Covid: Ipswich and West Suffolk hospitals suspend visits
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Visitors have temporarily been suspended at Ipswich Hospital, West Suffolk Hospital and community hospitals in the area
A number of hospitals in Suffolk have temporarily suspended visits due to the increased number of Covid infections in the county.
The changes apply to Ipswich Hospital, West Suffolk Hospital and all community hospitals in the area.
Three hospitals in Essex are due to suspend visits from Friday.
Meanwhile, Suffolk's public health chiefs have agreed to call in national support teams to help aid efforts around vaccinations and outbreaks.
The current case rate in Suffolk is 536.8 per 100,000 people.
Official figures showed cases dropped to 4,015 in the week to 22 October from 4,336 the week before. There have been 12 Covid-related deaths recorded in the area during the last seven days.
The case rate for England is 487.4 per 100,000 people.
West Suffolk Hospital said patients can use its video and helpline services to keep in touch with loved ones
Felixstowe Hospital, Aldeburgh Hospital and Bluebird Lodge in Ipswich have also been affected by the visit rule changes.
From Friday, visits will be suspended at Colchester Hospital, Clacton Hospital and the Fryatt Hospital in Harwich.
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) and West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust said the suspension of visits would be for three weeks but the situation would be reviewed in two weeks.
The trusts said parents of children and those visiting patients in maternity or end-of-life care were exempt from the changes.
Both Trusts said the decision was "not taken lightly" but was needed to keep patients and staff safe.
They said relatives of patients could still keep in touch with them, either by ESNEFT's Letters to Loved Ones, external service or West Suffolk's helpline or video calling facilities.
Meanwhile, a request will be made to the government for Suffolk to become an enhanced response area, external, which would mean for five weeks the county would get extra government support and resources.
Suffolk's public sector leaders gave their backing during an emergency meeting of the Suffolk's local outbreak engagement board, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
By becoming an enhanced response area, it is hoped Suffolk will receive support to boost vaccine take-up
Public Health Suffolk director Stuart Keeble said becoming an enhanced response area "doesn't mean there will be additional restrictions on people's movements or actions".
"It has been a conversation about what other support we can pull down on to help us manage the rates locally and to support the health and social care system through what is currently, and will continue to be, a very challenging time," he said.
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Last week, Ipswich saw the highest levels in the country with 854.5 cases per 100,000. This number has since dropped to 759.7, putting it 25th highest nationally.
A further 40,954 confirmed cases across the UK were announced on Tuesday.
Find out how the pandemic has affected your area and how it compares with the national average:
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Note: Vaccination data now includes 12-15 year olds so the percentages for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will all be lower than they were previously.
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