GOOD AFTERNOON and welcome to my regular South West Surrey update No. 117. As of today, we had a total of 4,258,438 positive cases of COVID-19 with 125,516 confirmed deaths in the UK. There have been 5,730confirmed cases in Waverley and sadly 243 confirmed deaths, with an estimated 78 active cases in Waverley, a significant fall from last week (despite my personal contribution to the data). All data is accurate as of 11am this morning.
COVID-19 LATEST The Oxford vaccine is safe but Ireland has now joined other EU countries in incomprehensibly stopping its use following clotting concerns. The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has stated: ‘given the large number of doses administered, and the frequency at which blood clots can occur naturally, the evidence available does not suggest the vaccine is the cause’ and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also found no association between the jab and an increased risk of developing a clot with their spokeswoman, Margaret Harris confirming it was an ‘excellent vaccine.’ You can’t help thinking this is linked to some bad blood over the EU’s own vaccination programme compared to ours - but it really is an extraordinary thing to do as the result will be a further slowing of their vaccination rates. In other news, in the last week: coronavirus cases ⬇️5%, hospital admissions ⬇️27%, and deaths ⬇️31.4%. The estimated R number is between 0.6 to 0.8 in England.
OVER 35,500PEOPLE IN SOUTH WEST SURREY have been vaccinated with at least one dose. Nationally, 24,196,211 people in total have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine – that’s over 40% of adults. In more good news, last week scientists found that the Novavax vaccine is 86% effective against the UK coronavirus variant, and 96% effective in defending against the original coronavirus strain. We have 60 million doses of that one too.
LONG COVID According to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, 400,000+ people in the UK suffer from Long COVID aka Post-COVID-19 Syndrome. If you or someone in your family is one of them this article is a must-read. I have a number of friends with it which seems to affect women under 50 the most.
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
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN A bit like the way the Harry and Meghan interview challenged comfortable assumptions about big issues, the brutal kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard has done the same on the issue of female safety. Every woman should feel safe on the streets - and us men should play our part by walking on the other side of the road and showing faces wherever possible. The government has now reopened a survey on violence against women and girls which received 20,000 new contributions in just 24 hours. Click here to participate. I agree that the way the police handled the vigil was wrong - but we should recognise they also get criticised for notimplementing laws which is what they were trying to do. Today Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the Crime and Justice Taskforce which will no doubt look at this in more detail.
TURING SCHEME LAUNCHED The replacement to the Erasmus programme is now up and running backed by £110m funding. It will permit 35,000 students to study and work across the world but will not fund European students to come here which I have mixed feelings about as international students are a fantastic example of British ‘soft power’ and post-Brexit we should want to strengthen cultural links with European countries. I of course have a personal interest in the issue of international students - not only did my business operate in that market but without such students there would have been no Mrs Hunt…
WHAT’S GOING ON IN SOUTH WEST SURREY
THE FARNHAM FOODBANK is continuing to offer people brilliant help during lockdown. They urgently need the following items: tinned rice pudding, sponge puddings, savoury crackers, and adult and kids toothbrushes, so please consider donating and/or volunteering. More information can be found here.
THE WILLIAMS CLUB in Farnham supports people with sight loss. They currently have 40 members and are keen to expand their membership. If you would like to join or know someone who would be interested, click here.
BOUNDARY REVIEW Good news from Surrey Hills about the commencement of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) boundary review. Back in October, along with other Surrey MPs, I signed a letter to the Environment Secretary urging him to approve the long-awaited review. Great to see some progress.
LOCAL HEROES Today’s South West Surrey Hero is Ms Clare Talbot, headteacher at Woolmer Hill School in Haslemere, and her entire team, who have been amazing during the pandemic at delivering online teaching plans, providing pastoral and community support, and updating risk assessments. Thank you for your dedication and resilience – superb effort!
See my list of local groups working to support vulnerable residents here.
THE ECONOMY AND JOBS
48,000 ENGLISH BUSINESSES have signed up for workplace coronavirus testing so far. As mentioned in my constituency update on the 8th March, the scheme is open to all firms and you must register before 31 March. Click here to order the free tests for your employees.
SWS BOUNCEBACK featured small business today is It's All About The Wrapper, who create chocolate bars with bespoke wrappers by adding a company logo, an image, or a photo to the wrapper. Golden tickets can be hidden inside too. You can also choose from a wide range of pre-designed wrappers. The bars are easy to send in the post, so make ideal Easter gifts for those unable to see family, friends, or work colleagues this Easter. Individual names can be printed on the wrappers of the larger bars to prevent family squabbles. A sweet pick!
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON
APARTMENTS IN EUROPE Long time no map sohere is one showing the percentage of people living in apartments in every European country. Spain has the highest number (66.5%), whereas Ireland the lowest (7.3%). Why the variation? It’s a complex question…
AND FINALLY, MANY THANKS to all those of you who have sent me thoughtful emails to wish me well in my recovery from COVID-19 (not to mention the kind wishes about my arm!) I'm pleased to say I'm beginning to feel better. I had a couple of days when I could not drag myself out of bed and woke up with what felt like the worst kind of teenage hangover but now things seem to have settled down to a cold. Lucia and the children are also fine - thank goodness we gave them iPads for Christmas…
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