As hospital admissions for patients with Covid-19 continue to rise, rail operators throughout Britain may have to cancel trains over the next few days due to staff shortages and “continuing elevated levels” of sickness.
Because “delays and short-notice cancellations are anticipated” this weekend, TransPennine Express, which operates trains throughout the North of England and Scotland, has advised travellers to consider “is my journey necessary” and to leave extra time.
According to sources who spoke with MailOnline, this was “caused by sickness in general, especially Covid.”
Due to staff shortages this weekend, Avanti West Coast, which runs trains between London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow, has issued a warning that services may be abruptly canceled.
Stagecoach reports a “national staff shortfall” that is affecting bus networks, and cancellations due to illness were confirmed this morning in places like Lancaster, Stroud, Guildford, Basingstoke, and Chichester.
The admissions of patients in England who tested positive for Covid-19 have increased for the second week in a running, reaching levels last seen in mid-April, according to data.
With patient numbers approaching the peak attained during the previous wave of infections in the spring, overall hospital admissions are also continuing to rise.
The cautions about travel disruption will remind people of the massive cancellations on rail networks over the holiday season as a result of staff members getting Covid-19 in large numbers and operators implementing shortened schedules.
From Manchester, TransPennine Express offers numerous routes to locations around northern England, including Cleethorpes via Sheffield, Hull via Leeds, Scarborough via York, and Edinburgh and Glasgow via Preston.
However, it stated that this weekend’s limited service is necessary “due to sustained increasing levels of staff sickness.”
‘Customers making critical journeys on certain days are encouraged to plan ahead, check carefully before travelling, and allow extra time, as delays and short-notice cancellations are probable,’ a TransPennine Express spokeswoman said.
Separately, Network Rail engineering work will be done on the Hope Valley route between Manchester and Sheffield and between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge on weekends through July 31. Both of these projects will result in severe travel changes.
TransPennine Express added: “Anyone going to an event is asked to consider alternate methods of transport.
“This weekend is home to several major events, including the Women’s Euros, Newsam Park Open Air Festival, and Rugby League games.
The operator’s director of customer service and operations, Kathryn O’Brien, stated: “We regret to inform you that due to the high levels of employee sickness that continue, we anticipate significant interruption to our services this weekend.
Due to these difficulties, we are requesting that passengers only travel on Saturday and Sunday if absolutely essential, and that they plan ahead, check before they travel, and allow extra time because services are anticipated to be extremely busy and further delays and cancellations are inevitable.
“People traveling to one of the big events taking place across our network are asked to seek alternative modes of transportation,” the statement reads.
Bicycles would not be allowed onboard any of TransPennine Express’ trains this weekend, the company added, so anyone planning a trip should check their train before leaving.
In the meanwhile, Avanti West Coast issued a disruption alert for services between London and Liverpool, Glasgow, and the North West as well as between London and the West Midlands, Manchester, and North Wales.
Today, Avanti tweeted: “Some of our services may be abruptly canceled due to continuous staff shortages.
“We apologize if this interferes with your plans; we ask that you verify your train on the day of travel.
We’re doing everything we can to keep our services running, but due to staff shortages, particularly on weekends, some of them may be abruptly terminated.
Any changes will be communicated to you as soon as possible, but please check before you depart.
You can use your ticket on the Avanti West Coast service before or after if your train is cancelled.
Trains “are expected to be busy, particularly on shorter travels,” Avanti continued.
It happens at a time when medical professionals have warned that Covid-19 hospital admissions are anticipated to keep climbing throughout July because to the’substantial level’ of diminishing immunity among older people.
The latest statistics on admissions show how the virus is spreading and have the potential to put additional strain on hospital workers who are already working to reduce a record backlog of surgeries.
The Covid-19 variations Omicron BA.4 and BA.5, which are now the predominant strains in the UK and more transmissible than the BA.2 variant that caused infection levels to reach an all-time high earlier in the year, are what are responsible for the current wave.
According to the UK Health Security Agency, the rate of hospital admissions in England for those who tested positive for Covid-19 rose to 14.6 per 100,000 last week from 11.1 the week before (UKHSA).
Admissions to critical care units (ICU) increased from 0.3 to 0.4 per 100,000.
The two sets of numbers represent the highest levels since the middle of April.
Over-85s continue to have the highest hospital admission rate (126.2 per 100,000), followed by 75 to 84-year-olds (59.3) and 65 to 74-year-olds (24.0).
Ages 75 to 84 have the greatest rate of ICU admissions, at 1.2 per 100,000.
To ensure they continue to receive the best possible protection, all over-75s in the UK have been given the option of a “spring booster,” which is accessible at least three months after their most recent vaccination.
There are currently 11,878 hospitalized patients in England who have tested positive for Covid-19, an increase of 33% week over week.
Although they are still far below levels recorded in the early stages of the pandemic, patient numbers are now roughly three-quarters of the high attained during the BA.2 wave.
When a patient tests positive for Covid, about six out of ten of them are really being treated for something else other than the virus, but they still need to be kept segregated from other patients, which puts additional strain on hospital staff and resources.