Lower cases of Covid but pressure remains on NHS
THE number of people contracting coronavirus in northern Lincolnshire is a tonic for health chiefs. There were just 26 new cases reported in the previous 24 hours in North East Lincolnshire, down significantly from 36 the previous day.
In North Lincolnshire the new figure was 42, up from 39 the previous day.
The latest figures give hope that the measures put in place to stamp out the spread are having an impact. The total number of cases were 5,502 and 5,178 respectively.
In East Lindsey the number of new cases was 32, which is significantly down from the peak last month. The total number of cases stands at 3,862.
All of Lincolnshire’s areas have been subject to the strictest Tier Three restrictions throughout December.
Despite the rollout of vaccinations and improving rates both here and in neighbouring regions, local officials have warned it will still be unlikely that the area will move out of Tier 3 before Christmas and urged families to be sensible when forming their short-term festive bubbles.
But the pressures remain intense in hospitals in our area with stuff under increasing pressure treating those who fall seriously ill with coronavirus.
In critical care there have been heartbreaking cases of people succumbing to the virus without loved ones with them.
Encouraging more people to maintain the Covid discipline of keeping hands clean and wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing, Rosemary Hodgson, assistant manager of the High Dependency Unit at Grimsby’s Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital said: “Working throughout Covid has been challenging and we’re urging the public to help. On the High Dependency Unit, we are a red ward, which means we look after Covid-positive patients.
“It’s tough on our patients and their families as visiting is restricted but we’ve been doing all we can to keep people in touch via video calls. We’ve seen some truly heart-breaking cases, which have affected us all.
“It’s one thing looking after a Covid patient but to look after them in critical care is so challenging for staff both physically and emotionally. Please help to break the chain and stop the spread.”