There were a couple of pandemic-related reports to note from Cwm Taf Morgannwg’s Quality & Safety Committee meeting earlier this week.
590 Bridgend residents died from Covid-19 since 2020
The first report is what’s described as a “closing report” (pdf). “Closing report” is usually a sign that a particular project has ended. I’m not sure if that means the health board expects to stand down from pandemic measures soon – even though case numbers suggest it’s far from over.
The report gives an idea of how the health board and Bridgend have been impacted.
- There have been 123,200 recorded Covid-19 cases in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board since March 2020.
- The areas in Bridgend with the highest incidence rate (cases-per-100,000 residents) are Coity Higher, Llynfi Valley/Maesteg and the Ogmore Valley. The lowest incidence rates were in western Brackla, the Cefn Glas area/Western Bridgend town and Central Bridgend town (Morfa, Oldcastle, Newcastle).
- Merthyr Tydfil has the highest incidence rate of the three health board local authorities and the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board had the highest fatality rate of all of the Welsh health boards.
- 590 people are recorded to have died from Covid-19 in Bridgend, though 18 people are recorded to have died from Covid-19 in Bridgend during 2022.
- The total number of people who died across the health board area is 1,873 – the majority of whom lived in Rhondda Cynon Taf. 75% of deaths occurred in hospitals.
- The most severe peaks of Intensive Care Unit occupancy (on ventilators) occurred during the first wave (March-May 2020) and the October 2020 – February 2021 wave. Since then, ICU occupancy with ventilators has dropped off significantly despite further Covid-19 waves and variants, suggesting the vaccination roll-out has succeeded in preventing infections from becoming serious enough to warrant ICU admission.
- Vaccination rates are significantly higher amongst the over-50s (both genders), health care workers and care home workers – reaching 95%+ in most cases – though fewer than half of males aged under 40 and females aged under 30 have received a booster in addition to the first two doses. Vaccine take-up is also lower amongst people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Health board prepares for Covid-19 inquiry
Also up for discussion was Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board’s preparations for a UK-level public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic. The inquiry was announced by the UK Government at the end of 2021 and its terms of reference are being finalised.
There’s an organised campaign calling for a Wales-specific public inquiry but that’s been rejected by the Welsh Government so far.
In the health board committee’s report (pdf), Cwm Taf Morgannwg says that in preparation for the inquiry they have:
- Appointed legal advisers as well as a QC (due to the disproportionately higher impact on the health board’s population and hospital-acquired infection rates).
- Started collecting key information from staff past and present to “gather intelligence”.
- Made preparations to support staff who may be called to give evidence at a future date.
- Set out their intention to adopt the Charter for Families Bereaved through Public Tragedy (pdf).
One of the key issues said to possibly emerge in the future are decisions over whether:
“….telephone calls, voice mail, text messages, WhatsApp messages and social media may feature as part of the inquiry and the Health Board’s evidence portfolio given the complexities of including these in the record given their very nature. This extends to the collation of Teams ‘chats’.”
