Hospital boss says staff are dealing with demand as Covid patients rise

And a Worcestershire virologist has warned it is a sign the pandemic continues, and Covid could return again "with a vengeance".

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust sites - Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Kidderminster Hospital and the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch - currently have between them 159 Covid patients.

This is the same number as last Thursday when there were also 159 patients. In comparison on January 4, after the Omicron wave had first hit, there were 53 people in county hospitals with Covid-19.

The 159 is also above the number at the peak of the first wave in 2020, and means that one in every five of the trust's hospital beds is currently occupied by a Covid-positive patient. 

The NHS figures show no one was in an ICU bed and fitted with a ventilator.

Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Demand on our hospital services remains very high with our staff still caring for a significant number of patients with Covid as well as facing unprecedented demand for urgent and emergency care. 

"Staff across our emergency departments and partner NHS services are working incredibly hard to ensure patients get the help they need, as quickly and safely as possible.

“Members of the public can help us by using NHS 111 online to get advice on the most appropriate service rather than call 999 unless it’s a life-threatening emergency.

"We would also urge anyone if you have not yet had the Covid vaccine or booster please do it now.”

Virologist warns 'Covid is not going away'

Professor Lawrence Young, a virologist who lives in Bromsgrove and works at Warwick Medical School, said the high number of patients had been what he feared when protections such as self-isolation were all dropped earlier this year.

"We are passed the peak of the wave of this sub-variant of Omicron but there are still enormous levels of infection in the community," Prof Young said.

CONCERNS: Professor Lawrence Young

"That is on top of waning immunity, and people generally ignoring the Covid situation and not getting tested. 

"I suspect we will muddle through the next few months with warmer weather and more people outside, but it won't be easy for the NHS - staff will keep struggling on with the pressure.

"It will continue to impact on their ability to do other stuff, like clearing the backlog. 

"Covid isn't going to go away, it will come back again with a vengeance if we are not careful.

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"Public health messaging is failing. It is going to be impossible now to implement mandatory mask wearing again, but there should be strong messaging about wearing masks in crowded places, and if you are infected to self-isolate. Working from home, where it can be done, helps too.

"We are very likely to be confronted with another variant, and assuming it will be milder is incorrect - there is no reason to believe that will be the case."