Urgent Items of Business
Any other items which the chairman decides are urgent.
Minutes:
Stuart Lines, Director of Public Health: East Berkshire, raised an urgent item of business regarding the Government announcement on 21 February 2022 on the next stage of pandemic response.
It was reported that the next stage of the pandemic was to move into an endemic. This meant treating COVID-19 as a regular virus, ending self-isolation rules along with scaling down testing and contact tracing infrastructure. Testing for vulnerable individuals and care workers was to remain. The vaccine was the best way to fight the virus which was extended to 5-11 year olds. It was suspected that an annual program linked to the flu campaign was to follow. It was reported that the UK Health Security Agency was to liaise with local authorities and work with communities during this phase.