House parties ‘ could bring down hospitals in Greater Manchester’
NHS HOSPITALS are in danger of “falling over” in Greater Manchester after police were called to more than 1,000 New Year’s Eve house parties in the region, the leader of Manchester City Council has warned.
Sir Richard Leese, who is also chair of the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, said there is a “real risk” of patients being stuck in ambulance queues or on hospital trolleys with a “phenomenal change” in admissions due to Covid- 19, a third of which are the new strain.
Urgent operations had been maintained, but surgery for cancer and cardio- vascular patients was now “definitely under threat” as medical staff are deployed to care for other patients with the virus, he said.
The stark warning came as Sir Richard said the biggest single thing people could do to help is to address personal behaviour.
Speaking to reporters at a weekly briefing hosted by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Sir Richard said: “On New Year’s Eve, GMP ( Greater Manchester Police) attended over 1,000 house parties. Over 1,000 house parties. This is people being stupid and selfish in their behaviour and they are putting lives at risk, by and large not their own lives.”
Figures on Covid- 19 deaths in Greater Manchester since last March show half of deaths were in people aged over 80, and a further 40 per cent in those aged between 60 and 80.
Under one per cent of deaths were people aged under 40.
He added: “We really have to get over that very clear message there isn’t a magic bullet for Covid19.
“The biggest single thing that will reduce the level of risk, is the way that we behave and having parties is selfish, is stupid, it is putting lives at risk, I can’t stress that enough.”
Latest figures for the region showed there had been a “very significant increase” in the rate of cases over the last week, he said. And while weekly admissions to hospital for Covid- 19 had been reducing pre- Christmas there had been “a phenomenal change” with 80 admissions on Monday alone rising to an estimated 120 a day by the end of next week.