Both in Swindon and across the country, the pandemic has created backlogs of patients waiting for routine operations and treatment.
The Government has said it expects waiting lists to get worse before they get better as people come forward for help. Relieving the burden of COVID-19, adding to existing pressures on hospital bed capacity and our GPs, can only help.
The Great Western Hospital (GWH) has recently seen a rapid increase in COVID-19 admissions. As of today (10 September), it is treating 48 patients with suspected and confirmed COVID-19 – which is around a 50% increase from this time last week. Five of these patients are currently in intensive care including some in their 20s and 30s.
Many of these patients have not received either dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The GWH is treating far more people under the age of 55 than during the first wave of the pandemic and 85% of patients in this age group are not vaccinated.