By Matt Jarram, Local Democracy Reporter
More than 300 people are in hospital beds in Nottingham battling coronavirus despite restrictions being lifted – with 24 deaths in the space of a week.
More than 1,000 people are still being infected with coronavirus a day across the city and county but the level of uptake in receiving a first and second dose of the vaccine is rising.
Jonathan Gribbin, director of Public Health for Nottinghamshire, told a media briefing on Friday, February 4: “There are still 1,000 people a day that are being recorded as testing positive for coronavirus. These rates are really high.
“People being admitted so frequently to hospital for an infection like this and tragically the frequency of people dying because of this is something that we should not regard as normal.
“We have to bear in mind the pressures this continues to put on services – health and social care in particular.”
On February 1, there were 365 people in hospital in total with coronavirus compared to 415 the previous week.
Eleven people were in intensive care, and 24 deaths were recorded in the week up to February 2.
Around 84 per cent of people across the city and county have had their first or second jab and two thirds have received their booster.
Mr Gribbin said around 300 people a day are still coming forward in the county to get their first jab and it is “never too late to take up this offer.”
Amanda Sullivan, from NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Our NHS is still working under considerable pressure – and whilst the number of people in hospital remains high, we are now thankfully seeing a reduction in the number of new admissions.
“We still do have people who are critically ill and unfortunately dying from coronavirus, so the pandemic is still with us. Our best protection is vaccination.
“With the unjabbed in intensive care, again, it is very clear there is a significant higher proportion of unvaccinated people that are requiring intensive care. Thankfully overall our intensive care figures have reduced – 11 now but 20 to 25 at any one time previously. That’s good news.”
She said it was important children between 12 and 15 were vaccinated and clinics will be running through half-term at the Forest Recreation Ground, Mansfield Vaccination Centre and King’s Mill Hospital.
She added: “We are particularly encouraging pregnant women to come forward for a vaccine. We do have more evidence of the benefits of this – 235 pregnant women that were admitted to intensive care (nationally) between January and September 2021, none of those had received two doses of the vaccine.”
The NHS will also be extending jabs for five to 11 year olds at risk of complications from coronavirus.
Lucy Hubber, Public Health Director for Nottingham, said: “We are still seeing very high case rates in the city. There is still a lot of people picking up Covid and potentially passing it onto people.
“The messages remain the same and never more important as we get into the habit of living with Covid. Right now, it is really important we keep with those – wearing face masks in crowded or indoor settings. The more of us that wear them the better protection we offer to each other.”
