Covid-19 Daily Bulletin

18 June 2020

A series of daily updates for CHO members regarding relevant updates pertaining to Coronavirus from home and abroad.

Key Announcements           

• The World Health Organisation has  halted the hydroxychloroquine study , stating  that recent findings “showed that hydroxychloroquine does not result in the reduction of mortality of hospitalized COVID-19 patients”.
• The  English Premier League returned last night, with tech adding crowd noises for a better ‘atmosphere’.  Players also took the knee after the referee’s  whistle blew to show support of the Black Lives Matter movement, before a minute silence to  remember those who had lost their lives due to Covid-19.
• The BBC is  reporting that  HM Revenue and Customs  have said they  received more than 3,000 reports of furlough fraud since April, with some workers complaining that they have been made to work while furloughed .
• Leaders of social services in England have concerns  that increased spending due to coronavirus on items such as personal protective equipment (PPE) could see some care providers go out of business and local council  cash reserves depleted . A report by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS)  warns there will be “catastrophic consequences” without immediate investment in the sector .
• BBC  research has  found  that   three quarters of homeless people in 17 areas are still in temporary accommodation with some already sleeping rough again , as charities warn the issue will worsen.
• According to a  new study by  Kings College London, unregulated social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube may present a health risk to the UK because they are spreading conspiracy theories about coronavirus .
• It  still remains  uncertain when the UK Government’s contact tracing app might be launched.

Regional/Devolved    

• Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce a further easing of the lockdown today.  Decisions on non-essential shops reopening and people allowed to meet in socially distanced groups of eight are expected.
• Scottish Greens – specifically Alison Johnson MSP – have called for outdoor learning, with alternative venues offered to schoolchildren.
• In Northern Ireland, Chris  Lyttle , chair of  Stormont’s  Education Committee, has revealed that only  five  percent  of the £12m pledged to key workers childcare has been spent  (£600,000) .  The scheme is now set to close mid-July, with the executive expected to provide a “recovery” plan for childcare instead.

International   

• Peru has overtaken Italy in the number of virus infections, with 240,000 now confirmed.
• Globally, there are more than 8.3m recorded cases, with more than 448,000 deaths.
• China has reported 28 new virus cases in the past day, with 21 of them in Beijing. The capital had previously gone 57 days without a new case.
• India has seen  their   highest one-day surge , with  12,881 new cases reported on Wednesday . This comes as their Health Minister has tested positive for the Virus.
• The drug Dexamethasone has seen success in controlling the symptoms of those with serious symptoms in Africa (Kenya, South Africa and Ghana).

Stakeholders    

• T he Care Quality Commission has confirmed that it intends to resume its routine inspections of health and adult social care providers across England in the autumn, subject to the prevalence of coronavirus including a possible second peak.  The NHS Confederation have  warned they should not rush to do so.
• Responding to women’s homelessness during the pandemic,  St Mungo’s have saidthat not enough has been done to protect victims of domestic abuse. They state that they ” are working with partners to make the case that domestic abuse accommodation and community services should receive sustainable funding and that all survivors of domestic abuse should receive automatic priority for housing from local authorities ” as an element of the Domestic Abuse Bill.
• Responding to the Institute for Government’s report on the insourcing of public services, Rachel Reeves MP, Labour’s shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has said: ” “The Government’s reflex response throughout the coronavirus crisis has been to hand more and more contracts to the outsourcing industry including to companies with a wretched record of delivery .  As the glaring failures of privatisation in recent years become even more apparent, including the collapse of Carillion, there is greater recognition of the many pragmatic arguments for bringing more public services back in- house.   Rather  than writing endless cheques to expensive consultants, we need properly funded, accountable and innovative public services, working together to meet the complex challenges of our changing society.”

Unconfirmed reports  

• The FT is  reporting that India are at risk of a ‘junk’ credit rating, as  Fitch Ratings  have cut the countries outlook to negative.
• The  Guardian and the  BBC  have  reported  that hundreds of pubs could close for good if Boris Johnson does  not decide by tomorrow when they can reopen.