NHS hospitals have started banning visitors after a surge in norovirus as health chiefs fear impending Covid wave sparked by explosive new variant

NHS hospitals have started banning visitors due to a surge in patients sick with the highly contagious winter vomiting disease.

Some 498 beds were occupied by norovirus patients or closed as part of infection control measures last week, an increase of 19 percent from seven days earlier and 15 percent from last year, according to NHS England data.

Due to outbreaks across the country, hospitals have begun closing their doors to stem the spread of the disease, which causes diarrhea and vomiting.

Although patients usually get better within a few days, cases among patients are putting pressure on hospitals already dealing with a spike in other seasonal bugs.

It comes as health chiefs fear a new Covid variant, called JN.1, could cause a new wave of infections that could cripple the NHS.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – which oversees Ellesmere Port Hospital and the Countess Of Chester Hospital – said yesterday it was restricting visitors due to a spike in cases, forcing it to close one ward.

It warned that the virus is “active among a small but growing number of patients” and that staff are at risk of contracting it.

Sue Pemberton, the trust's chief executive, said: 'We all know someone who has recently had some form of winter virus and this is now starting to trickle down to hospital admissions, with a much higher number of norovirus cases compared to last year. exacerbated by this week's cold weather.

'It is clear that we need to limit and control cases of norovirus in our hospitals to prevent its spread, which is why we have taken the difficult but necessary decision to temporarily suspend attendance at Ellesmere Port Hospital and all adult acute inpatient units at the Countess to interrupt. from Chester Hospital.

“Restricting visits is the right thing to do to protect everyone in our care.

'However, if this is bothering you and you are concerned about the wellbeing of your loved one, please do not hesitate to contact our PALS team who can work with you to address your concerns.

'I know it can be hard having a loved one in the hospital, especially when you can't visit them. We will resume visiting as soon as possible, but our absolute priority is to protect our patients and keep them safe.”

Hull Royal Infirmary said last month it was temporarily closing parts of the hospital where a norovirus outbreak had occurred, most of which were elderly wards, meaning they are closed to visitors.

Meanwhile, Southampton General Hospital was forced to close a ward last week due to norovirus.

Norovirus is putting pressure on hospitals as infected patients have to be isolated in single rooms or wards have to be closed to new patients to stop the spread.

It is spread through close contact with an infected person, with hand washing being the best way to reduce transmission.

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, while some patients may also have fever, headache and sore arms and legs.

Most people get better within two to three days and can manage their condition at home by resting and drinking plenty of fluids.

Outbreaks of the disease are happening as the NHS is already reporting increasing winter pressure.

NHS data released yesterday shows that an average of 234 flu patients were in hospital per day last week, a 53 per cent increase in just one week.

Cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have also risen by 11 percent among children in a week, with 146 children in hospital every day.

Separate data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that suspected cases of whooping cough, also known as 100-day cough due to the long duration of symptoms, are on the rise.

About 716 people were believed to have been ill with the bacterial infection of the lungs between July and the end of November – more than three times as many as the 217 reported over the same period in 2022, the figures show.

In addition, a new Covid variant is beginning to sweep Britain, raising fears of a new wave.

Officials claim JN.1 vastly outperforms all other known strains, accounting for one in 13 cases in England last month.

But the actual scale of the spread is now likely to be even greater, even if overall Covid cases remain low.

JN.1 was first spotted by the UKHSA as part of a routine program designed to assess emerging infections.

It was flagged because of a troublesome mutation in the spike protein, a protein known to help the virus evade the body's immune system.

UKHSA leaders noted that the specific tension was also escalating internationally and in Britain.

JN.1 has now been designated as an official variant and named it V-23DEC-01 for official purposes. The process means that it is followed formally.

As of Monday, 302 Covid cases in Britain have been caused by JN.1, the vast majority (223) of which were in England. But this will be a huge underestimate, because only a fraction of sick patients are now tested.

By mid-November it was responsible for 7.9 per cent of cases in England.

Dr. Meaghan Kall, an epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said JN.1 has a weekly estimated growth advantage of 84.2 percent.

This means the variant is taking off faster than any other strain seen in at least eight months, she said.

Dr. Kall wrote on

UKHSA bosses'However, “we are not completely in the dark about this variant,” thanks to their assessments of the ancestral strain, she added.