Bristol hospitals under "extreme pressure" as coronavirus cases continue to rise
Report by Max Walsh
Bristol is at a "critical point" in the pandemic, according to health experts, saying hospitals are under "extreme pressure".
Bristol has one of the highest rates of coronavirus infections across England, according to the latest city council summary.
Cases of Covid-19 are continuing to rise, with latest figures showing more than 2,200 new cases in a week.
The current rate in Bristol is just above 486 cases per 100,000, that is compared to the national average of 271 per 100,000.
Currently, there are more Covid-19 patients in hospitals across the West Country than there were at the peak of the first wave.
However, there are less people seriously ill and in intensive care.
Christina Gray, Bristol's director of public health said the "extreme pressures" on Bristol's hospitals was due to the "perfect storm" which she described as the combination of:
Trying to keep routine going
Managing Covid-19 patients directly
Reduced capacity due to social distancing
Data now reveals that the spread of coronavirus in Bristol is mainly taking place in working adults, as well as those over 60 - not students like it was originally thought.
This, Christina Gray says, is putting additional pressure on hospitals in the city.
She also warned that when the lockdown ends on December 2, it is likely to be the beginning and not the end of Covid-19 restrictions.
She hinted that restrictions will remain in place throughout the winter, saying we are in it for the "long haul."
Elsewhere in the region, cases of coronavirus also continue to rise:
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