THE trust which runs Basingstoke hospital was expecting the “Christmas festivities” to impact admissions of Covid-19 patients until “at least mid-January”, a report reveals.

A report to Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's (HHFT) Council of Governors earlier this month shows the number of patients in its hospitals with Covid-19 between August 2020 and January 2021.

It shows that the numbers at Winchester hospital grew in September and October, leading to concerns about hospital acquired Covid-19.

However, as additional infection prevention control measures were implemented, the in-hospital spread reduced, and the impact of increased community levels of the virus were seen in both Winchester and Basingstoke.

“The reductions at the end of November were the result of the national lockdown through November, but the rise from mid-December mirrors the relaxation of the national lockdown on 3 December 2020,” it said.

It added: “At the time of writing, on 4 January 2021, the last two days have seen a slightly lower rise in occupied beds, but we are expecting the impact of the Christmas festivities to show in our bed numbers until at least mid-January.”

A graph in the report compared ‘wave 1’ of the virus last year to ‘wave 2’ starting in October, in terms of beds occupied by Covid patients.

The report said: “It can be seen that wave 2 increase was more gradual but it has gone on for longer. We are very close to the maximum number of patients at the peak of wave 1.”