Face masks are being brought back in one Greater Manchester hospital, as it is hit with a wave of viruses and infections.
The Royal Bolton Hospital has announced today (Monday, January 6) that is will be reintroducing face masks in patient areas. The ruling means that all staff, patients and visitors have to wear surgical face masks in inpatient areas from today.
It comes as Greater Manchester, along with the rest of the country, faces a ‘tidal wave’ of Covid-19, flu, RSV and norovirus. The NHS has has warned it could be seeing its worst ever winter flu season as cases continue to soar, with Greater Manchester seeing almost three times the number of people in hospital with flu compared to this time last year.
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Hospitals throughout the region are also dealing with a surge in patients including those suffering from chronic respiratory conditions, which often worsen in cold weather. The impending cold and icy conditions pose additional risks for individuals with long-term health issues and those who are more vulnerable, says the health service, increasing the risk of falls and injuries.
The NHS has called the huge uptick in illnesses a ‘quad-demic’ of Covid-19, flu, norovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus.
“Royal Bolton Hospital is introducing face masks in patient areas to prevent the spread of viruses and infection,” said a spokesperson for the Royal Bolton Hospital today.
“The hospital has seen a high number of flu cases in recent weeks, with 42 patients in the hospital with flu on Thursday 2 January, up from an average of seven in September.
“To address this, all staff, patients and visitors are being asked to wear fluid repellent surgical face masks in inpatient areas from Monday 6 January.
“Supplies of face masks are available throughout the hospital site.”
The Royal Bolton Hospital -Credit:Manchester Evening News
Tyrone Roberts, Chief Nursing Officer, added: “We’ll be keeping this temporary measure under review until the peak of flu infections reduce in the coming weeks. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding in keeping everyone as safe as possible while they’re in our care or at work.”
An average of 4,469 patients were in England’s hospitals with flu in the week ending Sunday December 29, according to the latest official figures. That’s five-times as many cases as the same time last year when there were an average of 942 in hospital with flu, and is more than double the average at the same time in 2022 when there were 2,088 flu patients in hospital.
A total of 4,102 people spent Christmas Day in hospital with flu this year, while the number of patients peaked on Sunday when there were 5,074. Greater Manchester is also experiencing far more cases this year.
There were an average of 197.3 patients in the region’s hospital beds in the week ending December 29. That’s up from 150.7 a week earlier and is almost three times as many as the same time last year when there was an average of 69.4. In 2022 however, there were an average of 406.4 patients in hospital with flu over the same seven day period.