Covid patients in Wales' hospitals at highest levels yet

There were 75 Covid patients in critical care - slightly more than the week before - but units are working over normal capacity

The number of Covid patients in hospital in Wales is the highest yet recorded.

There were 1,936 Covid-19 patients in hospital beds on Wednesday, this was 153 more patients than the week before - according to the latest NHS Wales figures.

It has risen in all areas, with Aneurin Bevan seeing the biggest increase and it has the most patients too - 592.

They include a record number - 585 - who are recovering from the virus.

Recovering patients were not counted until the end of May but the numbers in hospital are now at the highest levels since then.

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Covid-19 patients make up about 24% of all patients in hospital. This compares with about 18% at the end of May and the proportion has been slowly increasing.

But hospital admissions are holding steady - at an average of 71 a day over the past week. NHS Wales said Covid admissions had "generally decreased" since the start of November although there was volatility and fluctuations.

There were 75 patients in critical care - slightly more than the week before.

With new records being set each day, it's easy to understand why the NHS, especially in parts of Wales, is struggling.

Staff are facing a triple whammy of pressures.

Firstly, they're having to deal with the increasing burden of Covid - with rates of new infections surging across the country.

Secondly, many of their own colleagues are either off work because they have Covid or having to isolate because of infections in their households - with one in 10 NHS staff here now estimated to be off work. The impact of stress and exhaustion is also having an effect.

And thirdly, the NHS having approaching the time of year when usual winter pressures are at their most severe.

In a typical winter, hospitals struggle when people medically fit enough to leave can't because of delays in arranging social care.

It means hospitals quickly fill up, because patients are flowing in more quickly than beds are becoming available.

This year there's an added pressure of course - with hundreds (record numbers) of hospital beds now filled with patients who are taking a long time - several weeks or more - to recover from the virus.