Rotherham Hospital prepared in case of second wave of coronavirus

With outdoor markets, car showrooms and non-essential retail set to open in the coming weeks, concerns have been raised about a potential second spike in cases.

The World Health Organisation has warned that countries could face a second peak of infections if they ease measures to halt the outbreak too early.

Dr Mike Ryan, the executive director of the WHO's health emergencies program, said at an online briefing that pandemics are often seen in waves, and that we could see outbreaks later this year after the first wave has subsided.

Although no specific plans have been made at Rotherham Hospital for a second wave, the preparations made for the first peak are still in place.

George Briggs, chief operating officer at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As of 8am on Tuesday 26 May, we had 50 patients in Rotherham Hospital who have tested positive for Covid-19. This is lower than the number of patients we had in a few weeks ago, but we urge people to continue social distancing when out of the house, and to stay at home as much as possible. At our peak, we had 72 positive patients in the hospital.

“All the preparations we made ahead of the first peak are still in place and we remain flexible to adapt our bed base according to need. We aren’t making any specific preparations for a second peak.

“Over the last few months, we have put in place processes for patients attending our Urgent and Emergency Care Centre to keep suspected Covid, and non-Covid patients separate, we have opened dedicated wards for Covid patients and have created a temporary critical care unit which gives us more bed capacity, should it be needed.

"We envisage the larger critical care unit to remain in place for some time before relocating back to their normal area.”

Teresa Roche, Rotherham Council’s Director of Public Health said: “The Covid-19 situation continues to evolve, we must all continue to make sure that we observe social distancing, hand washing and stay safe.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to The Star website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Visit https://www.thestar.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.