‘So many cases so quickly is a definite matter of concern’
A DOCTOR has admitted he was surprised by the sharp rise in Covid-19 patients at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital.
Dr Raja Biswas, a consultant physician at the Llantrisant hospital, said he was concerned by the volumes of unwell patients with the virus now coming through the doors.
“Even at the beginning of last week we didn’t have too many cases at all. But to then get so many cases so quickly is a definite matter of concern,” said Dr Biswas, who contracted Covid-19 himself in May but has since recovered.
“As part of my management role I have been trying to get some clinical planning in place. We certainly weren’t expecting this degree of a second wave at this stage. We are almost at the point we were at in around April time.
“But the good thing is we are much more aware, better prepared and have much more knowledge of the virus than we did before, which is always a positive thing.”
But Dr Biswas claimed trying to staff the wards at the hospital remains an issue.
“The problem is that there is no more staff. It’s not a question of money,” he said.
“At the moment people are starting to have colds, sniffles and a rise in temperature as the weather is changing.
“Obviously a lot of staff have to self-isolate with these symptoms until they get their results back.
“With the schools opening, and with children getting these symptoms, then you have to wait for your child to be swabbed and to be negative before you can be sure to come back to work.
“This is obviously a major factor in the reduction of the workforce.”
When the first wave came, Dr Biswas said the health board had to act as if it was an “emergency situation”.
“We had to transfer a lot of out-patient work because the estimations [of Covid infections] were so high,” he said.
“But this time around we can be more measured in our approach, bringing in a planned escalation policy so we can run a normal service for as long as possible.”
Dr Biswas admitted the hospital has not been able to catch up on all its routine, non-Covid work due to the outbreak, leading to longer waiting lists.
“The waiting lists have to be prioritised for those in the most urgent need. Those kind of things have to be done first.
“A lot of my colleagues would like to do more remote consultations so that we can see the patients who desperately need to be seen as much as possible.
“But a lot of this has to be done in our own time, in addition to tackling Covid.”
When it came to introducing a local lockdown for RCT and for Cwm Taf University Health Board as a whole, Dr Biswas said he hoped it would help to reduce hospital admissions.
He said: “At the end of the day, we as medics can only do so much. We cannot stop the infection rate. That is not in our control. It’s only the general public who can do that.
“What I think is frustrating is that some people are seeing memes and posts on social media and have started thinking ‘this is not something I need to be worried about any more’.
“A lot of people have started feeling that they need to live their lives and will just take the chance.
“Yes, you might not get it, but your elderly relative might get it and die.”
However, he said, he did understand the frustrations of the public due to the mixed messages being given to them by government.
He added: “What is the point in saying to people that they should socially distance, and then have three days a week when you can get a half-price meal?
“Why are the pubs being kept open until 10pm? People will see that 10pm is approaching and quickly order more drinks.
“I understand that the hospitality industry and the economy are in a bad state, but if you want to really address it wouldn’t it be better to take a sharp measure [shutting pubs and bars] for a short period than saying it will last for six months?
“If you need to break the cycle then that could be preferable.”
Dr Biswas added: “We only have a finite number of hospital beds. And it’s not just a question of putting in a bed, you need oxygen, connections, along with the appropriate numbers of staff to look after them.”