‘Resilience, courage, and supporting each other’: Hull’s Covid story
‘WE’VE REALLY PULLED TOGETHER’: Hull’s Director of Public Health, Julia Weldon
By Simon Bristow
“It was kind of lonely. I was very sad about that, but it was to keep us safe.”
These brief but powerful words from 12-year-old schoolgirl Amelia Franczak reveal the anguish of having to isolate when a classmate became ill with Covid-19.
That she understood why did not make the experience easier, but it was a sacrifice she, like so many thousands of her fellow citizens in Hull, was prepared to make.
Amelia’s story is just one of several featured in the new annual report of Hull’s Director of Public Health, Julia Weldon, which also carries the accounts of firefighters, a teacher, a doctor, a care home boss, an independent supermarket owner, a health visitor, a vaccinator, and an intensive care nurse, among others.
They all offer insight into the personal and collective experiences the city’s people have endured throughout the pandemic.
It is one of the public health director’s statutory duties to publish an annual report, but there have been none like this during her nine years in office, because there has never been a time like this.
In the years to come it will serve as an important historical document of Hull’s Covid “journey”, as Mrs Weldon calls it.
“For this one it really felt important to really amplify the voices of people of Hull and tell their stories about the impact of Covid and the extraordinary journey we’ve all been on, when everything changed overnight when the first lockdown was announced,” Mrs Weldon told The Hull Story.
“What I say to people is that every time I’ve been interviewed on TV or radio about the pandemic, I’ve been asked about numbers, the rates, the hospital admissions and vaccinations – it’s really important, but that doesn’t give a sense of what that means to people’s lives.
“I know stories are part of our cultural tradition, particularly in a place like Hull; they are how we make sense of the world. So I wanted to use real stories from people who’ve been on the frontline, and in the community, and get that historical reference of the time of the pandemic.
EXPERIENCE: Amelia Franczak
“Every one of us have got our story about what’s happened to us, and I wanted to give people the opportunity to share their stories this year through my annual report, because it’s so important to help us, and as we move to recovery even more important that we get a chance to reflect.”
As well as the powerful personal accounts, the report, which is akin to a “state of the nation” address for public health, also contains the statistics of Covid’s impact on the city.
They tell their own story of tragedy, hardship, hope and renewal for the 259,100 residents of Hull.
The figures, which cover the period March 2020 to July 31, 2021, include the following:
March 3, 2020 - the first recorded Covid-19 case in Hull
717 Covid-19 deaths in Hull
26,659 Covid-19 cases in Hull
170,494 first dose vaccinations administered
4,328 people requested food parcels
5,440 babies born
CARING: Staff and a resident at a Hull care home
At one stage, in November 2020, Hull had the highest infection rates in the country, with well over 700 cases per 100,000 people.
Mrs Weldon revealed in this interview that cases are now running at about 1,000 per 100,000 - but at the height of the outbreak of the Omicron variant infection rates passed 2,000 per 100,000.
“When Omicron first started to be prevalent in Hull the rate was over 2,000 per 100,000 so it has come down quite a bit,” said Mrs Weldon, who is also Deputy Chief Executive of Hull City Council.
“When we were in the last wave last year it went up to 800 per 100,000, but of course we didn’t have as many people vaccinated and people weren’t as protected, so we were seeing more people admitted [to hospital] then and seeing more of an impact then.”
She added: “The rate is an indicator of what’s happening but it’s best to look at the situation as a whole, as in hospital admissions and number of people off work etcetera, but we do still have a high rate and it’s going to take a while to come down.”
But as Mrs Weldon says, it’s the human experience behind the statistics where the real story of Hull’s pandemic lies.
Intensive care nurse Christina Tambaros is among those who have contributed to the report.
‘IT BREAKS YOUR HEART’: Intensive care nurse Christina Tambaros
She says in the report: “We just have to go in and deal with it, like we always do. The hard part is you talk to these patients and get to know them.
“By the time they need intubating, they’re so sick that a lot don’t make it through the intubation. If people are struggling to breathe, we naturally want to put them to sleep on a ventilator and do their breathing for them, but with Covid-19, that’s a death sentence in itself.
“It’s a difficult process to manage. And if you’ve got a patient sedated in ICU, it’s the relatives who break your heart.
“If Covid-19 patients survive, it’s not Covid-19 that’s left behind, it’s damage to their lungs; their blood becomes thicker; they can develop blood clots that can sit in their lungs; they can lose hands, feet, legs...
“I don’t think a lot of people realise that; I think a lot of people just think it’s a breathing issue.”
Asked where we are now in the pandemic, Mrs Weldon said: “We are definitely into a new phase of the pandemic and I think people should be hopeful we are moving into an endemic phase of Covid.
“The best way to describe endemic is like we live with flu; that every year flu is seasonal and we expect that people do catch flu. We try and prevent it, we try and make sure we reduce the impact of it, and it will be the same with Covid.
“Endemic doesn’t mean that it’s going away. I think we are going to be living with this for a number of years.
“My message is that we’ve got to live with it safely, and that’s the phase we’re moving into now, so living with Covid safely means just being really cautious and remaining cautious for a little while longer while the rates of infection come down.”
‘STAY CAUTIOUS’: Julia Weldon
Although many restrictions have been lifted by Government, Mrs Weldon is still urging people to take appropriate steps to protect themselves and others.
She said: “We will be needing, for quite some time, to care for each other and care for ourselves, so mask-wearing – I would still encourage people, if they’re going on public transport or if they’re going into shops, indoor spaces, to wear a mask.
“I would still encourage people to be really careful about hand hygiene, and also for ventilation if you are going to be in a space where you’ve got lots of family together, or you’ve got friends around, ventilation really helps.
“And then really importantly, if you’ve not yet had your vaccinations, they do really protect you. It’s a forever offer, so you would be really welcomed even if it’s your first and you’ve not been up to now, really think about coming along.
“And get your booster. The booster is the best way to protect people from serious illness. We’ve got walk-in vaccines, it’s accessible across the city, so please come along.”
As for her personal reflections on Hull’s response to the pandemic, Mrs Weldon said: “I’m very proud to be working with and for the people of this city.
“Ever since I arrived they’ve made me welcome. I feel part of the city, and all the time I’ve been here I’ve spoken about the resilience and the courage of people who are often dealing with really difficult challenges.
“But also the fantastic spirit that we have in Hull and I think that has really come together during this awful time for people. We’ve really pulled together as a community, as a city.
“What would I say to people? A massive thank you to everyone for responding so quickly, for supporting each other, for those who have volunteered, for those who have been on the frontline, and I don’t just mean NHS staff, I mean our care workers, those people who have kept our shops open, a whole range of individuals who have given support to people every single day; it’s incredible really.”
The report is titled Of Time and Tidings and can be read here.
People are being invited to share their Covid stories on social media using the hashtag #hullscovidstory