Three in five ‘Covid’ patients treated primarily for something else (the figure is actually five in five)

Three in five of all Covid-19 patients in hospital trusts in England are being treated primarily for something else, new figures show.

Of the 13,645 patients reported as having the virus on April 19, 8,211 (60%) were not being treated principally for Covid.

This is the highest proportion since these figures were first published in June 2021, and is up from 26% at the start of December.

In London the figure is as high as 74% of patients while in eastern England it has reached 69%.

The Midlands is at 67%, but other regions are closer to 50%, including the North West (57%), North East and Yorkshire (53%) and the South East (also 53%).

South-west England has the lowest proportion, at 40%, according to NHS England figures.

All hospital patients who have tested positive for Covid-19 need to be treated separately from those who do not have the virus, regardless of whether they are in hospital primarily for Covid or not.

Read More: Three in five Covid-19 patients treated primarily for something else