Data published on Friday shows that the proportion of ‘Covid’ hospital patients in England who are in hospital for a different reason and only test positive for Covid incidentally has increased to 33%. Mail Online has more.
One in three patients hospitalised with Covid in England aren’t actually being treated for the virus itself, official data revealed today.
NHS figures show the proportion of so-called ‘incidental’ admissions – patients who happen to test positive after seeking care for a different ailment – is continuing to tick upwards.
Just 5,578 of the 8,321 virus-infected patients receiving hospital care in England on December 28th were primarily being treated for Covid, equating to around 67%.
This is down from 71% from a week prior and 74% down from the start of December, in another sign the Omicron wave is milder than previous surges.
These cases are from patients taken to hospital for an unrelated reason, such as a fall or broken bone, who just happen to then discover they also have the virus.
It means thousands of patients who are being counted as coronavirus admissions – suggesting they are severely ill with the condition – are not actually suffering seriously with the virus.
Many only tested positive once they were on wards – and may have simply caught the virus while there.
It has raised concerns that the headline statistics – which drive Government decisions on restrictions and lockdowns – are overestimating how many people are dangerously sick with Covid.
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