Covid cases in Devon's hospitals hit new peak

More than 400 people now have covid in Devon’s hospitals - which is 30% higher than any other point during the pandemic.

The figures were revealed at a council scrutiny meeting yesterday (March 24). Dr Phil Norrey, Devon County Council’s chief executive, warned of the 'very significant impact' on the NHS’s ability to deal with other emergency admissions and surgeries.

Dr Norrey added that, as of Wednesday 23 March, there were 46 'significant outbreaks' of covid in Devon’s care homes, which is 'right at the top end in terms of what we’ve experienced so far.'

It comes days after the two year anniversary of the first covid lockdown.

Covid cases have continued to rise since all restrictions ended in England at the end of February - including the legal requirement to self-isolate with the virus.

Free mass testing will also stop from Friday 1 April.

"The relaxation of restrictions and the stepping down effectively of the testing regime means that we’ve got a much higher incidence [of covid] in the population. The impact of that is still significant but I guess the government’s view is it’s kind of liveable," Dr Norrey said.

He went on to say public health professionals did not share the view of health secretary Sajid Javid, who this week said there was "no particular cause for concern" about the rapidly rising number of cases.

That is no longer the case in Devon, however, where hospital numbers are now higher than the previous peak in January 2021 – before most people had received a vaccine.

The proportion of people who are becoming seriously ill with the virus has reduced since the previous peak thanks to the vaccine.

Of the 416 people now in hospital with covid, NHS Devon says only six are in intensive care.

In addition, 40% of these people were not originally admitted to hospital because of Covid. They caught the virus while in hospital for a different reason, councillors were told.

Dr Norrey said public health are monitoring the growing covid cases carefully.

"I think there’s quite a lot of contingency and scenario planning around what happens this autumn if we see continued high levels, possibly with another sub-variant,

"If we haven’t managed to match the fourth round of vaccinations with the trajectory of the disease, we could find ourselves in a much more significant position," he said.

Vulnerable people in Devon, including the over-75s, the clinically vulnerable and residents of older adult care homes are now being offered their second covid booster jab – making it their fourth.

NHS Devon is reminding people not to visit hospital if they are unwell or have the virus. Visitors must also still wear a face covering, unless exempt.

Two of the county’s hospitals – North Devon District and South Molton – have also restricted visiting because of an increase in cases.

• By LDRS reporter Ollie Heptinstall