How many are catching covid in hospital?

[lynsey91]

It seems Sir Tom most likely caught covid in hospital. My dad definitely caught it in hospital although they sent him home with a negative test.

He died 4 days later and my mum who obviously caught it from him died 2 weeks after him. This was last month.

Considering hospitals are not allowing visitors - even though my mum basically went in to die we were not allowed to visit - and staff are wearing ppe and the cleaning should be even more stringent than it was before just why and how are so many people catching it there?

My family spent from March 2020 until January 2021 keeping my parents safe. They had not been out of the house once and then dad got admitted to hospital. Mum was not allowed to visit so she did not go out even once in that time.

My sister got their shopping every week and left it on their doorstop. I live quite a distance away and would normally visit every 3 weeks. I visited twice between March and December and wore a mask both times and kept a distance.

I now feel why did we bother. No hugs in almost a year, no visits etc and all for nothing.

The annoying thing is dad was taken in for something the paramedic thought was wrong with him but there was nothing wrong. I don't blame the paramedic at all but am angry at the hospital.

Me and my siblings were really worried about covid when dad was admitted to hospital and sadly it turns out we were right to be. Hospitals do not seem to be safe places to be at present.

I could be talking nonsense, but if the elderly have been shielding for nearly a year, and then they go into hospital, does that make them more prone to get covid, because they have built up next to no immunity??

Everyone I know of who has caught covid caught it in hospital or a care home.

We had to go in last week for an appointment with OH's oncologist. We really couldn't get out fast enough. It felt very unsafe. We were told to wait in a tiny waiting area that was literally full of people - as it was outside the blood test room. Yes, every other chair had a "don't sit here" sticker on it, but people were sitting on them because there was nowhere else to sit (lots of elderly). The area was stuffy (windows wouldn't open). We were stuck there nearly an hour before we were called in to see the consultant. Then in the consultants' room (which was tiny), there were two medical students sat in the corners, the oncology nurse and the consultant, so 6 people in total in a tiny room - again, no ventilation, it was very stuffy with condensation on the windows inside.

We virtually jogged to get outside.

Just today, been to another oncology dept. for treatment, no one at the entry point checking temperatures etc, so free to wonder in to the treatment rooms. Half a dozen staff sat literally touching elbow to elbow in the office/admin area - none of them wearing masks.

We felt a hell of a lot less safe than we do in shops (usually better ventilated and more spread out), pubs/restaurants last Summer, etc. I really don't think there's anywhere near enough care to protect patients in hospitals - the staff seem far too blase about it all.

@Roastednotsalt that must have changed since November as both hospital and rehab unit did not require it, even when a case picked up by readmission to hospital required those on the same rehab ward to si.

@MegCleary

Staff in hospitals need proper PPE a proper fit tested masks for all!

I'd say it's the patients who need PPE and proper masks to protect themselves from staff and other patients/visitors.

If staff were not constantly washing their hands they wouldnt need hand cream, would they - some people very determined to blame staff when there are limits on what they can do. Very difficult to keep a mask on a demented covid patients, who may well have pulled your mask off. And the masks are woefully inadequate most of the time, you only get the sort of PPE shown on tv when doing aerosol generating procedures.

@LIZS yes constant change. One thing that I think is appalling is the STAFF UNIFORM!! We have to take it home to wash it at the end of our shift!

Around March/April time scrubs were worn and at the end of the shift it would be sent to the hospital laundry..

@lightand the only ways of building up immunity to COVID are to survive it or to be vaccinated against it.

4 of BILs colleagues (OT department) got it and so did BIL. Isolating at home (he's fine) and so far neither kid has it and DSis is awating a test result but feels fine. I thought it was really infectious

Oh gosh...Reading these threads has really got me worried. My dd has an allergy test appointment next week and I was anyway worried about taking her. I asked the lady who called if it is safe for us to go and she said that it was and it is not a covid hospital and named two other hospitals which are part of the Trust that were dealing with covid patients. I asked her when the next date would be if I asked to postpone and she said she doesn't know as this is just literally the one day that the doctor would be in . I am so worried. We have been very careful , getting click and collect shopping only and not even sending dd to preschool and now we've been offered an appointment at a hospital. I was concerned if I refused the appointment they may take dd off their books.

@SunshineCake

I've heard of a scary amount of people who are catching covid in hospital. I also wonder why isn't more being said about it along with all the fuss about the staff needing hand cream for their sore hands. Were they not washing their hands enough before ?

@lynsey91 I am so sorry for your losses .

That sounds a bit snarky. We were told in a hand hygiene session years ago that "hands are the new backs", as the constant washing and use of antibacterial gel was stripping them of the essential bacteria needed for skin health. Hand cream has been provided at hand washing stations in hospitals for a long time. I never buy antibac stuff for home (though obviously have the 70%alco gel for outside)

I know two people who went to hospital for different reasons. Tested negative on admittance, caught covid in hospital and then died.

