Covid patients in region's hospitals more than double in a month

There were nearly 350 patients with coronavirus in the care of NHS trusts that run hospitals in Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell and Dudley last Tuesday, with five in mechanical ventilation beds.

Of them, 115 were at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust; 69 at The Dudley Group Trust; 88 at Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and 77 at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.

Hospitals in the region saw a 151 per cent rise in Covid patient numbers in just four weeks, with NHS England data showing that the four trusts were caring for 139 Covid patients only 28 days beforehand.

Nationally, the number of coronavirus patients hospitalised has increased by 80 per cent in the last four weeks.

It comes as the nation is feeling the impact of the new Omicron strain, and although symptoms are generally less severe than earlier variants, the rate of Covid-19 hospital admissions in England is at the highest since January 2021.

The region's health bosses have renewed their pleas for people to take up the offer of a Covid jab if they are yet to be vaccinated or need their booster vaccines.

In recent weeks, areas in the Black Country where there has been a lower rate of vaccine uptake have been targeted by health authorities sending volunteers to knock on doors to invite people to get a jab.

Sally Roberts, chief nursing officer for Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It’s important to remember that Covid-19 hasn’t gone away and we still have lots of vulnerable people in our communities.

"The vaccine remains our best protection against the virus, so getting a jab is the most important thing we can do to keep ourselves and those around us safe.

“Even if you turned down the offer of a vaccine previously, it’s not too late to come forward, whether it’s a first, second or booster dose. We want everyone to know that the offer of a vaccine is evergreen and they still have a vaccine with their name on, so please don’t delay.”

The remaining Covid-19 restrictions and mandatory self-isolation rules in England were lifted in February, and the start of this month saw the end of mass free testing across the country.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that he cannot rule out the possibility of future lockdowns.