Devon's Enhanced Covid Response Unlikely to be Extended

The enhanced response put in place to assist Cornwall and Devon in the fight against Covid has come to an end.

 

After particularly high infection rates in Devon and Cornwall throughout August, it was announced on the 27th of August that the counties would become Enhanced Response Areas. 

 

This enhanced response against Covid included “the option to deliver extra testing within targeted areas, the provision of logistical support to maximise vaccine uptake, and further help for local campaigns” according to Public Health England. This extra support to increase the vaccine uptake and increase testing was given to help combat Covid amid high infection rates.

 

Public Health England go on to say that this support to local areas is “to ensure there is no danger of the NHS facing unsustainable pressure”. Measures such as help with testing and vaccine uptake assist in ensuring that the NHS does not become overwhelmed, a very real anxiety that has been present since the beginning of the pandemic.

 

This enhanced support has been running for the past five weeks, the standard period for the Government to provide extra support when an area has been deemed an Enhanced Support Area. This five-week period ended on the 1st October and it has been decided that this will not be extended.

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The high infection rates that prompted the introduction of Devon as an Enhanced Response Area have since decreased meaning the extra support has not been extended into October.