PRESS CONFERENCE

 

Good Afternoon, and thank you for joining us once again today for our daily COVID-19 update.

 

I am joined today by the Director for Public Health, Dr Sohail Bhatti.

 

I will start by running through todays COVID Statistics:

 

 

As of this morning at 9am:

 

The total number of swabs taken so far is 2174

There are 113 results pending

And the total results received to date is 2061

 

We have a total of 1859 negative test results

with 136 confirmed cases and 5 active cases, bringing both our confirmed and active cases 3 up from yesterday.

 

We now have 131 recovered cases.

 

 

I will now share our hospital statistics.

 

In the last 24 hours there have been a total of 22 attendances to A&E of which 3 had symptoms that could be related to COVID 19.

 

There were no admissions to either COVID CCU or John Ward, which is our COVID Ward in the last 24hours.

 

 

SBH & the Europa Point Hospital Nightingale Facility

Dry Runs

 

Following the successful dry runs carried out this week at both St Bernard’s Hospital and the Nightingale Facility, we will be undertaking a combined dry run next week which will see both facilities working together in tandem.

 

This will test the ability to coordinate the 2 separate sites and the transfer of patients between sites.

 

Dry runs are critical to test our operational capacity and check the systems in place which will allow us to avoid potential unexpected scenarios as far as possible, should the need arise.

 

These dry runs involve volunteers acting as make-believe patients adding an element of realism to the scenarios.

 

Yesterday we received a further 20 hospital profiling beds for the Nightingale Hospital Facility which will replace 20 of the original beds which will be used, should the need arise, for any patient needing a bed of a more specialised nature during any potential hospital stay.

 

Ventilators

 

At the beginning of the week, we received two further top-of-the-range portable ventilators acquired directly from Draeger in Germany.

 

These were kindly donated by Dr. Leif Goeritz and his wife Graciella Antony.

 

These are now deployed within our ICU.

 

Thanks to Dr Goeritz’s personal intervention, this ventilator and a second, donated by GVC Holdings arrived in record time.

 

We are hugely grateful for this kind donation.

 

 

Drive through

 

The GHA continues swabbing patients via Our Drive Thru facility at Rooke.

 

So far, a total of 888 swabs have been taken via the Drive Thru facility which continues being a very useful means to test the community and screen for COVID 19 in a safe environment.

 

 

111 Call – Statistics

 

As of today, there have been over 4900 calls received via the 111 Service and there have been over 1500 submissions on the COVID-19 on-line Symptom Checker.

 

 

Laboratory Equipment carried out locally

 

A total of 352 swabs have already been processes via our in-house laboratory testing equipment since we started on the 9^th of April.

 

Our on-site equipment allows a quick turnaround of test results when medically indicated and necessary.

 

 

 

OUTREACH – FAMILY CENTRE

 

We have received a total of 27 calls to our outreach Family Centre service which started last week.

 

As already mentioned, this service allows families who may be finding lockdown difficult to cope with, to call professionals, and discuss their issues with them.

 

This provides very helpful support.

Simply by sharing one’s experiences and problems, it helps to make these more bearable.

 

This dedicated team is very well placed to provide advice and recognise when further advice may be needed.

 

The Care Agency continues looking after the needs of the most vulnerable within our community.

 

 

 

Donations

 

I am pleased to announce that donations received to date have now passed £1.63M.

 

We have over 820 donors.

 

We are most grateful to all those that have contributed so far.

 

 

MATERNITY:

In order to provide a little break from the monotony of COVID, I would like to share with you today a beautiful statistic and that is, since lockdown we have welcomed 36 new lives into our community.

 

 

36 new babies have been born at St Bernard’s Hospital during this period.

 

Yesterday morning, at our daily operational meeting I was very pleased to learn that the Maternity Ward had had a very busy previous 24 hours with no less than 7 babies being delivered by our midwives to very proud parents.

 

I wish them on behalf of the Government of Gibraltar and surely the whole community our most heartfelt congratulations and hope that COVID 19 will no longer be a reality when they come of age to reason and be merely another story to tell. 

 

Although these are difficult times, there are still many good news stories which often go unmentioned.

 

A big thank you also to the midwives and obstetric team for their great work.

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

Over time, the scientific world is discovering new things related to the coronavirus which is responsible for COVID-19.

