City sees highest-ever number of infections within seven days

THE number of Covid-19 cases recorded in Portsmouth has hit an all-time high, although the number of people requiring hospital treatment has stayed ‘stable’.

City council leader Gerald VernonJackson said the Omicron variant had now almost entirely replaced Delta and had led to 2,723 infections in the most recent seven-day period of data.

This is the highest since the start of the pandemic and a 47 per cent increase from the previous week. The percentage of tests coming back positive was 24 per cent - another record.

‘It looks as if it’s much more infectious,’ Cllr Vernon-Jackson said. ‘The number of patients in QA is stable at 76 but we know hospitalisations lag behind cases by a couple of weeks and deaths two weeks further. We expect the number of people in hospital will peak in late January or early February.’

However, he warned the number of infections was expected to lead to staffing issues while people isolate.

‘It’s going to put real pressure on care homes and schools but particularly on hospitals,’ he added. ‘We are coping in social care, but only just.’

He said cases had been recorded in 11 care homes in the city but that most of these infections were staff members rather than residents.

Rising case numbers have also prompted renewed efforts in the city to encourage vaccine take-up, particularly for school-aged children.

One of the big areas now though is children,’ he said. ‘We’ve vaccinated most of those who have had consent from their parents but there’s a lot we still are yet to reach. We’ll be working with schools so we can work out ways to better get the message out there.’

Walk-in vaccinations are now also being offered at St James’ Hospital from 8am-8pm seven days a week.

Angela Anderson, the clinical director of Covid-19 vaccinations at Solent NHS Trust, said: ‘Anyone who gets Covid-19 can become seriously ill or have longterm effects. The Covid-19 vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and others.’

The city has seen a milestone reached, though, as more than 100,000 booster jabs have now been given in Portsmouth.

They are being given at St James’ Hospital vaccination centre, vaccination centres at GP practices, at Goldchem and Laly’s pharmacies and the reopened Hospital Hub Plus at the Oasis Centre at Queen Alexandra Hospital.