Isle of Man: Covid ward re-established as hospital cases rise

A total of 56 people have now died with Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic

A dedicated Covid-19 ward at Noble's Hospital has been re-established after a sharp rise in hospital admissions with the virus, Manx Care has said.

There are now eight people being treated, up from just two at the start of the week.

The health body said the hospital had "moved up to a new escalation level" in recent days as community infections continued to rise.

There are currently 533 active cases of the virus on the island.

'Under close review'

Manx Care chief executive Teresa Cope said the measures had been put in place as the hospital did not have "high numbers of side rooms" to separate Covid-19 patients from general admissions.

She said: "If we get beyond a certain number of Covid-positive patients in the hospital, we do need to flip so we have a dedicated Covid ward re-established."

That number varied "between six and eight, depending on the types of patients", she added.

The hospital had also set up a separate ward for "acute admissions" of non-Covid patients, and the situation remained "under close review", she added.

Meanwhile, "general respiratory illnesses" have had an impact on one Douglas high school, leading to some year groups being told to work on set tasks from home next week.

Year 10 students at Ballakermeen High School will work remotely on Monday and Tuesday, while year nine pupils will do the same from Wednesday to Friday.

In a letter to parents, head teacher Adrienne Burnett said the institution was experiencing "very high levels" of staff absences.

She said, while staff had explored a "range of possible options", the school still faced a "significant shortfall" in the days ahead.

The school was now "strongly encouraging all staff, students and visitors to wear face masks", she added.