CAPACITY CRISIS? Fewer patients in ICU beds in Manchester now than this time last year, figures show.
is the situation in Manchester's hospitals as bad as it looks?
Figures suggest that hospital admissions in the city are no higher than they were at the same time last year - pre-Covid pandemic.
It suggests that while infections are high in the area, they are not translating into more serious cases that require hospitalisation, and intensive care.
Experts and the statistics show the second wave of coronavirus is being fuelled by young people - predominantly in the late teens to early 20s - hence the spike in university cities like Nottingham, Manchester, Exeter and Liverpool.
But the fear is with many living in multi-generational households, infections among the young are starting to spread to the more vulnerable, older population.
ICU occupancy 'similar to last year'
But looking at NHS England data for intensive care use this time last year - in a year with no Covid, and only a mild flu outbreak - suggests this might not be far off the norm.
This time last year, 87 per cent of Manchester' ICU beds were full, while 96 per cent in Salford - which currently has an infection rate of 428.5 cases per 100,000 - were occupied, according to the Telegraph.
Meanwhile, across England as a whole, NHS England data shows that last October 3,339 of 4,125 adult critical care beds were full - that's 80.9 per cent occupancy - in the pre-Covid world.
The Sun has contacted NHS England to obtain critical care bed figures from this year.
In the height of winter most intensive care units will hit closer to 90 to 100 per cent occupancy in normal years.
'Selective statistics'
Earlier this week, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, accused the Government of using "selective statistics".
He said: "Greater Manchester's ICU occupancy rate is not abnormal for this time of the year and is comparable to the occupancy rate in October 2019.
"Providing information about individual hospitals does not reflect that our hospitals work as a system to manage demand.
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