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If you are unwell, please try to stay at home and reduce contact with others

Coronavirus

01 April 2022

Photo of a man being vaccinated

“In line with government advice, if you are unwell, please try to stay at home and reduce contact with others."

That’s the message from Northamptonshire’s interim Directors of Public Health as a further 5,748 residents test positive for COVID-19 this week.

Free testing for the general public ends today (1 April) as part of the 'Living with COVID-19' plan which last month set out the Government’s strategy to live with and manage the virus.
 
From today the official advice is that people with symptoms of a respiratory infection, including COVID-19, and a high temperature or who feel unwell, should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature.
 
Individuals with a positive COVID-19 test result are advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 5 days, which is when they are most infectious.
 
Numbers remain high in the county and the latest data shows a total of 165 COVID-19 patients occupied hospital beds in Northamptonshire on 29 March 2022. This presents a 29% increase in the number of COVID-19 patients from the previous week (128 on 22 March 2022).
 
Also, as numbers of cases amongst people aged 60+ in Northamptonshire have increased by 50%, from 2886 to 4329 over the last week, Public Health officials are keen to reiterate advice to residents to try to stay at home if unwell. 

If you feel unwell but do not have COVID-19 symptoms, or your COVID-19 test is negative, you may still have an illness which could be passed on to other people. Many common illnesses, like the flu or the common cold, are spread from one person to another. This can happen when someone infected with an illness breathes, speaks, coughs or sneezes, releasing respiratory particles which can cause infection in another person, and through surfaces and belongings which can also be contaminated when people who are infected with an illness cough or sneeze near them or if they touch them, the next person to touch that surface may then become infected.

Staying at home until you feel better reduces the risk that you will pass on an illness to your friends, colleagues, and others.

People with symptoms of COVID or other respiratory infections should try to stay home and avoid contact with other people until they feel better and have no high temperature. This includes schoolchildren. Those who test positive for COVID should also try to stay home for five days.

There are still many simple things you can do to reduce your chance of becoming unwell in the first place and of passing illness on to others. These include ventilation of rooms, washing hands, and wearing masks in crowded settings. We also encourage everyone eligible for a vaccine to come forward and accept that offer.John Ashton, Interim Director of Public Health for North Northamptonshire Council

COVID-19 in the county this week

Analysis of the county’s recent coronavirus cases and rates over the period 21 -27 March 2022, shows:

  • 5,748 residents tested positive for COVID-19 this week. Of this number, 605 were reinfection cases. Last week’s number was 6,020 with 636 reinfection cases. ‘Reinfections’ are a relatively new measurement now appearing in the county’s weekly data surveillance report and are defined as, ‘an infection of COVID- 19 from any of the variants after 90 days from the date of the last positive test.’ Whilst reinfections are occurring, the COVID-19 vaccination usually prevents the symptoms and illness from becoming serious.
  • Northamptonshire’s infection rate per 100,000 population is 809.1 – similar to last’ week’s number of 801.2. The county’s average is statistically lower than the national average 885.9 which is slightly higher than last’ week’s which was 807.7.
  • The highest rates locally are East Northamptonshire (1009.2) and South Northamptonshire (987.4).
  • North Northamptonshire’s rate per 100,000 population is 837.7.
  • West Northamptonshire’s rate per 100,000 population is 784.6.
  • 13 people died in Northamptonshire within 28 days of a positive test.
  • Overall, more females than males tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 28 days.
  • The age group 30–39-year-olds had the most positive cases and experienced the most reinfections.
  • Over the last 4-week period the number of cases amongst people aged 60+ increased by 50%, from 2886 to 4329.
  • The latest data shows a total of 165 COVID-19 patients occupied hospital beds in Northamptonshire on 29 March 2022, which is a 29% increase in the number of COVID-19 patients in the previous week (128 on 22 March 2022).