Whiffin, the Post Mistress who does a terrific job. Keep up the good work!

SAD NEWS 101 year old Peggy MacFarlane passed away early this morning. Peggy and her husband “Mac” were magnificent Conservative councillors and both former Mayors of Godalming. Peggy appeared with me in a photo on the front page of my 2005 General Election leaflet and I was privileged to visit her at home around the time of her 100th birthday. She was a deeply compassionate and altogether wonderful person who will be deeply missed.

See my list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents here ([link removed]) .

THE ECONOMY AND JOBS

TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP Since leaving the EU one year ago yesterday, the government has secured Trade Deals with 63 countries and the EU, worth over £885bn. The UK is now officially applying ([link removed]) to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), one of the biggest free-trade areas in the world. More pacifically (sorry about that one) joining the CPTPP will cut tariffs in trading with the group’s members which include Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico and Singapore. Liz Truss has been busy to say the least.

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?

THIN BUT OLD A new study has shown that losing weight can make you look older. Wait what…no weigh? That’s right, American scientists examined CT heads scans of around 20 middle-aged subjects and discovered that fat loss catalyses the ageing process. Click here ([link removed]) to find out why. I’ll let you decide if you want to follow the science on this one…

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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.

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