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The number of key workers and family members who test positive on Covid-19 has exceeded the number of sick people who test positive at hospitals.
New figures showing 2,067 key workers tested positive for a new daily count prompted calls for more focus on how and why health and social workers were contracting coronaviruses and to ensure they continue to have personal protective equipment ( PPE) required.
The number of key workers and family members who tested positive reflects a significant increase in testing for that cohort, known as “Pillar 2” of the government’s testing strategy, but experts say it also emphasizes where new cases are occurring. recent.
On Sunday, 42,336 were assessed in Pillar 2, more than double that in Pillar 1, which covers the swab test in England’s Public Health laboratories and NHS hospitals for those with a clinical need, and also includes some health and care.
But the sheer importance of daily positive testing among key workers and their families outperforming that of hospital patients, which was 1,918, was highlighted by experts and health worker representatives on a day when the top scientific advisor government Sir Patrick Vallance warned parliamentarians. that there was a risk that the infections would return to the community from hospitals and residences.
A spokesperson for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said: “The reality is that health and care workers are at increased risk of contracting this virus simply by doing their job.
“These figures reinforce the urgent need to provide adequate protective equipment to all health professionals, so that they can protect themselves, their families and their patients.”
Government data showed that of 20,620 people evaluated in hospitals and laboratories, the percentage of positive results was 9.3%, while of 42,336 tests carried out for health, social assistance and other essential workers and their homes, the percentage of results positive was 4.8%.
Epidemiologist Anne Johnson of University College London said it was very good news that transmission of Covid-19 in general community settings was being suppressed, but further research on coronavirus transmission in health and social settings, including among health personnel was necessary.
“The blockade has been successful because it has greatly reduced transmissions between homes and that is appreciated. But where much of the infection can occur is in homes and in a hospital and social care setting. That’s where we need to see much more detailed data on people testing positive for Covid-19.
“If you look at those cases, there are people who have recently been infected. It suggests to me that for many of the new infections, a fairly high proportion is happening in healthcare settings and among other key workers and their families. “
Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, president of the Association of Doctors from the United Kingdom, a grassroots group that puts pressure on the medical profession and the NHS in general, said her fears about the risks to health workers appear to be well founded on the basis of the latest figures.
“The UK Doctors Association has been lobbying the NHS England to monitor and publish health worker infection rates for many weeks as part of our Protect the Frontline campaign,” he said.
“While we cannot combine correlation with causation, we have always suggested that this may act as a surrogate marker for how well the UK guidance on PPE is doing. We remain incredibly concerned that health workers are running a considerable risk, in part due to a lack of adequate PPE.
“It seems to look at these numbers that those fears are well founded. We now urge the Department of Health and the NHS in England to produce more detailed data on health worker infections so that we can protect NHS staff on the front lines as a matter of urgency. “
Describing the numbers as “disturbing,” TSSA’s railway workers union said they underscored the need to make the safety of key workers a “number one priority.”
“In public transport, it also means not increasing services prematurely and certainly not before the physical distance of at least 2 meters between our members and passengers can be guaranteed at all times,” said TSSA Secretary General Manuel Cuts.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Assistance said: “We are making it quick and simple for all eligible people who need a test to get one.”
The spokesperson added that the government had more than doubled the capacity of the NHS and Public Health England laboratories, and was working to ensure that the protective equipment reaches the personnel who need it.
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