A quarter of Warwickshire residents still do not know how to get tested for Covid-19

More than one in four of those questioned said they did not know what to do and the figures were higher for those aged 75 and above.

The findings from the Ask Warwickshire survey carried out in August and September were revealed to members of this week’s (January 6) Warwickshire County Council health and wellbeing board.

In her presentation, associate director of public health Emily van de Venter explained that 2,510 responses were received from the 10,000 residents approached.

She explained: “The period since the start of the pandemic has been unprecedented with major disruption to the lives of many. The aim of the survey was to explore some of the impact of Covid-19 on people living and working in Warwickshire and their thoughts about the next few months of recovery.”

Even though it was found there were issues around arranging a test, the vast majority said they were aware of the symptoms and knew what to do if they showed signs with just six per cent saying they did not know.

Around 15 per cent indicated they would not be able to self isolate if asked to do so with a similar proportion saying they would not get support from their employer if asked to self-isolate at home. Just under six per cent said they would not give details to the test and trace programme.

On the subject of employment, half of those who took part in the survey admitted that their work-related stress had increased due to the pandemic and that catching Covid-19 from a workplace setting was a higher concern than the loss of a job, increased hours or more working from home.

The survey also found that people were looking to make lifestyle changes with many saying they were likely to continue walking and cycling short distances in the future after admitting they were uneasy using public transport.

Russell Hardy, chair of both the South Warwickshire and George Eliot Hospital NHS Trusts, said: “It seems to me that the most likely outcome is that we come out of Covid with a vaccine that works.

“Covid is always going to be there in the future as will different vaccines but the way people do things and think about things will change. You mentioned how worried people were about using public transport which is one of our key sustainability strategies.

“I think we need a period over the next few months to reflect on what Covid means in terms of our health and wellbeing strategy.”