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ArchivedCOVID 19 UPDATE – 14th April 2020
CORNISH JOINT VETERINARY STATEMENT
The UK Government reinforced this week how vital it is that people continue to stay at home to save lives. We have not yet reached the peak of this virus (estimated Mid-May in Cornwall) and lockdown measures are likely to continue for many more weeks.
On 9th April we received updated guidance from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the British Veterinary Association and the British Equine Veterinary Association that certain routine procedures such as vaccination could resume if risk-assessed on an individual case by case basis. After discussion with our neighbouring practices across Cornwall we all believe that this guidance does not reflect the current advice from the Government. We also believe that as a Veterinary Profession we have a responsibility to preserve human life, to protect our clients and their families, our teams and those of you in the vulnerable and high-risk categories.
We understand how frustrating this is for our clients, particularly those of you who have vaccinations due imminently and want to reassure you that the risk of another equine influenza outbreak is very low given that horses and people are not moving around. Your horse’s welfare is incredibly important to us all. We are still providing visits and care to urgent and emergency cases and are able to offer remote consults and prescriptions through telemedicine services.
We would like to thank our fellow practices for their support in making this decision. We plan to collectively review the situation at the end of the week and will base any further decisions on the advice from the UK Government.
Animal Vets Hayle, Calweton Equine Vets, Head and Head, Kenwyn Vets, Kernow Farm and Equine, Penbode, Penmellyn Equine, Rosevean and Shorefield.