#norovirus

#norovirus

The government, and health service leaders, must pay attention to the chaos inside Emergency Departments this winter, which are buckling under the pressure because of a failure to prepare for predictable surges in seasonal illnesses. That's the key takeaway from NHS England's latest stats on the pressures the Urgent and Emergency Care system is under in England, published today, according to the Royal College of Medicine (RCEM).

Today's data, from NHSE's latest weekly winter situation report, covers the week ending 25 January. It showed that bed occupancy in English hospitals remains dangerously high, at 94.6%, while more than 14,000 people medically fit to be discharged from hospital were still stuck in beds. On a given day, there were on average 50,368 patients who had been in a hospital bed for seven days or longer, showing problems lie at the 'back door' of hospitals.

A new norovirus strain, known as GII.17, spiked throughout the Bay Area last winter, according to wastewater monitoring that tracks disease trends. Experts say the strain spreads more efficiently than earlier versions of the so-called winter vomiting disease. Older adults are especially vulnerable, facing complications such as dehydration from gastrointestinal illnesses. As winter returns, the virus is again circulating, with high concentrations reported in the East Bay and on the Peninsula.

there are four Lysol brand products listed as registered antimicrobial products effective against Norovirus: Lysol Disinfectant Spray, Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner, Lysol Foaming Disinfectant Basin Tub & Tile Cleaner II, and Lysol Bleach Mold And Mildew Remover. Joshua Murphy, senior R&D associate at Reckitt, the company that produces Lysol, shares that the company did in-home non-porous surface transmission tests on Lysol Disinfectant Spray to show that the product doesn't just kill norovirus, but it also reduces the spread of the flu, COVID-19, and the common cold.

In the week up to Sunday there were 2,660 flu cases a day on average in hospital and NHS England said the numbers had continued rising this week. NHS England said it was the equivalent of having three hospitals full of flu patients, with some reporting nearly one in 10 beds occupied by patients with the virus. Officials said the numbers had continued rising this week with fears it may top 5,000 by the weekend.

These figures show just how dangerous the situation is getting across our NHS hospitals. Wards and emergency departments were full to start with but now a surging flu virus could soon overwhelm them. With the peak not even here yet and corridor care already rife across the NHS, nursing staff are deeply worried about how they will maintain the safety and dignity of patients. We're clear that treating people in unsafe, non-clinical areas like corridors, store cupboards and offices is not an acceptable response. Ministers need to act to protect patients this winter.