Infection Prevention and Control
Covid-19
BCHC continues to urge colleagues and members of the public to keep up best IPC practice to prevent further outbreaks and infections of Covid-19.
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About Covid-19
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global health emergency on 30 January, 2020 as the number of deaths from a new strain of coronavirus began to rise sharply following an initial outbreak in China. The virus was named "Covid-19" on 11 February.
By late March 2020, the number of deaths worldwide had climbed to 10,000 and concerns increased about the risk to European countries. The British government declared a national lockdown on 24 March, with the number of recorded deaths in the UK at 335. By early April, the global death toll already stood at 100,000 and would rise to one million by late September.
In the UK, as in other countries, a range of infection prevention measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing became mandatory, backed by the force of law. Balancing economic and health considerations led to a series of divisive policy decisions with a wide range of measures introduced, adapted and replaced between March 2020 and December 2021.
The UK was relatively early to start rolling out vaccines with the first being administered in December 2020.
The WHO declared the global health emergency officially over in May 2023, downgrading the prevalence of Covid-19 infection from 'pandemic' status. But public health experts urge continued to urge caution and best practice with regard to infection prevention and control.
At BCHC, a wide range of new ways of working were introduced with significant impacts on service delivery. Many staff were redeployed to the clinical areas of greatest need and to new teams and services, for example supporting care homes or administering vaccines to colleagues or vulnerable housebound people.
Preventing new outbreaks of Covid-19 and keeping communities safe
BCHC continues to urge colleagues and members of the public to keep up best IPC practice to prevent further outbreaks and infections.
Although Covid-19 is no longer deemed an emergency, advice remains to:
- get vaccinated against COVID-19 whenever a seasonal campaign is under way - watch out for information about when you may be eligible.
- wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day, especially after you cough, sneeze or blow your nose, and before you eat or handle food
- cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze and encourage children to do this
- regularly clean surfaces you touch often (such as door handles and remote controls) and in shared spaces, such as kitchens or bathrooms
- think about wearing a face covering that fits snugly against your face and has more than 1 layer if you're in close contact with other people, or in crowded places.