Health

Hospitals In England Relax Covid Rules To Help Tackle Waiting Lists

Hospitals in England relax Covid rules to help tackle waiting lists

Ministers have ordered a major relaxation of coronavirus infection control measures in England’s hospitals in an effort to make it easier to tackle the backlog.

The move follows a review, led by the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, Dr Jenny Harries, into whether the NHS could start to remove some Covid rules and enable medics to see more patients.

Currently, stringent guidelines designed to protect staff, patients and visitors from coronavirus, in place since the early part of last year, also make it harder to treat the rising numbers in need of elective care.

A record 5.6 million people in England are waiting for treatment, according to the latest NHS data.

Three key recommendations for elective care were accepted by Sajid Javid, the health secretary, on Monday. Each comes into force immediately.

They involve cutting social distancing from 2 metres to 1, dropping the need for patients to isolate before operations, and adopting “standard” rather than “advanced” cleaning procedures.

They are likely to prompt concern among some health professionals and scientists, as the virus continues to infect tens of thousands in the UK each day. Trisha Greenhalgh, professor of primary healthcare at the University of Oxford, said on Twitter that the relaxation of rules could “make things worse”.

Dr Simon Clarke, associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, said the changes appeared “generally reasonable” and should be implemented where they can to “improve access to healthcare”. However, he warned that false negative test results could mean that “some asymptomatically infected patients will be put on wards with vulnerable patients”.

Clarke also said the new cleaning guidance “smacks of corner-cutting” and “may well lead to transmission of Covid-19 and other infections in our hospitals”.

The changes come hours after it emerged that the UK has joined a handful of countries to have fully vaccinated two-thirds of its population against Covid.

More than 44.7m second doses have been delivered in the UK, government figures show – the equivalent of just over 66.6% of the total population. Other countries to have passed this mark include Belgium, Canada, Chile, Singapore and Spain.

“As ever more people benefit from the protection of our phenomenal vaccination campaign, we can now safely begin to relieve some of the most stringent infection control measures where they are no longer necessary to benefit patients and ease the burden on hardworking NHS staff,” said Javid.

A new analysis by the Health Foundation warned on Monday that the waiting list is likely to “grow significantly”. It suggested that 7.5 million fewer people were sent for hospital care than expected during the pandemic.

While it is not clear whether all those will eventually come forward to seek help, the thinktank warned the waiting list will “continue to grow” over the next few years. Boris Johnson conceded this month that the backlog would “get worse before it gets better”.

Now fresh advice will be issued to hospitals over how they carry out elective care, Harries said, as more of the population is vaccinated and scientists understand more about how the infection is transmitted and how it can be contained.

The review says NHS staff working in areas where Covid control measures have been relaxed should be fully vaccinated, asymptomatic and not be a contact of a positive case.

“We have reviewed the existing Covid-19 evidence-based guidance and made a series of initial pragmatic recommendations on how local providers can start to safely remove some of the interventions that have been in place in elective care specifically for Covid-19,” said Harries. “This is a first step to help the NHS treat more patients more quickly, while ensuring their safety and balancing their different needs for care.”

The guidance will not apply to certain areas, such as emergency departments.

Patients preparing to undergo elective operations, such as hip or knee surgery, will no longer need to have a negative PCR test or isolate for three days before the procedure. Instead, patients in “low-risk” groups who are double vaccinated and asymptomatic will take a lateral flow test on the day.

Health

Wike approves recruitment of 34 resident doctors for FCT hospitals

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has approved the recruitment of 34 resident doctors for a seven-year residency training to enhance health-care delivery in FCT.

Mr Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Public Communications and Social Media, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.

Olayinka explained that the 34 doctors would be the first batch of 60 medical doctors approved for residency training in eight specialities in FCT Administration hospitals.

He said that five out of the 34 doctors would work in the psychiatric department, four in internal medicine and one in general surgery.

