THE COVID pod has been closed for the first time in seven months in Gwent’s major hospital according to one of its consultants.

Dr David Hepburn – a consultant in ITU at the Grange University Hospital who has been vocal throughout the pandemic on the impact coronavirus is having on hospitals and their staff and urging people to do what they can – tweeted that as of today – February 8 – there are no patients in the covid pod in intensive care.

He did say that there are still some patients who are still recovering from covid but they have no acute ventilated patients as of today. It is the first time since last July that the pod has been closed.

Dr Hepburn said: “Update on how it’s going in ITU. For the first time since July 2021 we have closed our covid pod. We have a few patients still recovering from covid weeks later, but no acute ventilated covid patients as of today.”

He described how it is a big deal and that it does show the situation is improving. He continued: “That’s a big deal - makes a huge difference not having to deal with red PPE and most of all, shows things are settling down, at least on our patch. Especially as we are still in winter (normally expect a lull in the summer) this is positive news. Why has this happened? Combination of vaccination and the relatively milder Omicron is my best guess. Let’s hope it lasts.”

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He also thanked the staff who have worked ‘tirelessly with good humour’ for the past two years, as well as the local residents in Gwent.

Dr Hepburn said: “And a huge thank-you to all the staff who’ve worked tirelessly with good humour for two long years, and our local population who have endured lockdowns, vaccination, mask mandates and setbacks with grace and minimal complaint. It’s been tough for everyone and I really hope going forward this recovery will be sustained.”

He also urged caution with the new variant being rampant in the community but believes there is hope of returning to somewhat ‘normal’ life. He said: “The new variant is still absolutely rampant in the community, particularly among school aged kids so we should stay vigilant especially in crowded indoor venues.

“Lateral flow tests are super useful and if you’ve got a do to go to it’s wise to test everyone before you get together. The pandemic is by no means over - and the biggest job will be rebuilding and catching up on the huge waiting lists that have accumulated. If we work together as a community I believe we can get back to some semblance of “normal” life.

“I think it’s fair to say we’ve all had a guts full of this virus now. Cautious optimism is the way to proceed. Let’s hope as we head into spring things stay manageable. Hospital system is still very busy as are ambulance waits and this is going to take a while to clear.”

Dr Hepburn also urges people to seek the medical attention they may need and to call 999 for anything life-threatening and that 111 and GPs can help for less threatening problems.