HOSPITALS in Newport and the surrounding Gwent area are “struggling to cope” with the latest covid wave, according to a leading figure in the local health service.

At a time when nearly 200 covid patients are currently occupying beds in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area – which covers Gwent, infection rates are also soaring in the local area.

Across Wales, no other area has higher rates of coronavirus than Gwent at this time, and those numbers are rising.

According to the most recent Public Health Wales figures, no individual area of Wales is seeing higher numbers of new cases, relative to population, than Torfaen, and there are similarly stark statistics for Newport and Caerphilly too.

It comes at a time when the Grange Hospital, the area’s major trauma centre and newly built flagship hospital, is already under the microscope.

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The £358 million hospital was recently found to have the worst A&E waiting times in Wales, and health minister Eluned Morgan recently spoke out, claiming that the hospital is struggling as locals have been using the hospital "in a different way from the way that was envisioned".

Today, Dr Sarah Aitken, director of public health at the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, has called on local residents to again do their bit to help ease the pressures on the system.

Speaking in a video message to the public, Dr Aitken revealed that the local hospitals are “struggling to cope”, with the number of covid patients in hospital, on top of those who are seriously ill with ailments such as cancer and heart conditions – on top of the lengthy operation waiting list.

She called on anyone who has yet to receive a vaccination to come forward, as these are still available to anyone who has yet to receive one.

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What has the health chief said?

In a message to residents, Dr Aitken said: “Sadly, I am again the bearer of the bad news, that we have the highest rates of coronavirus in Wales in our health board area.

“Our hospitals are struggling to cope with nearly 200 patients in our hospital beds with coronavirus on top of those who are seriously ill and needing treatment for cancer and heart conditions, as well as those who are waiting for an operation.

“We all need to take the current risk of coronavirus infection seriously, and do all we can to protect ourselves, our family, and our friends.

“The offer for everybody to have a vaccination is still there for everyone who has not yet taken it up. Our mass vaccination centres are still open, and I would encourage everyone who has not yet had the vaccine to take up that offer because, if you’re not vaccinated, you are at high risk of getting the infection, with the current levels in our community, and at much higher risk of being seriously ill.

“We have all been very successful at preventing the spread of coronavirus by implementing the simple measures – keeping our distance from people we don’t live with, meeting in well ventilated spaces outdoors, wearing a mask in crowded indoor areas, and washing our hands frequently. If we all do them now, we can together bring the rates of coronavirus in our area down, just as we did before.

“In previous waves, the people who lived in Gwent were magnificent, did what they were asked, and brought the rates down so that our hospitals can cope. Sadly, I need to ask you to do that again, because this current wave is now reaching the level, where, on top of all the other things our hospitals are here to do, we are struggling to cope with the number of people in hospital with coronavirus.”