Hospitalisation Rates in Children

[ClimbDad]

Mumsnet removed a thread discussing hospitalisation and risks to children following the LBC interview with the hospital matron.

The Department of Health publishes hospitalisation figures by age. Daily hospitalisation of children is currently averaging 40 to 50 admissions.

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare?areaType=nation&areaName=England

The admissions criteria is designed to exclude children who are in hospital for other reasons and catch Covid-19.

I don’t know what we consider an acceptable level of risk. We haven’t had that conversation as a country, but I feel sorry for the hundreds of families living through this horrific experience every week.

@Fortherosesjoni70

In hospitals. She was quite frank about it. All the sage members were asking her things. It really was very alarming. So many staff off with covid too.

A very similar interview was on the BBC tonight. You don’t have to go hunting in depths of Twitter for it. It’s all over the mainstream media.

mobile.twitter.com/DuffellLaura/with_replies?lang=en

Her Twitter

May have been posted already, sorry if it has.. can’t see it though

Hopefully there will be clarity as soon as possible.

I wish people would leave it out with the '...but, underlying health conditions...' - I can almost hear an unsaid 'phew' when people say it. It is a dickish thing to say.

@FingersXssd83

There's been an ongoing media blackout. Nobody working in the NHS can speak out. Northern hospitals have been crippled since Oct. Only when things get bad in the south do we have stringent measures. The truth should be out in the open, which would help with compliance. Really wouldn't be surprised if the government are trying to cover up child infection stories. It's so depressing.

Yes, family members are medics in northern hospitals and this is what they were telling me too. It was hellish as far back as October.

@FingersXssd83

There's been an ongoing media blackout. Nobody working in the NHS can speak out. Northern hospitals have been crippled since Oct. Only when things get bad in the south do we have stringent measures. The truth should be out in the open, which would help with compliance. Really wouldn't be surprised if the government are trying to cover up child infection stories. It's so depressing.

Exactly. This is not about confidentiality. Nobody’s asking nurses to disclose individual patient details. If the public could see what’s going on, as they did in say Italy, then compliance would be higher.

They need to stop babying the public. Though in truth I’m sure the government does this to keep nasty details that would hurt them politically out of the press.

Thanks @LittleRen

There's been an ongoing media blackout. Nobody working in the NHS can speak out. Northern hospitals have been crippled since Oct.

Isn’t that more because the media don’t really give a damn unless it affects London? It’s been like that for years and it’s rubbish.

There's an article about staff being strong armed into keeping quiet here, sorry if it's already been posted:

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/01/nhs-england-staff-fear-speaking-out-over-covid-crisis-in-hospitals

This is where I read it. Thanks @Noellodee. I knew I wasn't making it up.

Exactly @Em777. It's all about government self preservation. Bad news about covid results in less political satisfaction.

I have close relatives who are clinicians working in northern ITUs who have had it so bad for such a long time.

They find it appalling that there is now talk of shipping southern covid patients up north when they have been struggling for so long with not a whiff of noise in the media about it.

It's not about north v south, it's about transparency, and taking politics out of healthcare to give the population the best chance at survival.

Really hope the disappearing articles is more about reassurance than cover up... hopefully we'll have more info very soon!

In October there were warnings that the hospital admissions up north were younger 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. The threads on here suggested it was because of older people still isolating.
I don’t understand her comment about ICU. 2 or 3 sick ventilated patients is nothing. I worked ICU when swine flu was here and we had 4-6 very sick ventilated swine flu patients On top of the 12-16 others. It’s ICU and what it’s designed for.
And yes NHS staff don’t speak to press As it’s in our contract to direct press to the press person (word escaped me) at the trust. It’s been like that for years so as not to bring the trust into disrepute not a Covid coverup.

I’ve come to view England very differently over the past year. Government info is often misinformation.

@Em777 I've never known a government like this one.

It is Orwellian - you're right. We need to get rid of them.

@Elephant4

I’ve come to view England very differently over the past year. Government info is often misinformation.

@Em777 I've never known a government like this one.

It is Orwellian - you're right. We need to get rid of them.

Absolutely.

tilder

I did not understand one word of your response to my post. I don't think you can have read it properly. Seriously, I wouldn't know how to respond because what you have written bears has no discernible connection to what I've written.

Look, it's not about being right and it's not particularly about keeping people calm, either. It's about getting the facts and responding appropriately. These are our children. So stop half-reading things in your haste to use words ending in mongering. You will convince no rational parent with these tactics.

