Wigan doctor’s plea to help stop the spread of virus this winter

Infection rates in Wigan and nationwide have soared, with calls for the Government to introduce measures such as mandatory masks and working from home. Cases in Wigan rose to 409.4 per 100,000 people on Monday and there have regularly been over 40,000 per day nationally.

Dr Sanjay Arya, consultant cardiologist and medical director at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “They haven’t gone up significantly, but we still have Covid admissions on our respiratory ward as well as our intensive care unit. The numbers have not gone up significantly, but they have not gone down either.”

He said a “significant” number of those needing hospital care had chosen not to receive the vaccination.

He urged people to do everything they could to help prevent the spread of the virus this winter.

Dr Arya said: “Unfortunately the number of cases in Wigan is going up. We are the fifth worst out of the 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester.

“We must continue to remain vigilant. We must follow infection prevention control measures. We must avoid over-crowding unnecessarily.

“Most importantly, if you are offered a vaccination, please do take it. If you have been offered a booster dose, it’s important you take that, because the effect of the primary vaccination starts to wear off after six months.”

Dr Arya added: “Everybody must play their part in containing the number of Covid cases through appropriate measures.”

The plea comes as NHS staff, who have been working under immense pressure over the past 18 months, now prepare for the winter months.

Dr Arya said: “It’s going to be a very difficult winter.

“Winter this year is going to be much more difficult than winters I have seen in my 20 years as a heart specialist in my borough.”

He explained that as well as coronavirus patients, they expect to see more people than usual with respiratory viruses and are continuing to tackle the backlog of those waiting for care delayed during the pandemic.

Dr Arya urged people to call NHS111 in the first instance before going to A&E, so medics can treat those who really need urgent care.

And he appealed for patients with long-standing appointments or surgeries who no longer need them to cancel, so other people can go instead.

He also asked people to protect themselves and others by getting the flu jab.

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