Covid hospital infections laid bare as report reveals staggering statistics
Sajid Javid announces mandatory vaccines for frontline workers
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More than 11,000 people who were initially admitted to NHS hospitals for other illnesses since caught Coronavirus and died according to the latest figures released by NHS Trusts across England. This alarming data has sparked concern among MPs, prompting renewed calls for compulsory vaccinations for NHS staff.
A staggering 11,688 people died in hospital after testing positive for Covid, it’s “likely” they caught the virus during their stay in hospital according to The Telegraph.
These staggering numbers came via a Freedom of Information request to NHS Trusts around England.
The revelation that hospitals could be hotbeds for the virus has been labelled as a “scandal” by many MPs.
The 11,688 patients who died after likely catching the virus in hospital accounts for one in eight of the total Covid deaths in hospital.
This figure could be far higher as NHS England admitted the analysis was “flawed” as it had “probable” cases, which means it “will contain cases of people who did not catch Covid in hospital.”
NHS England said there were 40,229 “probable” and “definite” Covid infections caught in hospitals.
“Probable” defines those testing positive between eight to 14 days after being admitted, which means they could have caught the virus before their stay.
Whereas “definite” cases were recorded when a patient tested positive more than 14 days after their initial admission, meaning they must have caught Covid in the hospital.
These figures may sound alarming, but the likelihood of catching Covid in hospitals appears to vary between hospitals.
Which trusts recorded the most deaths from Covid caught while in hospitals?
In the worst cases, NHS Trusts recorded around a third of their patients who had died with Covid caught the virus in hospital.
The highest number was at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where 213 died after catching the virus.
This figure accounts for one-third of all the Trust’s recorded Covid deaths.
University Hospitals Birmingham recorded 484 deaths of those who were believed to have caught the virus in the hospital during the pandemic.
But this Trust is among the largest hospital trusts in England, they said they “treated over 18,000 Covid-19 patients… significantly more than any other hospital trust.”
The true scale of these staggering statistics may still be unknown, as some trusts refused to disclose their data.
An NHS spokesperson insisted that staff had followed Covid control guidance and attributed the increase in infection rates in hospitals to the rising rates in the UK.
They told The Telegraph: “Covid-19 hospital infection rates account for less than one per cent of all cases since the pandemic began and cases have reduced significantly since the NHS vaccination rollout.”
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