Others, he said would comprise one in anesthesiology, eight in family medicine, six in ophthalmology and nine in obstetrics and gynaecology.

“This is the first time this is being done outside employees of the Health Management Board, thereby, giving doctors more opportunity and bringing more competent hands into healthcare delivery in the FCT,” he said.

The spokesman added that the remaining 26 doctors would be recruited in due course by the FCTA Civil Service Commission.

He said that the 26 doctors would comprise one for psychiatry department, four for internal medicine, eight for general surgery, five in anesthesiology, and eight paediatrics.

Health

Ogun Govt confirms Lassa fever outbreak as NYSC member dies

A 25-year-old member of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), has reportedly died of Lassa fever at a secondary health facility in ljebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State.

It was gathered that the female corp member who fell sick while in Ondo State, was brought to the health facility last Tuesday and later died same day.

This was contained in a statement made available to DAILY POST and signed by the Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, on Wednesday.

Coker also confirmed the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state.

The statement reads, “Ogun State has confirmed a case of Lassa Fever and as such declared Lassa fever outbreak.

“The index case is a 25-year-old female National Youth Corp member who fell sick while in Ondo State and was brought to on of our secondary health facility in ljebu North LGA on 18th March 2025 and later died same day.

“ Lassa fever is a viral Haemorrhagic disease that presents with High grade fever, Headache, General body weakness, Sore throat, Muscle pain, Cough, Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhoea, Chest pain and Unexplained bleeding from the ears, eyes, nose, mouth and other body openings.”

Coker urged members of the community to report to the hospital if any of the listed symptoms is noticed.

“We implore members of the community to promptly report to the hospital if they notice any of these symptoms. Any case of febrile illness that has not responded to 48 hours use of anti-malaria or antibiotics should raise an index of suspicion for Lassa fever!

“We implore all Health facilities in Ogun State, public and private, to step up Infection Prevention and Control measures and to encourage compliance by all health facility staff.

“ Healthcare worker that suspects Lassa fever in a patient, are advised to call their local government disease surveillance and notification officer (LGA DSNO) whose numbers are placed in our health facilities or call State Disease surveillance and Notification Officer (0703-421-4893) or State Epidemiologist (0808-425-0881),” she added.

The commissioner, however reiterated the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration’s dedication to protecting the health of the citizens through continuous surveillance and prompt response to infectious diseases.

She added that the ministry in collaboration with the Rapid Response Team at ljebu North East is keeping the situation under control with enhanced surveillance and community engagement and mobilization for effective response.

Health

Lassa Fever: Death toll rises to 15 in Edo

The Edo Government has confirmed 15 deaths from Lassa fever since the outbreak of the disease in the state in December 2024.

The Director of Public Health, Edo State Ministry of Health, Dr Stephenson Ojeifo, disclosed this on Tuesday in Benin while responding to concerns on social media regarding the government’s efforts in tackling the outbreak.

“As of today, Edo State has recorded over 1,000 suspected cases of Lassa fever. Out of these, 103 have tested positive

“From the 103 confirmed cases, we have recorded 15 deaths, while others have been treated and discharged,” he said.

Ojeifo asserted that Gov. Monday Okpebholo had strengthened surveillance and contact tracing efforts, ensuring that all necessary resources were available to contain the outbreak.

He, however, attributed the high mortality rate to late referrals, noting that many patients arrive at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) in critical condition.

“The problem is that patients are only referred to ISTH when their condition has deteriorated.

“We have been sensitising residents to seek medical attention if they experience persistent fever that does not resolve, so that samples can be tested and treatment can commence early if needed,” he said.

The director urged healthcare providers to avoid delays in referring suspected cases to designated treatment centres.

He warned that any hospital found treating Lassa fever patients without proper authorisation would face sanctions.

In addition to the Lassa fever outbreak, Ojeifo disclosed that the state had recorded 11 suspected cases of Mpox, with five confirmed positives.

He, however, said that no deaths were recorded, as all affected individuals received timely medical attention.