Update on Coronavirus - 11 March
Public Health England’s COVID public information
Coronavirus continues to dominate the news and Lambeth Council is closely monitor the situation. There are things that we can all do to help prevent it.
For most people the virus causes a mild illness, but those who have underlying health issues or who are older may be at increased risk of complications so it is particularly important they refer to the advice below if they are concerned.
Lambeth Council is working closely with its NHS partners to monitor the situation and ensure we are ready to respond to the challenges of a UK outbreak of the virus.
As the situation is likely to change over the next few weeks it is important to stay aware of local circumstances and advice of local agencies (e.g. Lambeth Public Health and NHS Lambeth CCG) to ensure that you are making an informed risk assessment when it comes to our work and public safety.
Official advice
Currently, there is no treatment or vaccine for COVID-19 but the Government and NHS are well prepared to deal with this virus. You can help too by:
• Following public health advice on preventing the spread of infections which includes regularly washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, and ‘Catch it, Kill it, Bin it’.
• Reducing the impact and spread of misinformation by relying on information from trusted sources, such as that on www.nhs.uk/coronavirus, www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
• Following the latest Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice when travelling and planning to travel
• Ensuring you and your family’s vaccinations are up to date as this will help reduce the pressure on the NHS through reducing vaccine-preventable diseases
• Using NHS 111 (including online, where possible), pharmacies and GPs responsibly, and go to the hospital only when you really need to. This is further explained on the NHS website
• Accepting that the advice for managing COVID-19 for most people will be to self-isolate at home and simple over the counter medicines
What Healthwatch Lambeth will do
As a precautionary measure to protect our staff and volunteers and the public from the Coronavirus, Healthwatch Lambeth will do the following:
- We are postponing any face to face events that are due to take place between 5th March and 15th April 2020. If you are booked onto an event, we will contact you before the event to confirm what action is being taken.
- We are continuing with our research activities with interviews conducted only over the phone.
- We are advising our staff to where possible hold meetings and/or events virtually.
- In addition, we are refraining from attending local and national events.
If you need to speak with us, contact us at
020 7274 8522
