NHS in the East working hard but its unclear when pressures will ease
The regional director for the NHS East of England is urging people to get their Covid-19 vaccinations and protect themselves, their family and the heath service
The head doctor of the NHS in the East of England is calling on more people to get vaccinated, as hospitals across the region continue to deal with a large number of Covid-19 cases.
"The numbers are still very high. We still have more patients coming in each day with Covid-19 into our hospitals" says Dr Sean O'Kelly, the East of England regional medical director for the health service.
He adds, "There is perhaps some indication that the rate of increase is slowing a little, but it's too early to tell whether that's a trend and it's too early to tell whether it's the beginning of of a stabilization in numbers."
Over 3.5m people in the region have taken up an offer of the booster Covid-19 jab. Dr O'Kelly says this distinction can also be evidenced in the number of people who find themselves in intensive care with the virus.
"The vast majority of patients in ICUs are unvaccinated patients. That is further evidence that vaccination really helps protects you against serious disease."
Dr O'Kelly goes on to explain why getting the third Covid-19 vaccine and measures such as maintaining social distancing or wearing masks indoors is crucial if we want to exit the pandemic this year.
"It is important to maintain these disciplined approaches so that we can help reduce transmission of the disease, not just because it's good to help get the disease down, but also since transmission is the way that new variants can occur.
"The opportunity for viruses to mutate is when they are replicating. So by helping stop transmission, we are helping stop the virus in its tracks."
A successful mass vaccination program also yields another benefit, it eases some of the pressures felt by the NHS. Dr O'Kelly explains that there are plans in place to help hospitals who are dealing with a large number of patients and staff testing positive.
"We are trying to develop additional capacity for those hospitals that need it. We are looking to see how we can help discharged patients from hospitals who are ready to be discharged, fit to be discharged, safe to be discharged, so that we can free up additional capacity.
"We're also working closely with local authorities, with voluntary sector organisations, as a system to make sure that we're all doing our bit to help each other and support each other, deliver care where it's needed and to try and support those those bits of the system that are under pressure."
He says the public can also help play their part by getting themselves vaccinated.
"The single most important thing we can all do to help ourselves and also help the NHS deal with the pressure we're facing is to get immunity from the the first, second or booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine."
From today people in England with Covid-19 will only need to isolate for five full days, if they have a negative test on days five and six.
Booster jabs are also being offered to 16 and 17 year-olds from today.