Nearly 50% of all EKHUFT beds are occupied by Covid patients

Updated  09/01/21 @01:25am

What with the vaccine rollout to begin soon for many of those in the nine priority groups (some have already received it) across our district is welcome news, as the number of people who have entered EKHUFT with Covid and occupying both general and acute hospitals beds has reached nearly 50%.

As of the 4th Jan 2020, 47% or 460 of all general and acute beds were occupied by Covid patients, according to data released by NHS England and shown on the interactive graph above. During the Spring peak, it was treating 187 Covid patients.

In just 35 days the rise of patients being cared for with Covid at The Trust has grown by 280%, which is a truly staggering figure.

The rollout of the vaccine cannot come soon enough.

Since the beginning of the lockdown on March 23rd, 2020, 3,144 patients from the community have entered a Trust bed with Covid. We know that up to 2nd Jan 2021, 732 souls across East Kent have died in one of the Trust’s three main hospitals with Covid, meaning 77% of patients are surviving Covid.

This means the survival rate has slightly increased by 1% since our last post on this matter on Jan 1st 2021.

Any gifts no matter how small are welcome.

However, this needs putting into perspective.

1,131 have died with Covid across East Kent, in all locations. But the number of people who have died of non Covid related causes, is 6,247, meaning just 15.33% of deaths are Covid deaths.

Occupancy bed rates at the Trusts three main hospitals are:

• William Harvey Hospital – 65%

• Kent & Canterbury Hospital – 150%

• QEQM Hospital – 138%

The other three Kent based NHS Trusts are fairing far worse than we are in East Kent.

The data presented is all published and openly in the public domain. It chimes with what Martin Landray, professor of medicine and epidemiology at Oxford University has stated, when he made clear in The Times, between one in four/five die of the illness.

We have only got to where we are with Covid due to the number of patients who took part in Randomized Clinical Trials. Many of those patients approx 20,000 went onto die from the virus, but their help and assistance has enabled so many to survive. For that we should be grateful.

The one comfort we can all take from the persons dying is that each of them received the most powerful drug in the world – kindness. It work’s for everyone, it’s hard to get the dose wrong, and it’s free at the point of delivery.

The frontline staff at EKHUFT have done a miraculous job, even in a time when Covid has become more transmissible. To have a survival rate of 77% is positive and welcome news. Once again, we say thank you to all EKHUFT frontline staff dealing with Covid for their tireless effort.

Lets get that vaccine rolled out as soon as possible. That way we can save lives and save the NHS from becoming overburdened.

The Shepway Vox Team

Dissent is NOT a Crime