Non-Urgent Surgeries Axed as Covid Hospitalisations Surge
Non-urgent hospital surgeries and appointments in Greater Manchester are being postponed after a sharp rise in coronavirus admissions. The number of Covid patients in hospital jumped by 64 in just one week, from 68 to 132 in the week ending 3 November.
Hospital bosses confirmed urgent care, including cancer treatments, will carry on as normal. But non-urgent procedures are “pausing” to free up critical care space for the rising tide of Covid cases.
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said those affected by delays will be contacted directly by hospitals.
Covid Cases and Deaths Climb Across UK
Covid is continuing to surge nationwide. In the latest 24-hour period, the UK recorded 413 new deaths – 58 more than the previous day – pushing England’s hospital death toll to 34,374.
The number of positive tests jumped to 24,957, up 1,670 from Friday’s 23,287. Wales also saw 958 new cases and 32 new deaths, bringing its total fatalities to 2,014 since the pandemic began.
England had already been under strict Tier 3 restrictions before Thursday’s national lockdown.
US Battles Record Covid Crisis
Across the pond, the US hit a grim new milestone with a record four days running of soaring Covid cases. On Saturday alone, 131,420 new infections were reported, pushing total cases near 9.91 million.
Seventeen states recorded record one-day rises, while 14 states reported record numbers of Covid hospitalisations. Deaths topped 1,000 nationwide for the fifth straight day.
Ten states – including Arkansas, Idaho, and Minnesota – have reported record daily deaths in early November.
Worryingly, the US is now averaging over 100,000 new cases a day, exceeding the combined rate for India and France, two of the world’s worst-hit countries.
