Plymouth's Derriford Hospital has highest number of COVID infections yet
A total of 2,906 people have now received in-patient care for the virus in the city
Derriford Hospital has the highest number of patients with COVID since the start of the pandemic as it continues to face problems caused by the virus.
As of Thursday 27 January 171 patients were in the Plymouth hospital with COVID, three of whom were children. Two were pregnant women. A further two were in intensive care.
The news was revealed by Kevin Baber, chief operating officer of Plymouth Hospitals at a meeting of Plymouth City Council’s health and wellbeing board.
A total of 2,906 people have now received in-patient care for COVID in Plymouth, 319 of whom have died.
The number of people waiting for other treatments at Derriford is 40,000, up 10,000 since the beginning of the pandemic.
Of the 40,000, more than 3,000 have been waiting over a year for their treatment. There are 461 patients, primarily needing elected orthopaedics or spinal surgery, who have now waited over two years.
At one point at the beginning of December, University Hospitals Plymouth had around 500 staff off work for COVID-related reasons.
Mr Baber said the pandemic has taken a toll on NHS workers in Plymouth, noting “an increasing number of staff who are off sick with stress, anxiety, depression and COVID PTSD.”
On top of these pressures is a looming deadline for staff who provide face-to-face services to get vaccinated. All “in-scope” staff must get their first jab by Tuesday 2 February and be fully vaccinated by 1 April.
Livewell Southwest, a health and social care provider for South Hams, West Devon and Plymouth, says 34 members of its staff have refused to have a vaccine.
Almost 500,000 vaccinations have been administered at Home Park, Plymouth Argyle’s stadium, and over 200,000 had been given by Plymouth hospitals.
Sue Wilkins, director of mass vaccination, flu and testing at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust said: “The capacity at Home Park is absolutely vast, but the overall number of people coming is small now.”
She believes the demand for vaccinates from people willing to travel to the football stadium has “hit saturation point.”
The facility at Plymouth Argyle’s ground can vaccinate up to 6,000 people a day – but on some days recently as few as 200 people have been jabbed there.
Eighty-five per cent of people eligible for a vaccine in Plymouth have now had two does. Seventy-nine per cent have had two, while 59 per cent have received a booster.