Concern new variants could put further strain on Dorset hospitals
It's due to their easier transmission
There are concerns that new variants of Covid could have a further impact on our hospitals.
The worry is that they may spread more easily - adding more pressure to already stretched services.
Yesterday we reported that Dorset health officails say so far there are currently no cases of the South African variant in the county.
However they have also warned that it's a "rapidly changing situation."
Hospitals across Dorset are currently treating around 450 covid patients - over three times more than at the peak of the first wave.
We spoke to Dorset County Hospital's Chief medical officer Alastair Hutchison.
"The problem with the variants is that they spread more easily, and because they spread more easily they thereforer get to a far large section of the popualtion, and then ultimatly they can lead to significantly more deaths."
"People oftem spend a lot of time worrying about a particural variant and if its more deadly on an individual basis, but the real problem is they spread more easily."
"It does increase the pressure on our infection control team for example to make sure that not only are patients kept apart from patients that don't have Covid, but that staff are also really careful with their PPE and social distancing while they're at work."