Summer Covid surge hits care homes and hospitals as 221 outbreaks recorded in UK

The spike in Covid cases is believed to be linked to the commingling of anniversary holidays, new subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 and dwindling immunity among those over 75 who have not received the spring vaccination

A summer Covid surge has caused congestion in hospitals as the NHS waiting list hit a record 6.5million.

The UK Health Security Agency said today there has been a spike in Covid outbreaks and hospitalizations over the past week.

221 outbreaks were recorded in the UK, up from 96 the previous week. Of these, 153 were in nursing homes and this was an increase from 67.

The rise is thought to be related to the commingling of the anniversary holidays, the new subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, and waning immunity in those over 75 who did not receive a spring vaccine booster.

UKHSA Director Dr. Mary Ramsay said: “After a period of low case numbers, we are now seeing an increase in outbreaks in care homes and in hospitalizations in people aged 80 and over.

“As we get into summer it is still important to remember that Covid-19 has not gone away and to get vaccinated to reduce the risk of contracting the virus seriously. If you’re not up to speed on your jabs, please get in touch now – it’s not too late to get protected.”

According to the UKHSA, the hospitalization rate was 6.10 per 100,000 population, up from 4.65 the week before.

Covid intakes were highest in the North East.

It comes as new NHS data showed patients who had to wait more than a year to start hospital treatment stood at 323,093 in April, up from 306,286 in the previous month.

The total waitlist for elective procedures such as hip surgery reached 6.5 million, up from 6.4 million in the previous month.

The unprecedented backlog comes after more than a decade of underperforming increases in funding for the NHS, then wracked by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS England, said: “There is no doubt that the NHS is still under pressure – including a renewed surge in Covid patients.”

About 12,000 patients remained hospitalized each day, although they were well enough to be discharged due to overwhelming pressure on social services.

While the overall NHS waiting list continues to rise, data showed some improvement for some of the longest wait times.

A total of 12,735 people in England were waiting more than two years to start routine hospital treatment at the end of April, NHS England said.

That’s down from 16,796 at the end of March, but nearly five times the 2,608 people who waited more than two years in April 2021.

Some 19,053 people had to wait more than 12 hours in emergency departments in England from an admission decision to actual admission in May.

The number has fallen from a record 24,138 in April.