NHS staff without symptoms test positive for coronavirus at hospital shut to new patients after surge in cases
NHS staff without any symptoms have tested positive for coronavirus at a hospital shut to new patients after a case surge. Weston General Hospital has today reported a group of staff who now have the virus, after having “patient contact”. ⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates The Weston-super-Mare hospital […]
NHS staff without any symptoms have tested positive for coronavirus at a hospital shut to new patients after a case surge.
Weston General Hospital has today reported a group of staff who now have the virus, after having “patient contact”.
Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
The Weston-super-Mare hospital hasn’t accepted new admissions since 8am on Monday “to maintain patient and staff safety”.
Locals have blamed “irresponsible” Brits travelling 100 miles to pack out beaches after the spike in cases shut an A&E department.
They say the rise in infections has been caused by people driving from other parts of the UK to the resort, which has a large elderly population.
Locals believe hordes of families and groups from as far as Birmingham triggered the healthcare crisis by visiting the town during the sunny early May bank holiday.
All inpatients have been tested for the virus and there is “appropriate segregation in place for patient care”, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust said in an update this evening.
Trust medical director Dr William Oldfield said: “There are currently a high number of patients with coronavirus in the hospital. We have tested all inpatients and will undertake retesting in line with national guidance, and we have appropriate segregation in place for patient care.
“Testing for symptomatic staff and household contacts has been offered across the trust since the beginning of April.
“In addition, there is an emerging picture of asymptomatic staff testing positive for the virus.
“Any members of staff who have tested positive have self-isolated in line with national guidance. We are also in the process of testing all staff in clinical areas at the hospital who may have had some patient contact.”
DAY TRIPPERS BLAMED
Don Trapnell, 56, who reopened his beachfront cafe this week, said the town had been “absolutely heaving” over the past two weekends.
He added: “They were coming from all over, some from as far as Birmingham, which is more than 100 miles away. Madness.
“You’ve got groups of friends and families all gathering here for the first time in months, drinking booze and their kids mixing with kids from other groups.
“It’s little wonder the town has seen an explosion in the virus.”
Last week Weston-super-Mare mayor Mayor Mark Canniford hit out at a “complete disregard” for the town’s residents, with people failing to queue in a socially distanced manner.
He said: “There was a complete disregard for the residents, complete disregard for the rest of the seafront, not taking any notice of proper queuing when they were trying to get something to drink or eat.
“Weston seafront, the facilities just aren’t there. It can’t cope with the number of people but people have still come.”
It comes as
- The government has revealed the full list of retailers that can reopen on June 15
- Barbecues and garden parties could be allowed by the end of June
- Small numbers of children will head back to class when schools reopen from next week
- Terrifying footage reveals how the deadly bug can spread on the Tube
The easing of the Covid-19 lockdown in England means people can drive as far as they want, as long as they do not spend the night away from their home.
Several tourist boards – such as Cornwall and the Peak District – have urged people to stay away due to fears they will be overwhelmed by visitors.
In some areas, locals councils have told outsiders they are not welcome.
It comes as the official UK coronavirus death toll has today risen by 134 in 24 hours as fatalities pass 37,000.
It is one of the smallest increases yet as the UK edges closer to getting out of lockdown after the pandemic hit – however new statistics today revealed the true toll could be much higher.
Health authorities today said 37,048 people had died from the bug across the UK, with 265,227 cases overall.
Britain has been in lockdown for over two months with most shops closed and people living in isolation since March 23.
But the extreme measures have slowly started to ease with barbecues and garden parties for ten person ‘bubbles’ expected to be allowed from the end of June.
Boris Johnson hailed the move as a step on the road to “rebuilding our country” and urged Brits to “spend” to help the economy to “bounce back”.
The new relaxation measures will pave the way for millions of people to head back to work.
MOST READ IN NEWS
But the WHO’s Dr Mike Ryan has warned of a second peak of coronavirus.
He said: We may get a second peak in this wave, this happened during pandemics in the past.”
And he added the virus numbers could “jump up at any time”.
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