More than 40 Covid cases at Scarborough Hospital as public urged to book boosters

As of Tuesday October 25, there were at least 41 Covid-19 positive patients at Scarborough Hospital, according to the NHS.

This compares to 44 patients who tested positive at the same time the previous week, though the vast majority of patients who have tested positive for Covid are in hospital for other conditions and are asymptomatic or experiencing mild symptoms.

Due to the rate of Covid infections “rising in the hospital and community”, patients and visitors are once again required to wear a surgical mask or face covering when entering hospital premises.

However, as of the end of September the York and Scarborough NHS Trust website is no longer being updated with daily figures on the number of Covid positive patients in hospital.

According to the trust, this is in line with other illnesses where case rates may fluctuate, such as flu.

Testing for Covid has seen a major increase recently, according to the Government’s Covid data website, which states that between 13 – 19 October 2022, there have been 1,065 tests in Scarborough, which shows an increase of 629.5 per cent compared to the previous seven days.

A spokesperson for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We expect Covid and flu to be circulating at the same time this winter, so it is vital that all those eligible continue to get their vaccines which we know is the best way to get protected and significantly reduce the risk of serious illness.”

The NHS Trust told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “It is important that the public know what they need to do to keep well throughout winter months and expert advice can be found at www.nhs.uk/staywell/.”

According to the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, several GP practices in the Scarborough and Filey area have additional capacity to deliver COVID vaccinations for their patients in the coming fortnight.

These include the Hunmanby, Filey, Hackness Road, and Scarborough Medical Group practices and booster appointments can be booked by calling the surgery.

A spokesperson for Filey and Scarborough Healthier Communities Network primary care network, said: “Anybody over 50 who had their last vaccine more than 91 days ago is eligible unless they have had COVID in the last 28 days.”

Patients who are not registered with one of these practices can still access a Covid booster by booking through the NHS National Booking Service or by calling 119.