‘Only a matter of time’ before Omicron arrives in Bristol warns health chief as hospitals remain on high alert

It’s ‘only a matter of time’ before Omicron hits Bristol, the region’s director of public health has warned, as hospitals across the city remain in their highest stage of alert.

Today BristolWorld spoke to the region’s director of Public Health, Christina Gray, about the new variant and what residents can do to help alleviate pressure on the local NHS.

Christina also touched on Christmas gatherings, the importance of vaccination even if you haven’t had your first jab yet, and how flu has the potential to create futher challenging situations for the region’s hospitals.

‘There’s no doubt that Omicron is on its way’

“Although no Omicron cases have been identified in the South West as of yet, it’s only a matter of time.

“We know that the cases that we have identified so far are only the cases we have managed to find.

“There will be more cases circulating. We’re still awaiting the full scientific analysis, but what we can see from what happened in South Africa is that the Omicron variant spreads extremely quickly.

“South Africa is a different context to the UK, for example we have higher levels of vaccination, but we need to be cautious.

“The measures we should use to protect ourselves are the same as with Delta and all other variants.

“If we all take the time to do what we can within those measures, we will be doing our bit to prevent the harms.

“If you have travelled, abide by the rules. Isolate if you need or are told to.

“If you have to isolate and it will cause you any hardship or difficulty, please contact us via our Bristol City Council helpline.

“All of these measures prevent the spread of any variant and allow us to get our lives back to some sort of normality.

Hospitals remain in Opel 4

“In November, hospitals in the Bristol region went into Opel 4, the highest escalation level.

“This remains the same. It’s still the case that the health and care system is under extreme pressure, all parts of it.

“GP surgeries, the hospitals, the ambulance service and social care are all under pressure.

“We don’t want to put off anyone seeking help but it’s important that people help alleviate these pressures by accessing treatment, if appropriate, by other means before turning up at an Emergency Department.

“Emergency Departments are for emergencies only. There’s are other ways of seeking help such as NHS 111, seeing your GP and minor injury units. Pharmacies are also a great port of call.

“Hospitals are also still asking patients and their families to think about timely discharge as soon as someone is admitted.

“It might be that families or friends have to chip in a bit more to ensure a patient is discharged as soon as they are well enough.”

Christmas gatherings: ‘If your result is positive, do not go’

“Everybody now understands the principles of transmission, as well as the principles of individual and collective risk.

“We just need to be thinking proactively about that. It’s not about cancelling Christmas or not doing anything.

“It is about meeting up in ways that reduce harm - the level of risk or discomfort will be different for people within families and friendship groups.

“The use of lateral flow tests is helpful - if you’re going to an event or a family gathering, you can take a lateral flow test before you go.

“If it’s positive - do not go. That’s the hard thing. Curtail your social activity, get a PCR test and be disciplined.

“Nobody wants that but it’s what you need to do. None of this is perfect, we’re living with uncertainty.

“But every little thing that one person does will add up to a whole greater than the sum of its parts.”

‘If you still haven’t had your first jab, it’s never too late’

“If anybody hasn’t come forward for their first jab, if you have been hesitant or had concerns for whatever reason, it’s never too late.

“We have really friendly vaccinators and clinical staff who will be happy to have those conversations with you at a drop-in centre.

“If you are not vaccinated, you are simply at higher risk.

“The boosters are also important because we know immunity drops off after a while.

“The more people are protected by vaccination, the better everybody is protected.

“We’ve had a huge, positive uptake so I really want to thank you everyone who has come forward so far.”

Flu could increase pressure on hospitals

“Hospitals don’t see the affects of the flu until after Christmas.

“It would be an extremely challenging scenario if we ended up in January and February if, on top of the usual winter pressures and a very transmissable Covid variant, we saw higher levels of flu.

“For those who are eligible, your flu jab remains as important as ever so please do get that sorted too.”