Suspected Covid outbreaks in hospitals double alongside surge in staff shortages

Official figures suggest that suspected Covid infections in UK hospitals have doubled in a week.

|New data published today by the Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that there were 66 acute respiratory infection incidents in British hospitals from 9 to 16 December.

The Guardian has reported that most of these infection were Coronavirus, demonstrating a doubling in outbreaks from 33 the previous week.

This is is the highest total since the third week of January 2020.

28 outbreaks were recorded in London last week, almost half of the total of 62 across England.

In West Midlands hospitals 9 were recorded, compare to six in the East of England and five across the East Midlands.

Up to one in three NHS staff could be unable to work by New Year’s Eve, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) has predicted this week,

Patricia Marquis, director of the Royal College of Nursing’s England said this scenario “would be catastrophic, there is no doubt about it”.

She told BBC Radio 4: “The workforce is already short, the workforce is already exhausted – mentally and physically – so the prospect of that just must fill everybody on the frontline, and the public, with real concern, because the NHS just has to be able to cope with emergency and urgent care in order for the public to feel safe.”