THE declaration of Essex as being subject to a 'major incident' caused by Coviod-19 has been revoked.

The Essex Resilience Forum, a group that comprises the NHS, police, fire and ambulance services and local authorities including Thurrock Council had declared the county was in crisis on 29 December.

That enabled the forum to seek further support from government to address the pressures brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The county was facing a significant growing demand on hospitals and health and social care services which were described as being at breaking point.

Yesterday (Tuesday, 2 February), the forum agreed the decision to stand down the major incident declaration, signifying that the health system across greater Essex is stable and in control.

Although the health systems are still facing pressure, it was agreed that the systems that have been put in place, alongside the national lockdown and the co-operation of Essex residents who continue to do the right thing, has meant that Essex has moved into a more stable situation.

Anthony McKeever, executive lead for Mid and South Essex Health and Care Partnership, said: "It has taken a considerable effort by our teams throughout health, care and beyond to begin to turn the tide in our fight against Coronavirus.

"Strong partnerships supported us to respond effectively when significant numbers of our residents needed hospital care for coronavirus, exceeding far beyond those seen at the peak of the first wave.

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"Through the support of our local communities, the rates of infection are beginning to drop, which in turn supports the NHS to continue to care for those most in need.

"Pressures persist and the threat has not gone way yet.

"So, there is much still to be done. I thank all those hard-working colleagues who continue to work tirelessly in extremely difficult circumstances.

They need us all to follow the rules so that partners across Essex can keep working together to support delivery of the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme."