Rising Numbers of Covid Infections Caught in Hospital

This is a bitter pill to swallow so let’s deal with the objections first “There are lies, damned lies and statistics”.

Newspapers – tabloid and broadsheet, have been reporting rising numbers of covid cases being contracted whilst in hospital for some time, all based on interpretation of NHS data. A recent Telegraph headline –  “More than 10,000 patients caught Covid-19 while being treated in hospital”. Joining the throng in December was the Health Service Journal, quoting just under 25% of current cases probably caught in hospital.

Without getting into debate about the precise figure, it is time to accept that a sizeable number of cases are most likely acquired whilst in hospital. Unfortunately some of these people will be in hospital due to an underlying condition and therefore at higher risk of mortality.

The definitive numbers will hopefully become clear later this year when COG-UK reports the findings of its study, currently ongoing at a number of UK hospitals.

But can we really wait until then to act?

I recently spoke with a clinician who had just undergone surgery but whilst in hospital had to tell nurses to wear their masks properly. Laziness? Ignorance?

Neither. More likely fatigue with the continual pressure.

Any system when placed under stress will start to weaken and right now the NHS is under more pressure than ever before.

It would be unfair to add to this pressure by bringing in further systems to follow. Any solution must be compatible with the reality of the current workload. There are some good studies showing the effect of ventilation on surface and airborne contamination, but in Britain, in winter?

The LumiBio system is managed by an FM team and requires absolutely no input from NHS staff nor changes to existing cleaning practices. No resources other than a 13amp socket are required. Proven effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 with no downtime or loss of resources mean no impact on bed availability. In combination with existing measures and cleaning regimes LumiBio has demonstrated outstanding results in ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ covid areas.

Reducing the rate of hospital acquired Covid-19 will undoubtably save lives. It will also reduce the pressure on already stretched resources and staff. Whilst not as headline hitting as vaccination, reducing transmission in hospitals is a vital part of getting back to normal – whatever that might be.