COVID-19 can cost you everything

What are the issues and risks

Coronavirus cases are rising fast, driven by a new variant of the virus which spreads more easily than others.

We have had more than 3 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, and over 80,000 people have died.

In mid January, around 1 in 50 people in England are estimated to have the virus.

Many people are sick and dying

In Barnet, cases of COVID-19 rose by over 400% between October and December.

Around 20% of all deaths registered for Barnet residents in 2020 had COVID-19 on the death certificate. Of those deaths, 37 were in the last week of December.

Admissions at the Royal Free Hospital have increased from around 5 admissions per day in early December, to around 40 per day in early January.

At the beginning of December there were just under 100 people occupying a bed with COVID-19, while in early January it was close to 500

Long-term sickness

A recent study found that 76% of patients hospitalised due to COVID-19, experienced at least 1 continuing symptom 6 months after being hospitalised.

Find out more about Long COVID-19

A cause of anxiety and depression

Living with a constant threat and being isolated from community support has left many people anxious and depressed.

Almost 1 in 5 adults experienced some form of depression during the pandemic. This is nearly double the figure it was before the pandemic.

What you can do

Stay home and save lives

You may only leave the home to:

• shop for basic necessities
• go to work if you cannot reasonably do so from home
• exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person (this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area). 

For more information on restrictions, visit the gov.uk website

Be COVID-19 wise

W: Wear a face covering if indoors

I: Isolate if sick

S: Stay socially distant

E: Exercise good hand hygiene

Get tested and isolate

Book a test if you have any symptoms of COVID-19:

• a temperature
• a new continuous cough 
• loss or change to your sense of smell or taste

You and those you live with or are in a bubble with, must self-isolate from the moment you experience symptoms till you receive your test results. If the test is positive you must isolate for 10 days. 

Check the NHS website for more information

COVID-19 vaccine

There is hope on the horizon.

The COVID-19 vaccine is being rolled out across Barnet according to the priority groups. However, this will be a marathon not a sprint.

It will be many months until everyone is vaccinated across the country. In the meantime, we must all continue to be COVID-19 wise, control the virus and save lives.