More virus victims in hospital than at any time since pandemic began
SCOTLAND was last night in the grip of a hospital bed crisis as the new mutant strain of coronavirus threatened to overwhelm the NHS.
Yesterday’s official figures showed there were 1,596 people in hospital being treated for Covid – more than at any other point recorded during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, 109 people were in intensive care – also a grim all-time high.
Officials also reported yesterday a further 93 Scots had died of the virus – equalling Friday’s record total.
The recent surge in cases has prompted health chiefs to issue a warning that Scotland could run out of beds within the next few weeks.
Analysis by The Scottish Mail on Sunday reveals that in some health board areas, there are only a handful of intensive care beds left.
Health chiefs in Dumfries and Galloway have said they are now operating at almost 100 per cent capacity.
Across all three of NHS Lanarkshire’s major hospitals, there are only three spare intensive care beds. In the NHS Borders health board area, there are only two free spaces in its ICU.
Last night, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘Covid case numbers are still a big concern and putting huge pressure on the NHS, as hospital and ICU cases increase.
‘Also, 93 further deaths remind us just how dangerous the virus can be – my thoughts are with all those grieving.’
Meanwhile, health chiefs have implored the public to avoid hospitals if they can and to stick to the rules. Judith Park, NHS Lanarkshire director of acute services, said: ‘We want to remind people to stop and think before they go to A&E. There are lots of other qualified experts in our community who can safely advise people more quickly on many health conditions.’
Figures obtained by this newspaper reveal NHS Dumfries and Galloway have 44 Covid-positive patients in hospital, the highest number it has seen during the course of the entire pandemic. As of Friday morning, NHS Lanarkshire had only 94 out of its 1,293 beds available across all three of its major hospitals. At University Hospital Wishaw there are only nine free beds. Across the health board, there is capacity for 32 intensive care (ICU) beds suitable for people who need life support – yet only three beds are clear.
Fourteen of those in intensive care in NHS Lanarkshire are Covid-positive. In the Borders, hospitals have been forced to repurpose and open a third coronavirus ward due to a surge in cases.
The health board has doubled the capacity to treat Covid patients from 22 to 44, and has immediately filled 26 beds.
The situation in its intensive care units is just as troubling. Eight out of ten of its ICU beds are filled, meaning there are only two spare. As of Saturday, five of those in ICU had coronavirus.
In Glasgow, health chiefs said there are 795 Covid patients in its hospitals, with 25 patients in ICU with the deadly virus.
On Friday, Ms Sturgeon stressed that no health board had ‘run out of beds’. But Professor Jason Leitch, Scotland’s national clinical director, said the country’s hospitals were ‘very busy and fragile’.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Our health boards are in constant communication with the Scottish Government and each other to ensure we use the whole country’s capacity appropriately and the Cabinet Secretary discussed the situation and our response with NHS board chief executives on Friday.’
‘My thoughts are with all those grieving’