DOOM: "Omicron Covid cases ‘doubling every two to three days’ in UK"

[Whorty]

Not here it hasn't. And hospitals have not been formally reporting an emergency status (I forget the proper terminology) across the nation until the last week or two. It seems this is largely due to staff issues not an increase in cases but the net result is the same - hospitals cannot provide critical care reliably right now. That is a real worry that the NHS is teetering.

edit: "critical incidents". up to 24 declared now.

Been like it at Salisbury hospital and RUH in Bath for months.

Mate had an emergency in Harlow area about 2 months ago, his wife called 999 and they suggested she take him in as would be faster than ambulance due to ambulances stacked at A&E.

So may not be in your area, but not restricted to where I live either.

[Whorty]

You have to remember as well that when it started the first ones to end up in hospital and dead were the elderly and vulnerable (or to reference ZiggyStroney, they were going to die anyway).
Since those numbers have been reduced the hospitalisations are coming from the younger and healthier end of the population.
In theory, healthier people should be more capable of surviving the milder variant without hospitalisation.

Absolutely .... demographics of those ill now is almost certainly different and those getting most ill are the unvaccinated.

[AtW]

""Nearly 40% of Covid hospital cases in England now patients primarily being treated for something else, latest figures show

NHS England has this morning published its latest “primary diagnosis” supplement. This is a dataset that shows how many of the daily Covid hospital cases are patients being treated in hospital for Covid, and how many are patients with Covid being treated primary for something else.

The hospital figures that are published daily do not make this distinction

The latest figure is for Tuesday 4 January and it shows that in England 13,045 patients were in hospital with Covid on that day, but only 8,200 for Covid. That means only 63% of Covid cases were in hospital primary because of Covid.

This figures has been drifting down. The equivalent figure for the previous Tuesday, when total Covid cases were 8,321, was 67%, and the Tuesday before that, when overall cases were 6,245, 71% of them were people being treated primary for Covid. At the start of December the figure was 74%.

As PA Media reports, the number of patients being treated primarily for Covid rose from 5,578 on 28 December to 8,200 a week later (a jump of 47%), while those with Covid but being treated primarily for something else rose from 2,743 to 4,845 (a jump of 77%).

The figures cover acute hospital admissions only"

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...latest-updates

[Whorty]

""Nearly 40% of Covid hospital cases in England now patients primarily being treated for something else, latest figures show

NHS England has this morning published its latest “primary diagnosis” supplement. This is a dataset that shows how many of the daily Covid hospital cases are patients being treated in hospital for Covid, and how many are patients with Covid being treated primary for something else.

The hospital figures that are published daily do not make this distinction

The latest figure is for Tuesday 4 January and it shows that in England 13,045 patients were in hospital with Covid on that day, but only 8,200 for Covid. That means only 63% of Covid cases were in hospital primary because of Covid.

This figures has been drifting down. The equivalent figure for the previous Tuesday, when total Covid cases were 8,321, was 67%, and the Tuesday before that, when overall cases were 6,245, 71% of them were people being treated primary for Covid. At the start of December the figure was 74%.

As PA Media reports, the number of patients being treated primarily for Covid rose from 5,578 on 28 December to 8,200 a week later (a jump of 47%), while those with Covid but being treated primarily for something else rose from 2,743 to 4,845 (a jump of 77%).

The figures cover acute hospital admissions only"

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...latest-updates

Well done, you got there in the end. Give yourself a gold star

[WTFH]

The Christmas figures are starting to come through and based on the data it looks like R=3.8 is where we're heading (2 more weeks until the next data set is officially released)

[AtW]

The Christmas figures are starting to come through and based on the data it looks like R=3.8 is where we're heading (2 more weeks until the next data set is officially released)

Test criteria changed now, it's not like for like anymore insofar as infections are concerned

[SueEllen]

One problem with this is all the private hospitals I live near or go pass have recruitment banners advertising for staff.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...-omicron-surge
Hospitals in England will be able to use private hospitals and staff under a deal with the NHS to maintain services as Omicron cases surge, avoiding delays in treatment for patients with illnesses such as cancer.

The move comes as hospitals have also been told to find extra beds in gyms and education centres owing to rising numbers of Covid patients.

The three-month agreement means private healthcare staff and facilities will be on standby to support the NHS if they need it and to maintain services for patients that can be referred including some of those waiting for cancer surgery.

[SueEllen]

Test criteria changed now, it's not like for like anymore insofar as infections are concerned

That's ignoring the tests that have never been processed....

[AtW]

109k infections, hospitalisations seems to be slowing down...

Past the peak or not?

[WTFH]

109k infections, hospitalisations seems to be slowing down...

Past the peak or not?

Past peak of testing.
Hospitalisations slowing down would be a positive if there were beds and staff available to deal with them, I suspect some people are finding that they are being turned away or referred to their GP.