Should we be concerned about increasing hospital admissions?

[GrannyBloomers]

With cases, admissions and deaths rising quite sharply again, I am wondering if people are concerned. I read that current numbers hopsitalised in Scotland with covid are the highest that they have been.

I appreciate that there are other worrying news stories burying this and that people are sick and tired of covid but it seems to me, that we could be heading towards a significant increase in not just cases but impact on the NHS again.

The whole point of restrictions was to keep the NHS functioning and rightly or wrongly I am concerned we could be about to find it even more crippled than it has been. From personal experience there is a little NHS care available - I know people with serious chronic conditions who cannot be care for by the GP and whose hospital clinics have closed due to lack of staff.

If restrictions were brought in to manage the impact of covid on the NHS, we might be ramping towards the fabled summer wave where restrictions are once again required.

Wait lists, delays etc all stem from covid rules - the staff isolations, the distancing, the testing and quarantining suspects - all that stops and staffing capacity massively increases

Clinics run at capacity etc

@Watapalava

Wait lists, delays etc all stem from covid rules - the staff isolations, the distancing, the testing and quarantining suspects - all that stops and staffing capacity massively increases

Clinics run at capacity etc

Do you work in the NHS?

I've always been struck throughout, and especially recently, how all medical settings have many more protections in place than everywhere else. Almost like they know what's best and what works.

@Watapalava

Wait lists, delays etc all stem from covid rules - the staff isolations, the distancing, the testing and quarantining suspects - all that stops and staffing capacity massively increases

Clinics run at capacity etc

This isn't true though @Watapalava

They're contributing sure, but you have staff sickness alongside saturation of hospitals with long stay COVID patients, and the burden of people with cardiac/renal/neurological complications from infection.

It won't simply go back to normal if all restrictions were lifted.

Added to that we can't remove all restrictions - there's going to need to be provision for certain patient groups (ICU, those on chemo/radiotherapy etc) to be isolated from infectious people/staff, which again saps resources.

I think you have your head in the sand a tad regarding this. Pretending coronavirus doesn't exist won't make it go away.

Given the lag between infection and hospitalisation, it’s not surprising there is a big surge. These are the result of the relaxing of the isolation rules - and the waning vaccinations.
So predictable.

Cases are high in Scotland

Hospital patient numbers highest in 13 months

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-60698453

I'm a bit worried as a CEV person not critically vulnerable enough to be on the list to get a second booster. My booster is 6 months old now, and I worry about what effect covid would have so long after. I think we are starting to see that with the numbers of elderly and CEV patients going up again. But no one seems to care anymore. Life is back to normal - and I get that, and I want that too. I think I'm more concerned now because I caught flu last week and was really very poorly, still struggling to breathe now - and I know that I was protected by masks and shielding before. And I know that's life, and how it always was before - but it's stopped me short that I caught something so easily and quickly, even though not covid that time.

Those doctor's threads on twitter are sobering.

My friend who is an ICU doctor is very concerned indeed.

@theemperorhasnoclothes

I've always been struck throughout, and especially recently, how all medical settings have many more protections in place than everywhere else. Almost like they know what's best and what works.

Or like people seeking medical treatment are more likely to be vulnerable...? I wouldn't expect a pub to have the same covid-related protections as a hospital for all the same reasons as I wouldn't expect a pub to be run like a hospital in any other way.

And, at the sametime cases and hospital admissions are rising, our government chooses to stop funding groups like zoe, a covid symptoms checker that monitors over 4m people in the uk,and was able to authorise covid pcr checks.

Bastards

Friend is a paediatric doctor and said her local maternity MWLU has only been re-open two months and had to close this week due to staff shortages as it went through the community team at the same time so the only staff left had to be focused on triage, delivery and postnatal etc.

I think its out of sight out of mind now, unless you work in the NHS or healthcare setting.

And the fact that most people are more worried about paying their utility and food bills as well as the impact of the Ukraine war.

@Nidan2Sandan

Of all the things I'm currently worried about, covid doesnt even make the top 10 🤷🏻‍♀️

Humans rarely worry about the things that are most likely to affect their health. See getting into a car.

