Today we have seen another further rise in admissions for those testing positive for Covid-19 and, as a result, we are now caring for 193 such individuals. That’s 157 at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, 16 at Bassetlaw Hospital and 20 at Montagu Hospital. This is almost double where we were just last Saturday.
Of these patients, 10 require critical care, with three on mechanical ventilation, 18 non-invasive ventilation and eight oxygen. Please note, as this is sometimes claimed on social media, this does not mean the other 150 or so patients do not require high levels of care, it simply means they just do not need these specific interventions and treatments.
With deep sadness, we have reported that another patient has passed away with Covid-19 having played a significant factor in the cause of death. We share our most heartfelt condolences with the departed’s friends, family and loved ones.
We have seen a number of posts this week which have commented on the ‘Very High Alert’ tier and if the extra measures are really necessary in South Yorkshire. Although we know that this is a minority view, we think it’s important to try to ensure that everyone understands why this is important.
As of yesterday, the rolling seven day rate of positive tests per 100,000 people stands at 314. This means that approximately 928 people have Covid-19 in our community and this is likely to continue to rise. With the R Rate (the rate of spread) estimated at 1.5 the number of people with Covid-19 will increase by around 5% per day. Therefore this additional action was necessary.
At the moment the number of patients in our hospitals with Covid-19 is rising at a much faster rate and by next weekend we will see our numbers increase substantially again – with these new measures, we hope this will begin to slowdown and eventually reduce, hopefully in the not too distant future.
There have been many posts about whether patients are admitted as a consequence of Covid-19 or has it been discovered as a result of us testing everyone on admission. The reality is that if a patient is admitted to hospital they need hospital care and when they don’t need hospital care they are discharged.
However, if a patient is admitted with an illness that isn’t thought to be Covid but then tests positive for it, it is a new risk to their health, can complicate surgery and we have to care for the patient with necessary precautions and safeguards in place. It is also worth remembering that it can take up to 14 days after contact with a person with Covid-19 for the symptoms to develop meaning their condition may deteriorate as a consequence while they are in hospital, again further complicating their stay. You can read more about how we manage Covid in our hospitals by following this link: https://www.dbth.nhs.uk/news/managing-covid-19-hospitals/
Until we have a vaccine the only way we can deal with this illness is to stop the transmission, and that is the very best way to get things moving towards normality.
The way we stop transmission is by adhering to ‘Hands, Face and Space’ and in the areas of highest risk (Tier 2 and Tier 3) we need to encourage and support each other to follow the guidance which ultimately protects every person, their family and friends.
Thank you, continue to protect the vulnerable amongst us and help us flatten the curve – and remember, sunshine follows thunder – we will get through this together as a community.