Joint statement on confirmed COVID-19 cases in Greater Manchester

03/03/20

Public Health England

Bury Council

Bolton Council

Joint statement on confirmed COVID-19 cases in Greater Manchester

Dr Will Welfare, Interim Deputy Director, Health Protection for Public Health England North West, said:

“Public Health England is contacting people who had close contact with three cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Greater Manchester. Two of the cases are residents of Bury. As a result of contact tracing we know the new Bury cases announced today are known contacts of the previously confirmed case from Bury.

The third case is a resident of Bolton which is not linked to the two cases in Bury announced today. The Bolton resident became infected whilst in Italy.

“Close contacts will be given health advice about symptoms and emergency contact details to use if they become unwell in the 14 days after contact with the confirmed cases. This tried and tested method will ensure we are able to minimise any risk to them and the wider public.”

In a joint statement, Director of Public Health for Bury Council, Lesley Jones and Director of Public Health for Bolton Council, Dr Helen Lowey said:

“We would like to send our best wishes to those affected as they continue their recovery.

“Bolton and Bury have robust infection control arrangements in place and strong partnership arrangements across the health and care system.

“The councils are working closely with Public Health England, the NHS and all our health and care partners to prevent further spread of the virus.

“In the meantime, it is important to follow good hygiene practices and if you show symptoms please ring NHS 111 rather than ring your GP or go to a hospital. For the latest advice visit gov.uk/coronavirus.

“We will continue to work with Public Health England to share timely and relevant information with the public and our partners.

“Please refer only to official sources for updates. The latest national information and advice is available at www.gov.uk/coronavirus.”

Notes to Editors

• PHE, Bury Council, Bolton Council and the NHS are well prepared to deal with coronavirus. Our priority is to safeguard local communities which sometimes involves taking preventative measures to help reduce the risk of further cases.
• We cannot comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality.

• Details on testing are published daily at 2pm and includes a breakdown of negative and positive tests https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

• For more information and advice on coronavirus (COVID-19)

PHE https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/

NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Media queries / interviews with Bolton and Bury Directors of Public Health

For Bury - contact: 0161 253 7636 Email buccg.communications@nhs.net

For Bolton - contact: 01204 331 015 / 01204 333 582 email: pressoffice@bolton.gov.uk

For a copy of this statement visit: https://www.gmhsc.org.uk/news-views/