Intelligence Bulletin - 08 September, 2020

Local Impact  

Economy

• The Eat out to Help Out scheme figures were released last week. Comparatively, in the South West, Cornwall had the fourth largest number of registered restaurants (988), with the second highest number of meals claimed (1,178,000) and amount of discount claimed (6,670,000). Broken down to Cornwall’s parliamentary constituencies, St Ives has the highest number of registered restaurants, North Cornwall had the highest number of meals claimed and highest amount of discount claimed:  

• Whilst the governments scheme ‘eat out to help out’ ended last week, some restaurants in Cornwall have decided to extend similar offers throughout September, with the hope of helping out local eateries as well as local residents.  

Climate 

• Cornwall famers has joined forces with Cornwall Council and CORMAC to trial a new green fuel, which will be made from manure slurry. It is believed that this study is the first of its kind in the world. 6 Cornish dairy farms and a Cornish technology company are involved. The £1.56m council funded project will deliver fuel for 77 converted road maintenance trucks.  

Health

•  The ONS has published provisional monthly figures showing the number of COVID-19 deaths and age-standardised mortality rates in England and Wales from March to July 2020, by age, sex, and local authority.  Deaths by MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area), Rural-Urban Classification and Travel to Work Areas (including in Cornwall) are also available. ONS analysis shows that COVID-19 has had a proportionally higher impact on the most deprived areas of England, with the age-standardised mortality rate in July being more than double the mortality rate in the least deprived areas (3.1 deaths per 100,000 population compared to 1.4), echoing results seen in previous months.  Cornwall is currently ranked 83rd out of 317 local authority areas for deprivation (where a rank of 1 has the highest proportion of the population living in the most deprived neighbourhoods). 17 of Cornwall’s 326 neighbourhoods (Lower Super Output Areas) are considered in the top 10% most deprived areas in England.    

National Impact

Economy:  

• Housing charities are calling for the government to provide emergency financial help to tenants who have fallen behind in rent due to COVID in England. Research from Shelter has suggested that 322,000 people have fallen into arrears since March. The Welsh Government have already launched a programme for tenants – the £8 Tenant Saver Loan Scheme – for those who are not on benefits.  
• The Government has launched its £2bn scheme for unemployed young people. The scheme will pay the wages of 16-24 year olds, who are claiming Universal Credit, for a 6 month work placement. The chancellor states that this is not only to kick start the economy, but also young people who are struggling to get into work.  

Health, Social Care and Children’s:  

• Research from the British Medical Journey shows that’s children and young adults are less likely to have severe COVID19 or die from the disease, when compared to adults. According to the study there are specific factors that are linked to an increased risk (Obesity, Black Ethnicity and >1 month old), the research also identifies a new symptom of severe Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. UKRI are calling for WHO to update the symptom list to include this. This follows news that 2,988 cases of COVID were reported on Sunday – with cases predominately among young people. 
• A new study has linked multimorbidity and polypharmacy (taking multiple medications) to the risk of having a positive COVID test. University of Glasgow researched found that with the presence of two or more conditions – cardiometabolic health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure – resulted in a 77% higher risk of a positive test.  
• Research by ASK has revealed that up to 20,000 children with special needs are ‘unlikely to return to school because of safety concerns’. These children have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), which includes children who are medically vulnerable or children that need close supervision. ASK says that parents and heads of school feel that SEND feel forgotten, with many feeling as though they have to choose between the health of their child and their education.  

Climate:  

• A study by the ONS into the affects of exposure to high pollution in the air and the increased risk of dying from COVID has concluded as inconclusive. The analysis looked at a range of studies, including one based on 400 COVID patients admitted to Birmingham hospital that concluded that patients were ‘more likely to be admitted from regions of highest air pollution, housing quality and household overcrowding deprivation’. ONS also analysed studies from the US, Italy and Netherlands that had found a ‘small increase in pollution exposure raises the number of COVID deaths’. This follows new figures that shows almost 60% of people in England lived in areas where toxic air pollution exceeded legal limits in 2019.