Contact tracing to help limit second wave of coronavirus

A new contact tracing programme for Covid-19 to help examine how Northern Ireland can limit the impact of a second wave of the disease is being launched by the Public Health Agency (PHA). From Monday 27 April, the PHA will begin a pilot programme of contact tracing which will help inform the planned roll out of Northern Ireland-wide contact tracing. Dr Jackie Hyland, Health Protection Consultant at the PHA, said: “The aim of contact tracing is to identify clusters of infection and prevent further spread of Covid-19. “The contact tracing in the pilot programme will focus on priority groups

PHA tips on healthy eating and meal planning

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is offering tips on healthy eating and meal planning for the time ahead to spark ideas about how to eat well, keep busy and make the best use of food. There are over 80 tasty, simple recipes on the Choose to Live Better website at www .pha.site/recipes which can be easily rustled up at home to provide variety across the week. “COVID-19 is having an impact on all aspects of life and there is a lot to get used to,” said Caroline Bloomfield, the PHA’s lead on Nutrition and Healthy Eating. “People are cooking more at home and there is an increased need to plan meals

Northern Ireland to extend testing for coronavirus key workers

Access to testing for those with symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) will be extended across Northern Ireland to include key workers who are self-isolating because they are symptomatic or because a household member is symptomatic. Expansion of testing provision across Northern Ireland is possible now with a third test centre opened in Craigavon to match those at SSE Belfast and City of Derry Rugby Club. Those eligible include: Any central government department Health and Safety Executive Those necessary to enable the critical national infrastructure to continue to operate (e.g. utility

PHA’s Health Protection service playing key role in coronavirus battle in Care Homes

Health protection advice and support is continuing to play a key role in tackling COVID-19 in Care Homes Northern Ireland. Professor Hugo van Woerden, Director of Public Health at the Public Health Agency (PHA), said: “The PHA has long-established, well-trusted and robust systems in place to monitor infectious diseases and provide direct advice and support to manage outbreaks and limit onward spread. These arrangements are being actively implemented in tackling coronavirus. “An important example of this is the work we are doing with the Independent Sector Nursing and Residential care homes

New maternity website launched to advise pregnant women during COVID-19

During COVID-19 normal maternity services will be temporarily reconfigured. To keep pregnant women informed of these changes the Public Health Agency (PHA) has launched a new Northern Ireland Maternity COVID-19 website. The website will provide pregnant women with information about services in their trust as well as useful information on what COVID-19 is and how it affects pregnancy. Alison Little, Consultant Midwife at the (PHA), said: “Pregnancy can be a wonderful experience, but it can also come with many worries and concerns. Given the current challenging situation this can just add to
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