Following an announcement by the Department of Health and Social Care, yesterday, Lambeth council is asking residents living in specific parts of the south eastern area of the borough (i.e. the area in and around Knight’s Hill ward, but also including small parts of West Norwood and some streets in Streatham) - outlined in red on the map below, to get a Covid-19 test, whether they have symptoms or not, after the South African strain of the virus was detected in the local area.
It is important to stress that this is an isolated case – it is not an outbreak.
The case was not linked to travel to South Africa, so the public
health team are now working intensively with the Department of Health and
Social Care to detect if there are more cases of this variant in the local
area, as part of a ‘surge testing’ programme. You may have seen information on
the media recently, where similar exercises have been carried out in places in
London such as Ealing, Haringey and Merton.
Working in partnership with NHS Test and Trace, every household
living in the specific area over the age of 16 will be strongly encouraged to
take a PCR Covid-19 test over the next week or two, even if they are not
showing symptoms. There will be 2 Mobile Testing Units (MTUs) in the area,
which will be deployed to offer PCR testing, with teams working together to
deliver thousands of home testing kits to local residents.
There is currently no hard evidence to suggest this variant is
more serious than others, or that the existing approved regulated vaccines
would not protect against it. In fact, the companies who have developed the
three currently approved vaccines are already working to find out how they may
need to be adapted to offer very high protection against the emerging variants
of Covid-19. Just like the annual flu jab, this would mean tweaks to the
vaccine would require an annual injection.
In combination with following the lockdown restrictions and continuing to wash hands, keeping socially distanced from others and wearing face coverings, this local testing of about 10,000 people in the area will help to suppress and control the spread of the virus, while enabling a better understanding of the new variant.
Anyone living in the area who needs to
leave home to attend work, school/childcare or undertake caring
responsibilities can still do so in line with the current lockdown rules. This
includes attending any healthcare appointments.
Only a very small number of cases of the South African variant
have been detected in London. Positive tests will be tracked by Public Health
England to identify any further spread of the new variant, enabling a better
understanding of the variant itself and identifying if there are any more cases
of this particular strand of the virus in the area.
If someone tests positive, they must self-isolate immediately
and pass on details of anyone they have been in contact with to NHS Test and
Trace when requested.
This is concerning news for all of us– especially if you live in
the area, live very nearby or if you have visited recently. The aim of Project Eagle is to urgently detect any cases
and help crack down on the new variant.
A map and postcode look up of the affected areas along with further
details on this urgent programme of work can be found on the council’s main
website, here: www.lambeth.gov.uk/enhancedtesting
