The Public Health Agency (PHA) can confirm that it has made a number of significant recommendations to a business in the Mid and East Antrim council area where a cluster of COVID-19 has been identified. These include testing of all staff this week and self-isolation of staff identified as close contacts of cases. ‘The agency is working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to manage the situation and protect the workforce and wider community. Testing and contact tracing is
‘When will all this be over?’ Healthy and honest conversations with children
Danny Sinclair, PHA, explores with Elaine Hoey, Clinical Lead at Relate NI, how parents can approach challenging COVID-19 conversations.
Weight and COVID-19
The PHA’s Dr Claire Neill and Danny Sinclair discuss what the evidence says about the association between excess weight and COVID-19
PHA data show clusters occurring in several districts
An analysis of all COVID-19 cases across Northern Ireland by the Public Health Agency (PHA) shows that since the start of contact tracing on 24 May, a total of 11 clusters with five or more people have been identified. These have been in the following council areas: Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council (1), Ards and North Down Borough Council (1), Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council (1), Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council (1), Mid and East Antrim Borough Council (3), and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (4). In addition, there have been 20 clusters across
Covid-19 Vaccine Trials in Northern Ireland
Mags Murray, Programme Manager, HSC R&D Division
Public urged to help in search for coronavirus vaccine
People living in Northern Ireland are being urged to help in the search for a vaccine for COVID-19, by signing up to the NHS COVID-19 vaccine research registry. The new vaccine research registry will help large numbers of people to be recruited into trials over the coming months, potentially leading to an effective vaccine being identified and made available to the UK public against coronavirus sooner. It has been developed as part of the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce, in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), NHS Digital, and the Northern Ireland, Scottish and
Support breastfeeding for a healthier planet
Janet Calvert, PHA Health Improvement
PHA cluster assessment shows cases in both workplace and community settings
An analysis of COVID-19 clusters across Northern Ireland by the Public Health Agency (PHA) has shown that they are occurring in both workplaces and communities. Since 25 th May 2020, when the contact tracing pilot ended and the full test and trace programme went live, 23 clusters have been identified in total, 11 of which remain open. 168 cases of COVID-19 have been associated with these clusters. Nine clusters have had five or more cases associated with them. A cluster is currently defined as two or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 among individuals associated with a key setting
Looking after our own and our children’s emotions during COVID-19
As we navigate through these changing and challenging times, we are dealing with work interruptions, family disruptions, health concern. None of us is immune to increased stress and anxiety, and this can affect our ability to adapt to a ‘new normal’.