Homerton Hospital "stretched" as Covid cases surge
An ambulance crew load an empty bed onto an ambulance outside the Royal London Hospital, in London. - Credit: PA
Echoing words which first came out of Homerton Hospital in April, a spokesperson said on Thursday that "every day is like a major incident at the moment".
Homerton is not currently classed as such, but major incidents have been declared in Essex and Buckinghamshire, with local authorities calling on the military to help deal with a surge in coronavirus cases.
Chief executive of Homerton Hospital Tracey Fletcher urged residents to stay home to save lives and help reduce the likelihood of over-capacity in the city's hospitals.
She said on Twitter: "We at NHS Homerton are even busier, our fantastic staff are even more stretched and very sick Covid patients continue to arrive."
Hackney currently has 830 cases per 100,000 people, according to Public Health England (PHE), increasing from 525 on the week ending December 16.
The latest government figures show Homerton Hospital is dealing with about 14 Covid-19 patients admitted daily, with 97 currently being treated in the hospital and 11 patients on ventilation.
READ MORE: Homerton Hospital rated ‘Outstanding’ by CQC
The most recent Hackney council data shows Hackney within the top 10 London boroughs with the highest Covid-19 case rates.
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Clissold Ward had the highest number of cases in the borough - 1,110 cases per 100,000 people - an increase of 56 per cent on the previous week.
It is followed by De Beauvoir which saw 1,067 cases per 100,000, then King's Park and Hackney Central.
Covid-19 cases are highest in the 20-39 age group and rising rapidly, with that age group and people over 80 seeing the largest percentage increase in the number of cases between last week ending December 23 and the week previous.
Though cases are high the council data shows that, following a sharp increase in deaths in Hackney between March and mid-May, largely attributed to the virus, the number of deaths in Hackney and City has since remained similar to the average number of deaths over the past five years.
READ MORE: Homerton hospital “legend” retires after 38 years