What are We to Make of the 40.5% Hospital Acquired Covid Infection?
by Dr. Ann Bradshaw According to SAGE’s briefing paper to Government, published February 12th 2021, but considered at the SAGE 78 meeting on January 28th, in the first wave of Covid infections up to 40.5% were caught in hospital. An earlier version of this paper was presented at SAGE 63 on October 22nd 2020. So the Government was aware of this three months earlier but does not appear to have publicised it. This shocking statistic is brought to life by the death of Captain Sir Tom Moore, who tested positive for Covid in a Bedfordshire Hospital, where there were significant numbers of similar cases. So it is both surprising and shocking that hospital spread has hardly been considered by the Government or indeed, been of concern to the media. Why is this? Hospital spread infection is not a new problem. In 2008 the King’s Fund published a Briefing Paper on Health Care Associated Infections in hospitals, subtitled “Stemming the Rise of the Superbug”. MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) had increased dramatically: from fewer than 100 incidents in 1990, to more than 5,000 in 2001. Although part of the increase was probably the result of better identification and reporting. There were nearly 50,000 cases of clostridium difficile in 2007 reported in acute trusts in patients aged 65 years and over. Between 2004 and 2006, ...
