Some GP surgeries have decided to bring back face mask rules for patients as concerns grow about the latest variant.
Here we go again….
A practice in Leicester reinstated the guidance last week, telling people to mask up as a ‘precautionary measure’ to protect vulnerable patients. Another practice in Essex said that they had to bring back the face mask rule because of an ‘increasing number of patients and staff with Covid’
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According to the Mail OnLine: A spike in infections across the country has seen Covid hospitalisations in England hit a five-month high.
Health officials yesterday confirmed that a total of 42 cases of the super-mutated Pirola Covid variant have now been detected in the UK, up from 36 last week.
Mukta Modi, manager of Canon Street Medical Centre in Leicester told GP magazine Pulse: ‘We are preparing for the autumn vaccination programmes and this is a precautionary measure to protect staff and our vulnerable patients.
‘This has been discussed with our patient participation group who have been very supportive.’
Dr Grant Ingrams, chairman of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Local Medical Committee, told MailOnline: ‘Every practice is different with significant variation in the number of staff and patients who are at higher risk of catching Covid or having complications.
‘In addition, many practices are very short of space meaning that patients have to sit or stand close together in reception and waiting areas.’
He added: ‘Practices are private companies and have a legal duty to protect their staff and patients under Health and Safety Legislation and this includes against infection.
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland LMC supports all practices to carry out a risk assessment and implement what protection they conclude is needed which may include wearing masks.’
While the true prevalence of the virus is unclear, data from the ZOE Covid study, which tracks self-reported infections, suggests there were 97,904 new daily cases of symptomatic infection on September 13 — almost double the 50,000 it reported at the start of August.
The study, which is based on data from millions of users of the ZOE app, estimates around 1.29million in the UK are currently infected, roughly one in 52 people.
The figure is the highest for five months, but it is still far lower than the estimated toll during earlier peaks, with it reporting that 3.8million people were infected in April 2022.
Patients had been required to wear face masks in GP surgeries up until June last year.
