Will the Minister outline the Welsh Government's decision to downgrade Covid-19 from being a high consequence infectious disease and confirm whether considerations were influenced by PPE guidance to move from disposable and single-use to sessional use?
Answered by Minister for Health and Social Services | Answered on 11/06/2020
The decision to downgrade Covid 19 from a High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) was taken by the four nations HCID group which consists of experts including the Public Health Bodies. The criteria for classifying a HCID are considered under a number of headings which do not include the consideration of PPE guidance. The criteria does include:
- Is it an acute infectious disease?
- Does it typically has a high case-fatality rate?
- May it not have effective prophylaxis or treatment?
- Is it often difficult to recognise and detect rapidly?
- Does it have the ability to spread in the community and within healthcare settings?
- Does it require an enhanced individual, population and system response to ensure it is managed effectively, efficiently and safely?
More about the decision can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/high-consequence-infectious-diseases-hcid