UK: Severe shortage of health workers as NHS sees highest absences since vaccine rollout

As the United Kingdom is reeling under the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, the National Health Service (NHS) is experiencing a severe shortage of healthcare staff. According to a press statement released by the NHS, the second-largest single-payer healthcare system in the world, the country is experiencing the highest number of COVID absences since the vaccine rollout began last year. The UK health agency said that nearly 40,000 people reported COVID-related symptoms and did not return to their respective workplaces. As per the data proferred by the NHS, more than 35,000 healthcare staff members were sick with COVID in a span of just one week. 

"Omicron means more patients to treat and fewer staff to treat them. In fact, around 10,000 more colleagues across the NHS were absent each day last week compared with the previous seven days and almost half of all absences are now down to COVID," said NHS National Medical Director Professor Stephen Powis in a statement released on January 7, Friday.

"While we don’t know the full scale of the potential impact this new strain will have, it’s clear it spreads more easily and, as a result, COVID cases in hospitals are the highest they’ve been since February last year – piling even more pressure on hard-working staff," added Powis. 

As the country is facing an acute shortage of health care staff, the Ministry of Defence has deployed two hundred Armed Forces personnel.

200 Armed Forces Personnel deployed to support NHS Hospitals in London

According to the data updated by the Ministry of Defence, it has provided 40 Defence medics and 160 general duty personnel to support NHS hospitals across the capital. "Our brilliant armed forces have supported the country throughout the pandemic, bolstering the teams at testing sites, vaccination centres and hospitals. Once again they are stepping up to assist NHS workers who are working round the clock across the capital, helping the health service through this difficult winter period where the need is greatest,'' Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said in a statement on Friday.

"The most important thing you can do is get boosted now to protect your loved ones and communities from COVID-19," Javid appealed to the population who are still reluctant to get the booster jabs.

According to the latest COVID update, the country has reported another 1,79,756 COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. With this, the total number of Coronavirus cases in the country soared to 14,015,065. 

Image: AP/Pixabay