Hospitals are returning mask requirements to wards just weeks after the rules were relaxed as Covid’s rate jumps, The Independent may reveal.
Experts have warned of an increase in cases believed to be the fifth wave, with one in 40 people in the UK being tested positive for the virus.
Meanwhile, the latest NHS data shows more than 8,000 Covid-positive patients in wards after a warning of “harmful” effects on hospital waiting time
In response, three major hospital trusts told staff they must wear masks, and more warnings must follow if the NHS wants to deal with a new wave of Covid.
In June, the NHS in England, following the guidance of the UK Health Security Agency, advised hospitals and GPs that masks were no longer a requirement, while hospitals in Wales dropped the rules in May.
The surge in wards has caused at least seven hospitals in England to turn their masks over for staff on Tuesday.
Cases in hospitals in England increased by more than a third, and those infected in the community rose to 1.7 million last week.
The latest NHS data shows that the number of patients with Covid in hospitals in England jumped from 1011 on Saturday to 1276 the next day, while the number of hospital beds occupied by positive patients reached 8120.
Major summer events like Glastonbury could have a big impact on rates, it was warned after it was reported last week that 1.7 million people had Covid.
Dr Tim Kuksley, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, told The Independent: “Over the last two years, Covid has highlighted and exacerbated an already growing crisis.
“High levels of staff absence, burnout and low morale have dominated staff landscapes during this time and continue to do so. Future waves and a potentially large number of upcoming flu cases will only exacerbate these problems, making patients, clinicians and policymakers hope for selective recovery to look somewhat fantastic.
“Sajid Javid commented last week that there are no short-term solutions to the current challenges. This is not in dispute. However, with current levels of crisis and further waves of Covid, they are likely to have additional detrimental effects on patient waiting time and experience; it is essential that investment in labor and capacity begins now to prevent the crisis from deepening further. The deterioration from the current position is a frightening thought. “
The Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, which has two sites, told staff Monday that masks should now be worn in all patient-facing areas, “as Covid grows in the local community and hospitals.”
The trust confirmed that it has 158 employees with Covid and 62 patients with the virus in hospitals – compared to 37 on June 13.
The NHS Foundation North West Anglia Trust, which covers three hospitals, also restored the rules for wearing masks due to an increased risk of Covid, while hospitals in Torbay and South Devon asked patients to start wearing masks on Tuesday after the June 10 requirement was dropped. .
Health authorities in Wales have reintroduced masks for staff and visitors “with immediate effect” after the requirement was lifted in May.
On Friday, NHS Lothian in Scotland asked patients to start wearing masks again after warning that one-fifth of nurses were ill with Covid.
An analysis by Dr. Tom Lawton, an intensive care consultant and anesthesiologist at Bradford Teaching Hospital, shared with The Independent, shows that in some trusts, more than 200 patients are likely to have caught Covid in hospital in the last 28 days.
The Clinically Vulnerable Families group, which represents patients across the country, told The Independent that a poll of its members revealed that hundreds said they would reconsider their hospital treatment because of the increased risks of Covid.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that a total of 264 Covid-19 deaths were reported in the seven days to June 17, slightly less than 284 the previous week. Deaths are set to rise, but the Covid Actuaries Response Team said Monday that Covid deaths are likely to rise.
Dr Helen Salisbury of the Independent Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies told The Independent that she did not see the logic in healthcare providers dropping the requirement to wear masks and warned that this posed a risk to the most vulnerable.
She added: “Masks reduce infection … if you increase the rate of infection, have more staff or it becomes more difficult to manage your hospital if your staff becomes infected and has to stop working.
The warning comes when a public investigation into Covid-19, chaired by Baroness Hallett, was officially launched by the government on Tuesday.
A CUH spokesman said: “Our position from the outset has been to be vigilant, monitor and respond to changing levels of infection in the community and the number of Covid-positive patients to protect our patients, staff and visitors. For this reason, everyone, including patients, should wear a mask in clinical areas. At present, this does not include non-clinical areas such as the main reception, the hall, dining areas and corridors.
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