My totally healthy 14 yr old (zero underlying health conditions) was one day away from being hospitalised back in May. He thought he was dying. It was horrific. His heart was galloping in his chest. I never want to go through anything like that with my kids again.
And I’m sick of people deciding who is vulnerable and who isn’t. It’s a lottery. I’m obese and nearly 50. I was barely affected. My DH is younger than me and slim and felt awful for about 4-5 months. His fingernails fell off!

I think everything now has to go through PHE @Elephant4 which is why we aren't getting many stories from the front line.

I believe there was a massive issue in Liverpool a few months ago when they let the cameras in.

Stinks really, it's a public service that we pay for so we should have 100% transparency, not least when it's about a very scary public health issue!

She didn't actually say that the children are unwell because of Covid though did she?

She's clearly concerned. A matron doesn't get to where she is by panicking and they are very, very used to sick children. It is deeply ingrained into matrons that they must never, ever alarm a parent unnecessarily. She has gone on the record making these comments as a highly experienced professional carrying huge amounts of responsibility.

If she's worried, I'm worried.

Really what you are saying @FingersXssd83 - is that everything is now being controlled.

That must apply everywhere and explains why even Mumsnet is now censoring what is talked about on it's forums.

This is not something to be taken lightly, is it? You talk about it as if it's nothing serious (sorry I don't mean to accuse) - but it frightens me how passively we are all taking this.

Unfortunately, I do not think the government would be quick off the mark in warning us if children were becoming more ill, or ill in larger numbers as a result of the new strain. They are incompetent and lack transparency. They have also hamstrung the NHS in every way imaginable.

We already know that more children seem to be getting Covid with the new strain. We don't know if the course of the illness is still different in children. We can only hope so.

Just like everything else, if there is increased risk to children, we will probably hear when it's too late to halt the first wave.

And the fingers in the ears responses on the threads tonight are so reminiscent of March 2020. It's not cool. It's silly.

@Mistlewoeandwhine

My totally healthy 14 yr old (zero underlying health conditions) was one day away from being hospitalised back in May. He thought he was dying. It was horrific. His heart was galloping in his chest. I never want to go through anything like that with my kids again. And I’m sick of people deciding who is vulnerable and who isn’t. It’s a lottery. I’m obese and nearly 50. I was barely affected. My DH is younger than me and slim and felt awful for about 4-5 months. His fingernails fell off!

Sounds so awful. Hope your dh and son are on the mend. Just absolutely terrifying for you and your son.

@Elephant4

I’ve come to view England very differently over the past year. Government info is often misinformation.

@Em777 I've never known a government like this one.

It is Orwellian - you're right. We need to get rid of them.

I have always held such a high opinion of British democracy compared to that of my home country, so this year has been unsettling. We desperately need better transparency and accountability. For the government to level with the public so that we can look out for each other, and truly be “in this together”.

@ClimbDad

Mumsnet removed a thread discussing hospitalisation and risks to children following the LBC interview with the hospital matron.

The Department of Health publishes hospitalisation figures by age. Daily hospitalisation of children is currently averaging 40 to 50 admissions.

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare?areaType=nation&areaName=England

The admissions criteria is designed to exclude children who are in hospital for other reasons and catch Covid-19.

I don’t know what we consider an acceptable level of risk. We haven’t had that conversation as a country, but I feel sorry for the hundreds of families living through this horrific experience every week.

You are incorrect. The admissions figure does include those who were diagnosed after admission (ie those who were admitted for any reason and subsequently diagnosed with COVID)

See ethe About the Data definition on the government dashboard
“ England data include people admitted to hospital who tested positive for COVID-19 in the 14 days prior to admission, and those who tested positive in hospital after admission. Inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 after admission are reported as being admitted on the day prior to their diagnosis.”

And see the NHS England website for the daily breakdown by age and region. In November about 2/3 of the reported admissions for children were diagnosed after admission.

www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-hospital-activity/

Oh I'm very concerned, been indoors pretty much since the first lockdown. Won't be putting myself or others at risk. I have children and they will be protected too. I think it's up to us individually and how we respond to get ourselves through this. I won't be leaving keeping my family safe up to the government that's for sure!

And this word 'mongering' - used right, left and centre as justification for censorship. It's not mongering when it's the truth. Let's not pretend those using word don't have personal, financial interests at stake.

I'm sure most parents would rather be informed than protected.

If we could all stay out of our echo chambers and focus on the emerging science, that might be a responsible thing to do.

The Govt want the economy to run. If parents are at home. It simply cant. They dont want to shut the schools. They want them to remain open. That has been their mantra. It has never ever been about the children. Its about business hence the media silence about schools and the Govt sticking to its mantra to keep schools open.