22nd February 2021
UK COVID Deaths – Daily 178 / 7-Day average 480
Total UK COVID Deaths within 28 days – 120,757
Total UK Deaths with COVID-19 on the death certificate – 129,498 (up to 5th Feb)
James Cook Hospital – Total COVID deaths – 581
All COVID cases within South Tees Hospitals Trust – 128
James Cook Critical Care
COVID cases – 23 (14 ventilated)
Non-COVID cases – 40 (24 ventilated)
Not much in the way of an update today I’m afraid. The keen-eyed amongst you might have noticed from the figures above that the number of COVID patients in the hospital has increased over the weekend. I am hopeful that this is a temporary aberration and that numbers will soon begin to fall again. Rather than dwell on this, I’d like to distract you with a charitable project that is aiming to raise money on our behalf.
Nick Piper and his family have been picking up litter in Saltburn every day throughout February in order to raise money for our Intensive Care Unit. The money will be used to help create an ‘ICU Garden’ at James Cook for our patients to use.
An ICU garden is a dedicated outdoor space within the grounds of the hospital that has been created specifically for ICU patients. Such gardens are being increasingly used to help long-term ICU patients recover. We can arrange for ventilated patients to visit the garden and spend a few hours outside whilst their treatment is continued. It is hard to describe just how beneficial it is for these patients to spend some time outdoors, experiencing daylight and fresh air for the first time in many weeks. For many of them, a trip outside serves to remind them that the outside world is waiting for them once they get better. It lifts their spirits and provides a huge boost to their motivation. During the pandemic, it would also allow patients to receive outdoor visits from their families. We all know how vital hospital visits are for patients and this is especially true for patients who may spend weeks isolated within the ICU.
This is an extremely worthwhile cause and one that I would encourage you to support if at all possible. Thank you very much indeed for your help.
You can donate here: