A Welsh health board has warned that a vomiting and diarrhoea bug is making patients unwell in its hospitals after reporting a steep rise in Covid and flu. Swansea Bay University Health Board said it had seen "high numbers of extremely unwell patients" at Morriston Hospital's accident and emergency department (A&E).
The infection control team has reported cases of diarrhoea and vomiting affecting patients in the health board's hospitals. It follows a significant jump of more than 170 cases of flu, Covid, and several other viral respiratory infections at its sites in the past week. Mask wearing has been reinstated across Swansea Bay’s sites as a result of the jump, with visitors also urged to wash their hands and use the hand gels available on the wards.
Ahead of the New Year bank holiday weekend, Swansea Bay's executive medical director Dr Richard Evans has urged the public to only attend A&E for life-threatening illnesses and serious injuries. He said: “Winter is always an extremely busy time for the health service, but in common with other health boards in Wales we are seeing even more acutely unwell patients than we normally would. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
