‘Still in the eye of the storm’ — that’s the stark warning from the Isle of Wight’s top NHS boss as St Mary’s Hospital remains under considerable strain.
As case rates steadily start to slow down, now falling to 415 cases per 100,000 from a peak earlier in January of 1,171.6, chief executive of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, Maggie Oldham, has said services are still being pushed to their limits and that people should not get complacent.
To cope with the surge in acutely ill patients, some of the Trust’s more routine services have been stood down but Ms Oldham has said doing that affects some patients’ quality of life as they have to wait longer for operations and care.
The intensive care unit at St Mary’s Hospital, in Newport, is working at 50% higher capacity than it is normally commissioned to provide.
Last week, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust revealed patients had been airlifted to hospitals on the mainland as it no longer had the capacity to treat them.
Staffing troubles are also plaguing the hospital, with around 10% of staff out sick or self-isolating due to being in close contact with a COVID case. In the ambulance service, staff absences peaked at over 20%.
Speaking at a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board, Ms Oldham said it was pleasing to recognise the prevalence is coming down but sadly for her it still feels like ‘we are in the eye of the storm’. She said:
“As it is today [Thursday, January 28] the IOW NHS Trust and particularly its acute, community and ambulance services, are under considerable strain, our mental health colleagues also.
Article continues below this advertisement “We continue to see very high levels of patients needing our care — we are far from a position that we feel we have started to see the worst of it.”
The latest variant of COVID-19 is more transmissible and was, at one point, accountable for 90% of the Island’s COVID cases, which have now surpassed a total 6,000. January alone accounts for more than half of the Island’s cases as the new variant spread through the community.
Everyone on the island must do their bit to keep the spread OF COVID as low as possible, especially with this new strain infecting people much more easily. WEARING A MASK when out shopping/on the bus/in public places significantly reduces the chance of catching COVID, only if the majority of people comply with this rule. The more the better. And remember, WASH HANDS to kill the virus and give other people SPACE, don’t get too close, 2 metres/6 foot distance is perfect. Some customers in Tesco still not respecting other people’s space!!!!!!
Dont patronize the people of the isle of wight!!!We no what the rules are,also I bet your a hypocrite by telling people to follow the rules and dont follow the rules yourself.So keep quiet..
Excuse me, good advice is always welcome. There are still too many that flout the rules, causing this dilemma to last longer and longer. If people did as was asked in the beginning, that is ALL the people, then this probably would have been over last year.
But no some want to think nothing is out there, MAYBE will not get it.., well maybe they won’t get it, but they might pass it on to others, their family, their children, their pets.. THINK. Better to be safe than sorry.
Your just another patronizing ass hole!
Yes a small minority don’t follow the rules until they catch this virus like beach comber did.We all no the rules and abide by them,so dont keep on as you cant educate the small minority of stupid.
Educate the small minority of stupid? Know not no, sorry, although petty your calling people stupid! I do however agree that too many people have flouted the rules.
Pipe down you patronizing ass hole
shut up beach comber, since when did you get to be everyones nanny – mind your own – this is still a free country and if people do not want to shove a rag over their faces in the street , they won’t
Ignorance is bliss as the saying goes. So if you are one of these selfish idiots who refuse to wear a mask to protect yourself and other members of the public, then you obviously have IGNORANCE a plenty!!!!!!
such a fool… obvious no thought at all of other people…
See showing your true colours you vile person.
It cant be that good then if you caught it.
You still see the idiots with noses hanging out!! Old folk too.stop or your at risk
So why did you catch covid-19?Not washing or sanitizing your hands or wearing a mask obviously!!!!
Still at least today, all those in jail will receive the vaccine.
And ‘crime’ doesn’t pay?
Er no, it’s free… Do those in prison deserve a death sentence, then? Thought we’d scrapped that penalty in the sixties!
As you are well aware our jails are overfilled with all and sundry now, and because of that we have less capacity in our prisons to jail those who otherwise once would have received a custodial sentence.
This means you have to be very bad, or a persistent criminal to be imprisoned now.
So many would deem that those who are a benefit to society, not a drain and causing more misery for a world now filled with natural pain, deserve to be removed of an early ‘death sentence’ before many of those who are at H.M pleasure.
Called getting ‘priorities right’ something surprisingly lacking in todays society, and aided by views like those of your own.
There still human beings.
As ‘are’ the innocents NOT breaking the law is such a way that imprisonment is deemed the ‘only’ way to protect society from them.
They should be last on the list, as they SHOULD be mixing less than most, so ought to be at lower risk, and they are the least ‘loss’ if ill compared with those fighting to make life better for decent people on the outside, not as most of those insider are, just looking out for themselves whether in, or out of jail.
THINK, ‘if’ capable.
You are disgusting as are the people giving you thumbs up.
Thank god we haven’t got low life scum like you running the country.
No they are low life who deserve nothing – leave them to infect themselves although vaccinate the poor prison staff that have to deal with the so called sub humans
Yes they are human beings, but they obviously do not care about others… just themselves.. or they would not be there..
Do the management actually follow up on people’s ‘sick’ leave. Only, I know that self employed people are rarely sick, but those that get sick pay are a fragile bunch…. Particularly when it comes to ‘stress’ and ‘anxiety’.
They dont need to as its standard practice now for firms to give 10 days sick leave.
Being self employed I and many others don’t get that but as I’m sure I’ll be told from someone on here, that’s why we charge more.
Im self employed
Im getting over Covid Iv been ill for well over a month now so not been working for neary 6 weeks. No sick pay for me and no help luckily for me I don’t get stressed life is to short. I just get on with it.
Sorry to hear you have this awful virus, hope you recover fully.
Hope you feel better soon…. I to have had COVID. I was really quite ill and it took me 3 months to get over this horrible virus.
It’s you own fault for not wearing a mask and sanitizing your hands you hypocrite.
You should of listened to you own advice hypocrite
It’s your own fault.
Hypocrite!!!
You should have worn a mask and sanitized.
You should have listened to you own advice then.
Yes teachers love the sick pay
Unfortunately all we can hope is we do not get taken into hospital on an emergency. Three people we know here taken ill (non virus) were tested negative for Coronavirus
and then caught it in hospital whilst being treated. Unfortunately one now very ill.