PUBLIC health leaders have praised residents in Eccleston Park for taking advice to go for coronavirus tests after cases in the area spiked earlier in the month.
Diagnosed rates of COVID-19 in the ward for the week to August 10 had seen an equivalent seven day rate of 92 cases per 100,000 residents, putting the area in the top five per cent in small areas across the North West.
This was compared to a St Helens-wide figure of 14.4 per 100,000 during the same time period.
The local authority organised a targeted letter drop in the area and contacted those in Eccleston Park who on the shielding list, advising them to be extra cautious.
People were also advised to go for tests even if they were not showing symptoms.
Sue Forster, director of public health at St Helens Borough Council, said: “We know from testing figures that many residents in Eccleston Park took up our advice to get tested last week as we saw a huge surge in testing in the area last week.
“Thank you for taking that time out to get tested.
“It is too early to say that the outbreak has not spread further in the community as we await the full set of tests to be returned.
Sue Forster, director of public health
“But we have not so far seen continued growth on a similar level as we saw earlier this month which triggered our response.
“We must not be complacent though as we have seen cases can suddenly rise and transmission can still happen easily if we do not follow the guidance.
“Remember to reduce the number of people you come into contact with to help contain any potential spread, wash your hands thoroughly for 20 seconds regularly, keep at least 2m apart from others not in your household as much as you can, and if that is not possible wear a face mask – particularly in enclosed spaces.
"We know this message has been said so many times but we cannot let our guard down to this virus as one slip is all it could take to catch coronavirus.”
Last week council leader David Baines had called for people to be vigilant to help prevent the spread of coronavirus so that St Helens avoids having to face extra restrictions like some neighbouring towns have.
And this week, Councillor Anthony Burns, cabinet member for public health, praised people for taking on board that message.
He said: “We’d like to thank the residents of Eccleston Park who have done their bit to help us track the current spread of Covid-19.
"We understand it might have been a worrying time for residents when we raised concerns around the sudden rise in cases in their area but we saw huge numbers sign up to get tested at the mobile testing unit in their area last week.
"We know some may have found it difficult to book a test due to demand and we hope if anyone did struggle they might have tried alternative ways of getting tested such as through home testing or visiting another testing site.
“We can only reduce the risk of spread by working together with residents to track what happens in our communities, which is why we encouraged this small area to get tested to help us understand better what is happening there.
"The sooner we can identify potential spread and isolate cases the less likely we are to face broader restrictions which could impact on the wider community, not just on health but also businesses which none of us want to see.”
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