Reduction in Covid rates is expected in ‘next week or so’
COVID rates in the county are expected to enter a pattern of decline from this month, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust Board has been told.
But Covid pressure on the county’s hospitals still impacts on the Trust’s operational options.
Trust chief executive Deborah Lee told the Board that though the focus on Covid infections has lessened in recent weeks, Gloucestershire continues to experience higher numbers of community Covid cases compared to both national and South West levels.
“It is predicted that these rates will plateau and begin to decline in the next week or so,” she said.
The Board heard the operational impact of managing Covid numbers was still “very significant” with staff absences at their highest levels for many months.
As reported by Gloucestershirelive, maternity services were cited as an example where a combination of high
Covid absences, staff sickness and maternity leave early this month saw absences peaking at 25 per cent of the available workforce, requiring temporary service changes to enable safe staffing to be maintained.
Latest stats for the county show that between April 4 and 10, 185 patients went into hospital with coronavirus.
This was an increase of 33.1 per cent compared to the previous 7 days.
There were 130 covid patients in hospital with coronavirus on April 12. None of them were on a ventilator.
Figures for February show the Trust lost 637 bed days due to Covid outbreaks and/or Covid positive patients being identified within low risk pathways.
Wards and bays were closed to prevent onward transmissions.
Stats also show Covid skews the Trust’s death rates. With Covid removed the rates are statistically “in the expected range” the Board heard.
There are two pockets where the rate of coronavirus case rates are higher than in other areas in Gloucestershire.
The Government has a coronavirus heat map, which measures the number
It is predicted that these rates will plateau and begin to decline in the next week or so
Deborah Lee
of new infections and the rate of cases around the country, gives an accurate picture as to the local situation.
Darker purple or black areas are places with very high rates of transmission.
Between April 7 and 14, Shurdington, Staverton and Witcombe was one location that saw a 7.4 per cent increase in it’s number of cases and now has a rate of infection of 401 per 100,000 people.
Meanwhile Leckhampton has a higher rate of infection - 464 - but that is a decrease 49 percent from the previous seven day period.