This week, we are not able to give you any update about the Covid-19 pandemic in Bucks. The Office for National Statistics (ONS), who provide the data we use, have decided not to publish any regional data for the last week, and instead to publish a fortnightly update on Friday 10 June.
Nationally, the number of people infected with Covid-19 is continuing to slowly decline. Bucks is usually slightly worse than the national average, so we are predicting either a standstill or a slight decline in infection rates in Bucks. However, even with a small decline, the risk of catching Covid when out and about in Bucks is still VERY HIGH.
BuDS still urges everyone to be Covid-Cautious and keep taking sensible precautions against catching Covid-19. To repeat: the chances of coming across a person with Covid in your everyday life is still VERY HIGH. Wear a FFP2 or N95 filter mask in public places, breathe clean air, avoid crowds and busy places, work from home if you can, and protect your older and vulnerable relatives and friends.
BuDS will let continue to keep you up to date every week.
Get A Protective Mask!
Wearing a protective face mask which filters the virus out of the air you breathe is one of the two best ways to protect yourself from Covid (the other is being fully vaccinated and boosted). One of BuDS’ partners, Cambridge Masks Co, are currently offering up to a 70% discount on high-quality, fully-certified reusable PPE face masks. There is a link at the end of this article Cambridge Masks’ website to learn more and get the discounts.
The Risk In Bucks
Full data will be provided next week (Tuesday 14June) as usual – check back then!
How Is The NHS Coping?
The number of patients in Bucks hospitals with Covid-19, and the number of patients admitted with Covid-19, are both continuing to fall. These figures are for 5 June, the latest available:
Total number of Bucks hospital patients with Covid – 161.
This total includes people admitted with Covid and those who caught it in hospital. It is 14.4% lower than the previous week (188). Not all these people will be seriously ill with Covid – see below.
Total number of people admitted with Covid – 54
This total is of people who had Covid on admission to hospital, whether they were admitted because of Covid illness or found to have Covid when admitted for another reason. Not all these people will be seriously ill with Covid. This figure is 28.6% lower than last week (78).
Estimated total of people in hospital primarily for Covid illness – 64
This figure is 28.6% lower than last week (90).
As of May 5, the NHS estimate that around 40% of patients infected with Covid in hospitals in the SE of England are there primarily because of Covid illness. We have applied this percentage to the total number of patients in Bucks hospitals who are infected with Covid. All these people are likely to be seriously ill with Covid.
Estimated total of people admitted to hospital primarily for Covid illness – 22
This figure is 42.3% lower than last week (37).
As of May 5, the NHS estimate that around 40% of patients infected with Covid in hospitals in the SE of England are there primarily because of Covid illness. We have applied this percentage to the total number of patients in Bucks hospitals admitted with Covid to give you a rough idea of how many people are being admitted to hospital because of Covid illness. All these people are likely to be seriously ill with Covid.
You can see how hospitalisation numbers have changed in 2022 on the graphs below.
Keeping Covid-19 under control is vitally important for the NHS and for everyone. If the number of Covid-19 patients gets too high, or high numbers of NHS staff are off sick or self-isolating, or both, hospitals cannot keep patients safe, and care is threatened for all patients.
Covid-19 Deaths In Bucks
We use death statistics for the last two weeks rather than just the last week, so you get a more accurate figure. Over all three counting measures, the number of deaths in Bucks is sadly remaining high.
There are three ways of counting the number of Covid-related deaths in Bucks.
- 5 June, 1 person died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,315. Because people are increasingly living longer even with severe Covid illness, this is the least accurate total.
- Between 22 May and 5 June, 11 people died within 60 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,652. This total is the most clinically appropriate because of the length of time people now live with severe Covid illness.
- Between 6 May and 20 May, 13 people died with Covid as a cause of death as recorded by doctors on their death certificates, bringing the total to 1,487. This is the most reliable total, but the data is always two weeks old.
Deaths from Covid in Bucks continue at the rate of one to two every DAY. At least one person has died of Covid in Bucks every single day in the last twenty-three weeks.
How Many People Are Vaccinated In Bucks?
For the sixth week running, vaccination has made virtually no progress in Bucks across all age groups.
Effectively, vaccination has ground to a halt in Bucks.
Here are the latest vaccination figures for 5 June:
- Young children (aged 5 to 11) – 11.5% have had 1 dose; 0.3% have had two doses, and 0.002% have had three doses. 99.99% (51,160) are not fully vaccinated and vulnerable to Omicron
- Secondary-age children (aged 12 to 15) – 63.9% have had 1 dose; 45.2% have had two doses and 0.7% have had three doses. 99.3% (30,337) are not fully vaccinated and vulnerable to Omicron
- Older Teenagers (aged 16 to 17) – 76.5% have had 1 dose; 62.9% have had two doses and 18.9% have had three doses. 81.1% (11,584) are not fully vaccinated and vulnerable to Omicron
- Adults (aged 18 to 70) – 86.2% have had 1 dose; 83.9% have had two doses and 68.7% have had three doses. 31.3% (118,749) are not fully vaccinated and vulnerable to Omicron
- Older Adults (aged over 70) – 96.9% have had 1 dose; 96.3% have had two doses and 94.0% have had three doses. 6.0% (4,762) are not fully vaccinated and vulnerable to Omicron
As the figures above show, virtually all children and young people in Bucks have very low protection against Omicron. Nearly a third of adults also have very low protection against Omicron, and most worryingly, thousands of older adults still have very low protection against Omicron.
Remember, those who received their third booster jab before 12 April 2022 are, week by week, becoming less protected against Omicron. While their protection against being severely ill and being admitted to hospital is still good, their resistance to catching Omicron and being ill at home is shrinking.
Offers & More Information
If you’d like to know more about the issues below, use the appropriate link.
To find out more about Cambridge Masks’ discounts for certified FFP2 and N95 face masks, use this link: https://cambridgemask.com/
How we calculate our figures and how we check them for accuracy – https://buds.org.uk/risk-post-statistical-methods-explanation/
All our Covid-19 articles – https://buds.org.uk/category/our-work/iag-covid-19/
To see our Covid-19 risk levels, use this link: https://buds.org.uk/covid-19-risk-levels-in-bucks/
We Are Here To Help!
BuDS can help you by answering questions, providing information, helping you find practical support or help in a crisis or being a friendly voice if you’re lonely or isolated. If you’d like any help or support from us, message us through social media, e-mail buds-support@buds.org.uk or leave us a voicemail on 01494 211179. We’ll do our very best to help you.