Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights 2 December 2021

Welcome to Thursday’s coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights, a roundup of our analysis related to the pandemic.
COVID-19 was the second highest leading cause of death in both male and female care home residents in England and Wales in 2020, behind dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.In England, 17.8% of male deaths in care homes and 14.2% of female deaths were caused by COVID-19.

In Wales ,19.1% of male deaths and 14.0% of female deaths were caused by COVID-19.As of 31 October 2021, around 1.2 million people living in private households in the UK were experiencing self-reported long COVID.
This is around 1.9% of the population and almost 1 in 50 people.
Self-reported long COVID occurs when symptoms that are not explained by another health condition continue for more than four weeks after a person’s initial infection.
Of those with self-reported long COVID, more than a third (36%) had (or believed they had) been initially infected with coronavirus at least one year earlier.
Read The Latest Insights Here

Like many I am in ‘overload’ with all these surveys and consultations –

We’re delighted to be consulting on both our draft budget and medium-term financial plan, and our draft sustainable growth ambition statement until 31 December 2021.

We’re asking for everyone’s views on the way we’re spending our money, and the new way we’re working to ensure that we’re bringing the Mayor’s values of compassion, co-operation and community to how we work.
This means that we’re planning for our decisions going forward to measure up against six keys to unlock our prosperity and ensure our policies are always focused on the sustainable growth for the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

This consultation is a huge opportunity for people to find out more about how we’re spending money, and how we make decisions.

We want to hear from as many of you as possible as part of this consultation: your expertise as our locally elected members will really help us to shape the way we make policies in the future.
We would also really appreciate you sharing the message with your contacts- by forwarding this email, or by letting people know on social media.

Find Out More and Tell Us What You Think

If you’re posting about the consultation on Facebook or Twitter, you can tag us @CambsPboroCA on all channels.
The shortlink to the consultation is https://bit.ly/budgetmtfp22-23 

If you have any questions then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 
Best wishes, 
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority .

Further to my previous post earlier this week, here are some links to obtain further information. Generally this fund is for households in urgent need of support and the payments (vouchers) are for a one time event. I will know more once I’ve completed my training.

The Household Support Fund has been created to help people experiencing immediate financial hardship to pay for food, household energy or other essential items.

Support is offered in two ways:

• Support with food, household energy and other essentials for individuals and families
• Direct food voucher scheme

The Household Support Fund is now available to apply for online.
For more information or to access the form directly please follow the link
Household Support Fund – Cambridgeshire County Council

You can find further details on the Fund below:
Committee agree new Household Support Fund which will help those in need this winter – Cambridgeshire County Council

I hope that this information/ fund is helpful to you/ your clients.  A separate (similar) fund is also available in Peterborough.

Scam Alert forwarded on from Cambridgeshire Police

Please be alert to the suspicious email (detailed below) that has been received today by a resident within Cambridgeshire, it exploits the briefing at the weekend by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
In the suspicious email note the ‘From’ address.

The official domain name of the NHS is @nhs.uk NOT @pcr-nhs-test.co.uk

There is no such thing as an OMICRON PCR TEST.

Omicron is a variant of Covid, and a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, detects the presence of the COVID-19 virus in the human body.
The official sources make NO reference to an ‘Omicron PCR test kit’ because it does not exisit.
The wording in the suspicious email is not what I would expect from the NHS or gov.uk, it refers to NHS scientists, which I find VERY odd due to the private sector developing the vaccine.
It asks the question ‘What happen if you decline a COVID-19 Omicron test’? There is no ‘s’ after the word happen, poor grammar which I would expect from an official genuine sender.

You may also note in the body of text, that they also spell Omicron, OMICORN.Spelling, grammar, all the red flags are in this phishing email.
If you wish to find out more about the variant Omicron or forms of testing, then visit the genuine websites www.gov.uk or www.nhs.uk

If you receive any suspicious email please forward to report@phishing.gov.uk

Avoid clicking on links instead, visit the genuine official website or genuine app of the alleged sender.

SUSPICIOUS EMAIL BELOW – ALL LINKS REMOVED
From: NHS (ontact@pcr-nhs-test.co.u)
Sent: 30 November 2021 08:43
To: Subject: Get Your Free Omicron PCR test – Apply now to avoid restrictions

I am pleased to announce that following some training, I will be supporting this initative from January onwards.

We are writing to you in relation to the renewal of concessionary bus passes for residents in your parish.

The Combined Authority is aware that over the next eighteen months the number of renewals of the concessionary bus passes is going to be potentially very high. It is the responsibility of the pass holder to check when their pass is up for renewal and then to contact the Combined Authority to get a new one.

In order to aid the pass holder we have set up an online form which allows people to easily renew online.

This online form can be found at
Free Bus Passes – CPCA Transport (cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk).
If people have any problems with the online form then they can also call the number on the back of their passes.

In addition to this we have also produced a poster that will be displayed on buses and at P&R sites detailing the renewal process and asking pass holders to check when their pass needs renewing.

In order to help your residents we have attached the pdf version of this poster to this email and ask that you print it off and put it up on your parish noticeboard or wherever you feel would garner the most attention.

Should you require any further information on this issue, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Yours sincerely
Passenger Transport Team
Phone: 0345 045 1367
Email: buspass@cambridgeshirepeterborough-ca.gov.uk

Post: Passenger Transport Team – Bus Passes, PO Box 366, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB7 9HX

The Combined Authority Update

PUBLIC TO HAVE THEIR SAY ON COMBINED AUTHORITY NEW SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AMBITION AND SPENDING PLANS

On Wednesday the Combined Authority board approved both its new draft sustainable growth ambition for feedback and its draft medium term financial plan (MTFP) for 2022/23 to 2025/26 for consultation. Members of the public and key stakeholders are asked for their views on spending each year but this year, alongside the statutory budget consultation, the Combined Authority board have approved engagement to determine views on the new draft sustainable growth ambition.
Residents and stakeholders are urged to read the statement and review the budget and provide feedback to help inform the final version.
http://Click here to Have Your Say