@user1471453601

And, at the sametime cases and hospital admissions are rising, our government chooses to stop funding groups like zoe, a covid symptoms checker that monitors over 4m people in the uk,and was able to authorise covid pcr checks.

Bastards

Couldn't have put it better myself. Also, why do so few people apparently not understand that a pandemic doesn't stop spreading on a certain day merely because self-serving politicians decide it will? Cynically, I'm afraid the aim is "herd immunity" with the intention of creating a smaller population of "burdens on the state", such as the elderly, the vulnerable, and the chronically sick.

@Sswhinesthebest

Given the lag between infection and hospitalisation, it’s not surprising there is a big surge. These are the result of the relaxing of the isolation rules - and the waning vaccinations. So predictable.

Yep, this ^ with bells on.

Also, why do so few people apparently not understand that a pandemic doesn't stop spreading on a certain day merely because self-serving politicians decide it will?

Did anyone expect the virus to stop spreading? I don't think so.

I think we're accepting the virus and are learning to live with it. The costs of trying to restrict the virus are too big compared to the benefits.

So what is the work around then? Don't we have effective anti virals now? I would expect they would make a difference to the long stays for those admitted to hospital because of Covid complications.

@Lilaclavenders

Also, why do so few people apparently not understand that a pandemic doesn't stop spreading on a certain day merely because self-serving politicians decide it will?

Did anyone expect the virus to stop spreading? I don't think so.

I think we're accepting the virus and are learning to live with it. The costs of trying to restrict the virus are too big compared to the benefits.

That’s fine as long as you are willing to accept that the price of that is access to healthcare for other things.

A healthcare system at or beyond breaking point and a circulating pandemic virus which looks increasingly like it will cause a longer term public health burden even in those who have it mildly isn’t exactly without costs to the economy as has very few benefits.

What do you suggest?

My wonderful Father died OF Covid January 4th this year. Two months ago, he was 70 and never suffered from problems with his breathing or chest. Am struggling with all this to be honest. As are many others bereaved through this horrific virus. I've had some extremely upsetting comments if he had an 'underlying condition" or if he was not healthy etc. The "It's all over " narrative has been, and continues to be extremely distressing. We all want this to be over but it is taking lives and just pretending that everything is ok isn't the answer some mitigations should exist still no one wants more severe restrictions.

Not concerned, no. I can't be bothered to be concerned any more about anything, there's too much shit going on.

@Waxonwaxoff0

Not concerned, no. I can't be bothered to be concerned any more about anything, there's too much shit going on.

That's basically it.

I think the last two years and the constant 24 hour diet of doom and fear we have been fed have ruined me actually. I care about very little. I'm definitely not the only one.

@HesterShaw1 absolutely. 2 years of Covid, now all this with Putin, huge rises of living costs... I'm just done caring now or my brain would explode.

Well, if the next variant produces a more serious form of disease (which it could), then we will need to pay attention again.

Also if the current variant resurges off-season because vaccine protection wanes, then it's a concern - not because it will directly threaten lives, but because of the need to keep the vulnerable safe in hospital which is likely to have an impact on the rate at which the backlog can be tackled.

@Myfanwy81

My wonderful Father died OF Covid January 4th this year. Two months ago, he was 70 and never suffered from problems with his breathing or chest. Am struggling with all this to be honest. As are many others bereaved through this horrific virus. I've had some extremely upsetting comments if he had an 'underlying condition" or if he was not healthy etc. The "It's all over " narrative has been, and continues to be extremely distressing. We all want this to be over but it is taking lives and just pretending that everything is ok isn't the answer some mitigations should exist still no one wants more severe restrictions.

@Myfanwy81 so sorry for your loss I lost my df to covid in November. He was only in his 60s and fit and well (until he caught covid). It's such a horrible shock, and to hear people being so dismissive about covid is upsetting.

I am a bit worried, having been careful but not worried through the last 2 years.

Our local A&E has sent out bulk texts saying not to go unless life threatening.

I know two young people (under 30yo), no underlying issues, fully vaccinated, who have been hospitalised with covid in the last two days.
It could be one of those things, but it does make me a little twitchy as with less testing going on it would be easier for a variant to get a foothold before it's spotted as a problem.