Tackling hospitals’ Covid-19 outbreaks

A HEALTH board report has revealed that 75 people died because of five major coronavirus outbreaks in North Wales hospitals during the past year.

Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board’s annual infection prevention and control report was discussed at Thursday’s board meeting.

It revealed five Covid outbreaks within hospitals had been classified as level three, meaning it affected “multiple sites across the Health Board, or which presents a significant risk to a large number of patients, staff or visitors, and/or requires significant control measures, and/or threatens health board ability to meet emergency or elective commitments”.

Two outbreaks occurred at Ysbyty Wrexham Maelor, two at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan and one at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

The most severe started in Wrexham in October 2020 and was de-escalated in April, with 125 people affected and 37 deaths as a result. A previous outbreak, between July and September 2020, resulted in 48 infections and 14 deaths.

At Ysbyty Glan Clwyd a level three outbreak between August and October 2020 resulted in 44 infections and eight fatalities. A further outbreak between December 2020 and March 2021 was responsible for 97 infections and 16 deaths.

The report said learnings on infection control and staff movement from those outbreaks had been shared across the health board.

The final outbreak, at Ysbyty Gwynedd, was declared in March 2021 and was still continuing at level three status when the report was discussed, though with a “significant reduction in the number of transmission episodes.”

Special segregation cubicles/pods, which allow people with suspected coronavirus to be assessed in a secure environment, were installed in Wrexham Maelor before the second wave.

“Wrexham Maelor Hospital was able to demonstrate a reduction in the number of patients exposed to Covid-19 whilst awaiting test results and also a significant reduction in beds closed due to Covid contacts,” said the study. “This was rolled out across assessment areas within Glan Clwyd; pods are now also being installed in Ysbyty Gwynedd.”

The report said using the secure cubicles had “led to an overall reduction of beds across the health board”.