One in three people in Croydon may have had Coronavirus
By Tara O’Connor, local democracy reporter
In 2020, 17,000 people tested positive for coronavirus in Croydon and one in five deaths in the borough was a result of the virus, the council’s director of public health has revealed.
Rachel Flowers told a meeting last night (Tuesday, January 26) that a study by Edge Health has estimated that one in three people in the borough may have had the virus in the past year.
And now more than 2,100 coronavirus patients have been treated at Croydon University Hospital since the start of the pandemic.
While the rate of infection in the borough is coming down, the pressure on the London Road hospital remains high.
As of Tuesday (January 26) 210 coronavirus patients were being treated at the hospital while another 70 were awaiting Covid-19 test results.
Of these patients, 18 were in intensive care while 20 were being treated with non-invasive oxygen.
For the seven days up to January 21 there was a rate of 585 cases per 100,000 in Croydon, down from a peak of 1,204per 100,000 in the seven days up to January 4.
But on the same day that the UK passed the grim 100,000 person death toll from the pandemic, Croydon University Hospital has now seen more than 500 patients die after testing positive for Covid-19.
Chief executive of Croydon University Hospital, Matthew Kershaw, said that to cope with pressure some non-urgent operations have been postponed, but treatments for serious illnesses like cancer and strokes continue as does diagnostic work.
He added: “Staff have been truly remarkable throughout this pandemic, we are supporting them very significantly;y looking after them means they can look after our patients.”
The hospital was one of the first 50 vaccine hubs in the country and has since vaccinated 10,000 people.
There are also six vaccination hubs across the borough and a large centre at Selhurst Park is set to open early next month- with this Croydon is expected to administer 50,000 jabs of the first dose of the vaccination by the middle of February.
Croydon has the highest number of care homes of any London borough, with more than 100.
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