Reading university has lent 3 of its best PCR machines to expand Public Health England's live virus testing capacity.
It has also supported the national effort in a number of another ways:
....
The Financial Times has today published an article in which it gives the results of its analysis of deaths in care homes and states that nearly 11,000 more deaths have occurred in care homes than would have done in previous years.
.....
In March 2020 the Care Quality Commission awarded Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust the Outstanding rating.
Progress or decline of the Covid-19 epidemic is assessed by the R0 value, the average number of people infected by one infected person. Values known so far are: China (Wuhan) 0.1, Germany 0.7, Italy 0.8. A new generation of infected people according to the R0 value will appear roughly every week. The very small value from Wuhan indicates a rapid extinction of the virus to the point at which containment can be reasserted and any sporadic outbreaks suppressed. With its R0 around 0.8 Italy has only managed to halve the number of disease cases in the four weeks after the peak of infections.
Update: 14th June 2021: The geometric average of weekly growth factors in number of cases confirmed by testing over the week to 114th Junel is 1.546 equivalent to a doubling time of 11 days and infection in Reading is also doubling every 11 days. According to the King's College Covid Symptom Study infection in Reading is rising with an estimated 412 symptomatic cases. on 14th Junel.
...
The Governing Body of Berkshire West CCG will meet in public at 9.30-12.30 on Tuesday, 10th March 2020 at 57-59, Bath Road, Reading RG30 2BA.
You can register online to attend here. Registration closes at 12 noon the day before the meeting.
Reading's Health and Wellbeing Board meets at 2pm on Friday 13th March 2020 in the Civic Offices at Bridge Street, Reading. Questions should be submitted about 2 weeks in advance to Nicky.Simpson@reading.gov.uk .