Hospital patient total halves
NUMBER DOWN FROM 500 AT JANUARY PEAK, BUT ON A PAR WITH APRIL
THE number of Covid-positive patients being treated in Leicester’s hospitals has more than halved since the peak of the most recent wave.
Numbers still remain as high as they were in April, but have reduced from 500 at the end of January to 200 more recently.
Rebecca Brown, acting chief executive of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, updated colleagues and board members on the latest Covid situation this week.
“At last check, there were 199 Covid patients in the trust - roughly the same number as the peak of the first wave,” she said.
“In ITU we are still at 120 per cent occupancy so things are still extremely busy.
“That said, we’ve certainly seen those numbers come down. Remember we were just shy of 500 (a month ago), so those numbers are coming down but we do remain extremely busy.”
The extent of the latest peak was revealed at last month’s meeting when Mrs Brown said January was the trust’s “most difficult month”.
Coronavirus-related deaths within the trust have also started to slowly reduce but remain at a high level, with 68 announced in last Wednesday’s weekly update. A fortnight previously it was in the high 80s.
More than 1,360 patients have died after testing positive for Covid at either Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital or Glenfield Hospital since mid-March last year.
Mrs Brown said: “Our focus, particularly over the next few weeks, will be on making sure we’ve got very good plans and we’re bringing on, as soon as possible, our priority two patients and cancer patients as we did after the first wave to make sure we get those patients operated on as soon as possible.”
Further focus will also be placed on mental health and wellbeing support for trust staff with various initiatives.