NHS urges Brits to 'mask up' again as Covid cases soar throughout Christmas

26 December 2023 , 16:31

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NHS staff are masking up again to mitigate the growing spread of Covid-19 over the winter, and are urging Brits to do the same (Image: Getty Images)

Brits are being warned to "mask up" again as medics have been seeing Covid cases soar.

The number of people testing positive has been on the up again during the Christmas period, including tragically the number of recorded deaths, too. It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns of an emerging strain "of interest" named JN.1.

Now NHS staff have called for action as many hospitals are struggling to bear the brunt of extra patients amidst the rising cases of other winter viruses such as flu. The Royal College of Nursing has backed calls by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for urgent action to be taken.

RCN officials have written to to nursing officers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland demanding marks to be worn to mitigate the spread, which is still not legal practice but has been advised by the WHO. A spokesperson said: "We also have concerns about the adequacy of ventilation in general ward and outpatient areas within hospital buildings and believe that action must be taken to assess and improve this."

As reported by Daily Star, the RCN added: "Although evidence suggests that the global public health risks from the new variant are low, WHO has warned that onset of winter could increase the burden of respiratory infections in the Northern hemisphere. This comes when there are already unsustainable pressures on the health service.

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"Figures show that there has been a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations, and the RCN argues that without proper protections, ill health could continue to rise in nursing staff and impact their ability to deliver safe and effective patient care." Earlier this month the World Health Organisation advised that all health facilities bring in masking rules, and that respirators and other personal protective equipment for health workers caring for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients also be introduced.

The UK had actually seen a huge rise in positive cases at the start of December, in the seven days up to and including December 13. That seven-day period saw a whopping 1023.43 positive cases reported in England on a seven-day rolling average, totalling 7,164 actual cases which was up 36% on the previous seven days.

The figure has been slowly rising all month, with around 166 weekly deaths reported as well. That figure is up 4.4% on the previous week, with a shocking rise of 22.3% in hospital admission also reported. That figure now stands at 3,203 people in hospital across England.

Adam Cailler