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Somerset Health and Wellbeing Advisory Network

Helping you to help others

Cases of Covid-19 in Somerset are now above both the South-West average and national average. High case rates are having an impact on business continuity in many workplaces, including some education settings.

Please continue to share Public Health guidance with your networks, particularly during this time of high community transmission. Choosing to wear a face covering in crowded or indoor spaces, regularly washing your hands and keeping occupied spaces well ventilated can all limit the risk of catching a virus and have a positive impact on reducing sickness levels and improving business continuity.

Share Your Views

As a member of the Health and Wellbeing Advisory Network we look to you to provide a range of feedback and appreciate the work you do to share Public Health Covid guidance and information with your networks.

The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes and the information will be used to help us learn more about effective ways to communicate Covid guidance with you. The results will be shared in this newsletter in the next two weeks.
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Please share this simple information about the small steps we can all take to stay healthy, with your networks. These simple actions have very little impact on our ability to go out and about and enjoy our everyday lives – but they make a big difference when it comes to helping to protecting our friends, family and local communities in Somerset.

Get plenty of fresh air

One of the best ways of helping to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and other infectious diseases is to meet up with people outside, or to ensure plenty of fresh air is circulating if meeting inside.
As the weather becomes brighter, meeting people outside becomes easier. When seeing people from outside of your household, it is sensible to take simple steps to improve ventilation when indoors, including opening doors and windows to let fresh air in. Opening windows regularly for just 10 minutes, or a small amount continuously, can still reduce the airborne risk from Covid-19 substantially compared to spaces with no fresh air.

Book your free health check

You may be eligible for a free NHS health check. Health checks are offered for free to all 40-74 year olds with no pre-existing health conditions.
They are designed to spot early signs of stroke, kidney disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes or dementia. As we get older we have a higher risk of developing one of these conditions. During the pandemic Health Checks were put on hold but they’re now up and running again!

Wash your hands regularly

Washing your hands regularly can prevent the spread of respiratory and diarrheal infections from one person to the next and help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy.
You should wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or if you are out and about and do not have access to a sink, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to clean your hands. It’s especially important during times when you are likely to get and spread germs such as preparing food, after blowing your nose, coughing and sneezing.

Get your Covid vaccination & booster

Over the last two years, we have all become aware of the risks associated with Covid-19, including the increased chance of becoming re-infected with the virus, and suffering from long-covid. It isn’t too late to get your first, second or booster vaccination, and we would encourage anyone who is eligible to get their fourth booster jab when it becomes available in the Spring.
It’s never too late to take control of your health and well-being, and we have resources to help you every step of the way. A good first stop when looking for support for yourself, the people you know or your community is Coronavirus – Mental and emotional health information (somerset.gov.uk)

We want to hear from you

Your feedback is valuable to us and we'd like to receive more from you and your communities. Ideas on different ways to engage and issues you are spotting locally will help us to reduce barriers to adopting measures that protect us all from Covid.
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Resources and Further Information:

For the latest local information as well as digital resources, posters and flyers please visit: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/coronavirus/

For information and resources on staying healthy happy and safe at the time please visit: https://www.healthysomerset.co.uk/covid-19/

The Somerset Local Outbreak Management Plan outlines how we, the council, will work with the NHS Test and Trace Service, PHE, the NHS and other partners to ensure a whole system approach to preventing and managing local outbreaks. This can be found here.
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