Black Country hospital chiefs dealing with 'another surge' in coronavirus as cases continue to climb

Diane Wake, chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said the rate in the borough now sat at around 250 per 100,000 but could easily be higher.

And because of these rising rates the health trust, which runs Russells Hall Hospital, re-introduced mask wearing on July 11 after a recommendation from NHS chiefs.

Ms Wake, speaking at a board meeting on Thursday, said: "We're going through another surge in Covid, we have had up to 85 inpatients in hospital and (looking at) the numbers yesterday we had 70 inpatients and 67 staff off with Covid or Covid related sickness.

"We're seeing community transmission increase as well – we're now at about 250 (per 100,000) and I want people to remember that people are not doing as much testing as they were, so the real figure is much higher.

"The main variant we're seeing is BA.5 which appears to be very transmissible. We've not reinstated social distancing, but we have mask wearing for clinical and non-clinical areas and for visitors and we think that's a reasonable ask. We will continue that for as long as we're going through that surge."

A report to board members said the community transmission rate was previously 195.1 per 100,000, on the week commencing July 6, which was then the highest in the Black Country.

Mary Sexton, director infection prevention and control at the trust, said the wards were facing two strains – BA.4 and BA.5, with the latter proving to be more problematic due to more people being asymptomatic.

Meanwhile she added work was now under way regarding the booster jab roll-out in the borough.

She told a board meeting: "There's work under way for the autumn booster programme and there has been a national announcement and this roll-out will include (those) in the one to nine (cohorts), including everyone over the age of 50 and healthcare workers.

"We're waiting for the confirmation on the timetable for when the vaccines will be delivered."

Ms Sexton added there was hope to administer the flu vaccine alongside the vaccine roll-out. The list of cohorts can be found by searching "Covid-19 vaccination priority groups".