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.
The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Research has shown the vaccines help:
- reduce your risk of getting seriously ill or dying from COVID-19
- reduce your risk of catching or spreading COVID-19
- protect against COVID-19 variants
The latest estimates indicate that the vaccination programme has prevented around 143,000 hospitalisations, 24 million infections and 116,000 deaths across England.
Do you know anyone not yet vaccinated? Make sure they know the facts and get their vaccines to protect themselves, others and the NHS.
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