NORTH Cumbria’s NHS is facing its “biggest ever” challenge as Carlisle's Covid-19 infection rate soared to almost twice the England average.

New figures lay bare the devastating impact of the more virulent new variant of the virus.

Managers at the NHS trust which runs Carlisle's Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven say that community infection rates are now at ‘record levels’.

Staff have risen to the challenge, say bosses.

But since the beginning of the pandemic, the trust has reported 289 Covid-19 deaths - 15 of them in the last five days; and 31 since Christmas Eve. Five covid deaths were reported on January 5.

Government figures published today also confirm that there have been 1,236 people in the Carlisle local authority area who have testsed positive for coronavirus in the last week, bringing the infection rate per 100,000 to 1,137.

The average England infection rate per 100,000 is currently 677. 

The new variant of the virus, which is said to be up to 70 per cent more transmissible, is now fuelling a surge of cases - particularly in Carlisle and Eden, where seven out of 10 infections are being caused by it, say public health experts.

The Cumbria Health Protection Board's latest covid data makes for grim reading.

Its latest data - updated today - reveals how:

* There were 3,369 new cases across Cumbria in a week - significantly more than during the previous week.

* Carlisle - for the third week running - has seen the county's sharpest rise in infections.

* Infection rates rose across all Cumbrian districts, with the biggest increases in Barrow and Copeland - up by 248 per cent and 242 per cent respectively;

* And people aged 15-29 and 30-44 accounted for most new Cumbrian cases, followed by the 45-59 age group.

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, which manages The Cumberland Infirmary and Whitehaven’s West Cumberland Hospital, was this week caring for more than 200 covid patients.

“Within the hospitals we are caring for patients in excess of the numbers we have seen previously, even in the first wave," said Dr Jon Sturman, the trust’s clinical director for intensive care.

“This means we have to respond by continually changing the number and type of beds we have available for people who are Covid positive and ensure strict infection prevention measures are in place.

“We're providing additional intensive care capacity on site through our business continuity plans and are able to access intensive care through the critical support network across the region.

“This has had an impact on some of our routine services however we are doing everything we can to ensure we maintain urgent and emergency treatments.”

Anna Stabler, Chief Nurse at the trust, said the staff response to the current surge in demand for care had been “phenomenal”.

“There's been no hesitation from staff stepping in to support in areas unfamiliar to them or working over and above their normal duties," she said.

“Many of our staff members have been redeployed into different roles as they were in the first wave, for example theatre staff delivering intensive care support, and now we also have staff redeployed into roles such as delivering the Covid vaccine to health and care workers, and people over 80.

“Many of these duties may not be as visible as others but examples have included operational managers working on our wards to support patient discharge and providing direct support to front line teams.

“Our Chaplaincy team have also provided a listening ear to support both our staff and patients, and our volunteers are taking on additional roles in supporting patients and staff.

“Staffing has been a challenge,” she said.

“Our staff members are also part of the community and some have been required to self-isolate, which has brought additional challenges right through the Christmas holidays.

“Staff have responded by working extended hours, additional shifts and have postponed planned annual leave to care for people in our communities.

“This has included midwives, health care practitioners, doctors, nurses, operational management teams and support staff across all our acute and community hospitals as well as our community staff who have also supported in local residential and nursing homes.

"It really has been a monumental effort, and continues to be challenging and exhausting for all of our staff across the system, and we do have support mechanisms which we are stepping up at this time.”

The trust which runs Furness General and a major hospital in Lancaster has reported 407 covid deaths.

Mrs Stabler stressed that "now more than ever” people needed to follow the lockdown guidance - stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. They should also choose NHS services wisely, only attending A&E for life-threatening conditions.

Infection rates are rising across the county.

The seven-day total of new cases in Allerdale was 632, with an infection rate per 100,000 of 651.6; in Copeland, there were 339 new cases, with an infection rate per 100,000 of 499; and Eden, there were 416 new cases, giving an infection rate of 781 per 100,000 of population.

Figures updated today for the latest 24 hour period show a further 1,035 people died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for covid, taking the total by that measure to 80,868.

The daily death toll yesterday was 1,325. Today was the fourth day in a row that the UK reported more than 1,000 daily covid deaths.

Only the US, Brazil, India and Mexico have recorded more Covid deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

* The Government's data on Covid-19 changes on a daily basis.