It's awful. My grandma is 87, she's made it absolutely clear that if she has any health issues she does not want to go to hospital. She thinks she has had a good innings and would rather stay home where the family can be with her (she lives with my aunt)

@Porcupineintherough Thank you.

This is nothing new, there has always been huge spread of infection in hospitals of various things. People in hospital are by definition sick and vulnerable so it stands to reason they'll be prone to acquiring new infections. It's very sad.

Problem is that patients are in communal wards not separate rooms so it's so much easier to spread.

@BBCONEANDTWO

Problem is that patients are in communal wards not separate rooms so it's so much easier to spread.

Indeed, but even in separate rooms, there is a multitude of staff in and out, who aren't changing their gloves/gowns etc between rooms, not only nurses/doctors, but cleaners, meal deliveries, etc.

My OH constantly has to ask the nurses to change their gloves and wipe down the finger oxymeter & blood pressure cuff as they go from patient to patient when he goes for his chemo infusions. He also takes his own anti-bac wipes to wipe down the chair before he sits in it as they don't wipe chairs down between patients either.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/03/covid-coughing-study-suggests-nhs-staff-at-far-greater-risk-than-thought

Fit test us for bloody mask please

My DH is in hospital now (non Covid) and says he's being tested daily and is confident in the precautions being taken.

Hopefully he'll be out Friday - I have no doubt they'll release him asap because of the risk despite all precautions.

But what can you do? If he hadn't gone in I have no doubt at all he'd be dead by now.

I get cross with the "end Lockdown" voices because they won't see that if lockdown end too soon (and it is many months before safe), infection from covid will skyrocket, as will hospitalisations, and there will be no more capacity for thousands and thousands who will die.

Not "just the old". You. Your husband/wife. Your child(ren). Surgeons, Doctors, Nurses, Binmen, Undertakers, Gravediggers, Crematorium staff.

People of ALL AGES will die in their homes. Relatives will have to bury or burn them or leave them outside to rot. There would be very little food to buy if a shop is even open.

I know some reading this will scoff and say "Oh that can't happen".
Well it has happened before many times. Only a few hundred years ago (and modern technology can only do so much (little) without Social Distancing).

I am not Doomsaying. I am just looking at the history of the virus v Humans.

So - infected patients transmitting it or infected staff and the only way to reduce the risk is to vaccinate everyone before they come in or test daily with good quality tests.

Well, it's not the only way to reduce transmission.
Better biosecurity protocols that are adhered to go a long way to preventing the spread of infection. I imagine fomite spread is common in hospitals. But more importantly the scenario described above where too many people are being crammed into tiny airless rooms for extended periods of time is entirely unacceptable, and preventable. That is shit mangagment. Staff should be respecting social distancing whenever possible too.

Very sorry for the loss of both of your parents OP, how awful

Fomites have consistently be shown to be low risk - anyone saying otherwise is clearly not following the science, just making things up.

"too many people in airless rooms" - well just how do you plan to extend a hospital overnight? You can open the windows and maybe the patients die from exposure instead. Or do you propose throwing some out on the street - in which case the "hospitals are empty" brigade will be out in force again.

Patients are sent home as soon as they can safely go home to reduce the risk.

Someone attending an allergy clinic is not staying overnight. As many outpatients as possible are having telephone or zoom appointments to try and keep the numbers in clinics down. Wear your best quality mask.

The numbers of people infected in hospital go up and down as community transmission goes up and down. Levels in the community are falling nicely.

I’m so sorry OP that is heartbreaking. Staff are doing their best but there are flaws in the system. Three weeks ago I had to go in for a day procedure, I then started kidney dialysis and have been attending hospital three days a week ever since.

Twelve days after I left hospital I received a letter by second class post to say I’d been exposed to covid in hospital and needed to isolate for 14 days. Since the contact, I’d been to hospital 4 times for dialysis. You still have to go on for dialysis even with a positive test but they isolate you and extra precautions are taken.

Second class post is not an effective way of informing people of possible covid exposure.

Is anybody able to tell me the protocol on discharging elderly patients out of hospital environments into care facilities.
A family member has recently spent a week in hospital. She was tested upon arrival, it was negative. Understandably, the hospital did not want to keep her in for too long, so she was discharged to another NHS centre for rehab and further recovery.
Approx 6 days later, she tests positive. To the best of our knowledge and according to her notes etc, she was not tested on leaving hospital. Nor did the hospital inform us that she was being moved, it was v much a fait accompli. Staff have since admitted there is Covid in the home. Somewhat naively we were unaware of this.
What are the guidelines on discharging from hospital?

Most hospitals are really old and don't have air conditioning, just a few windows. I think people are underestimating that this virus is clearly airborne and hangs around for a long time. No amount of hand washing is going to address the airborne issue. Plus hospitals will no doubt have had lots of staffing issues, which means nurses and HCA's looking after more people. The situation is far from ideal and devastating for families, but the staff will be doing their best. We need to address the chronic underfunding of the NHS particularly around capital funding.