‘Up to 80% of coronavirus patients on ventilators will die’, volunteers told

The expected mortality rate for patients on ventilators at the new NHS Nightingale Hospital is reportedly 50% to 80%.

Volunteers set to help coronavirus patients at the new NHS Nightingale Hospital have reportedly been told to expect up to 80% of people on ventilators to die.

Those who have given up their time to help staff at the emergency 4,000-bed facility in east London have allegedly been warned they will ‘see death’, with an expected mortality rate of 50% to 80% for those on ventilators.

Construction work to transform the ExCel convention centre in east London began on Wednesday. A week later, the facility is almost ready to open, with pictures showing beds installed, ventilators ready for use and medical equipment labelled.

However, the temporary hospital will reportedly see a shortage of doctors before it opens, a MailOnline report claims.

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Many NHS staff are self-isolating at home for suspected coronavirus, but are pushing to be tested immediately so they will be able to return to the frontline if the result comes back negative.

The government has confirmed that only 2,000 NHS staff have been tested for coronavirus when the health service has a workforce of 1.3 million.

This means that just over 0.15% of the NHS has so far been checked for the virus that they are putting their lives at risk to treat.

NHS England has written to trusts instructing them to lift restrictions on testing NHS workers for Covid-19.

This morning, housing secretary Robert Jenrick claimed that 15,000 people would be tested per day by the end of the week, with 25,000 per day being tested by mid-April.

The government has been criticised by those who point to other countries which are managing to test far greater numbers of people – specifically in Germany, where 500,000 tests are carried out each week.

The prime minister’s official spokesman told a Westminster briefing today: ‘In terms of NHS frontline staff who have been tested overall, it’s now over 2,000 and staff will be getting the results fed back to them over the next few days.’

He later added: ‘We’re very clear that we want more testing to be carried out, and that we are working with NHS England, Public Health England and others to ensure that happens.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted NHS Nightingale for comment.

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