 

As we learn more about this virus, public health advice changes in an attempt to keep our community safe.  

 

Government is taking very seriously all the updates from all the relevant scientists and health professionals and especially those involved in Public Health worldwide and locally.

 

We receive countless articles, scientific papers and news reports on a daily basis providing us with useful updates in respect of outbreaks, scientific breakthroughs, and the position with regards to developments regarding possible treatments and even potential future vaccinations.

 

There is more information out there than one could possibly ever read and digest, and the GHA and Government are constantly reviewing and sharing literature to increase our knowledge and understanding of this pandemic.

 

One thing that has been receiving a lot of attention in medical press recently and is something very close to my heart, is that of obesity and its links to COVID.

 

Being obese greatly increases the risk of complications associated with COVID 19.

 

While we are spending more time at home we need to look at and take care of what we eat.

 

With grandchildren not coming around to visit there is no need to have that chocolate and sweetie drawer which we will eventually tuck into ourselves anyway.

 

We should try to use our time positively while we are in lockdown to try to plan our diet, cook and eat healthier alternatives.

 

We should try to eat more fruit and vegetables, choose lower fat alternatives to our milk and dairy products and avoid sugary and sweet cakes and desserts.

 

We should try to keep fried foods to a minimum and perhaps now that we have more time on our hands, explore new low-fat, healthy recipes available on-line if possible.

 

Those with blood pressure monitors at home can also check their blood pressure at least once a week to keep an eye on this very important health parameter.

 

Try to do some exercise at home, even if it is simply stretching, touching your toes, or following the many exercise and stretching Pilates and yoga videos available on line.

 

For the fitter among us, there are very many motivating exercise classes available online too.

 

 

This week we have seen that there have not been any new cases of COVID 19 and it is easy to become complacent and we may think that we may have beaten this threat.

 

Nevertheless, COVID-19 is still circulating within our community and today we have seen 3 new cases reported.

 

We will shortly be carrying out more screening of frontline staff which Dr Bhatti will give you further details about later.

 

As we cast out our nets we will most probably discover more positives within the community.

 

Building up this data is hugely important in our fight to keep the effects of COVID at bay.

 

COVID, if left unchecked, can and will cause us a great deal of harm if we do not keep our efforts up.

 

Staying indoors has a very direct bearing on our civil liberties and cuts into the very fabric of our very outgoing culture and the way that we as a society, thrive socially.

 

We will be hugely sensitive of this as we map out any exit strategy and potential road maps for the future weeks.

 

Our health should be, and is, of paramount importance to all of us.

 

Once again, I must stress that our success as a community is down to all of you;

 

for staying at home, for distancing yourselves socially, by staying away from more vulnerable relatives, for observing the rules so well.

 

We must continue to work together and keep up this great effort to ensure the safety of our loved ones and especially the most vulnerable within our community.

 

We will slowly restore our community together and become once again the place we have all been used to.

 

We will shortly be announcing a relaxation of rules and the elderly will be able to exercise outdoors once again.

 

But this will still take time and a lot of patience and we will always heed the advice of our Public Health and Medical Professionals.

 

My heartfelt gratitude once again goes to TEAM GHA, TEAM ERS and TEAM Care Agency for doing such a great job on the health front.

 

 

Please remember to respect and continue to observe the COVID Rules:

 

• Keep respecting social distancing

 

• Please keep washing hands frequently for at least 20 seconds each time

 

• REMEMBER Catch it - Bin it - Kill it

 

 

Please remember, if you need medical advice call 111.

For any other questions please call 200 41818

For GP Consultations call 2000 7910

For out of hours consultations please call 200 77003

 

 

ONE MINUTE SILENCE

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to announce that this coming Tuesday, the 28^th of April on Workers Memorial Day, the GHA will be remembering and celebrating the lives of all those NHS Healthcare Workers that have lost their lives as a result of COVID-19.

 

 

These people have been at the frontline, and their vocational love for humanity and wanting to help care for others have seen them make that ultimate sacrifice for others.

 

 

The GHA will be holding a 1-minute silence at the steps leading to St. Bernard’s Hospital at 12 Midday while observing social distancing rules, to show our respect for these lives and give thought to their families on this day.

 

Ambulances will be signalling the start and finish of the silence with their sirens.

 

 

Dr Sohail Bhatti will now give you further details about the work he is doing within Public Health.