INFECTION rates. R numbers. Regional testing programmes. Regional restrictions. Furlough. Lockdown. High Alert Level. Operation Moonshot.

Coronavirus has produced a huge amount of hardship and pain for families across the UK, including Cheshire. It's also developed its own dialect.

And, while we might have a grasp on these terms, it can be hard to see how each element fits with another to give a clear picture of the coronavirus on the ground.

Fortunately, both Mid and East Cheshire NHS Trusts met this week to provide an update on the county's position from a health service perspective — giving a clearer perspective on how frontline staff are coping with the second coronavirus wave.

How are our hospitals coping?

Over the past week, some residents have sadly died due to Covid-19 in East and Mid Cheshire. Statistics show that East Cheshire Trust hospitals recorded three coronavirus deaths, with Mid Cheshire recording six this week.

Although deaths have stayed at a far lower level to that of the Spring wave — something which NHS Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens said was down to new treatments available for the virus — the number of people being admitted to hospitals is rising.

Data from the end of October suggests that 31 residents were hospitalised by Covid-19 in East Cheshire Trust facilities, with fewer than 10 in the same position a month previously.

Naturally, that is putting a huge amount of pressure on to those sites, resulting in some patients being sent to Greater Manchester, where there is spare capacity.

John Wilbraham, Trust Chief Executive, said in a pre-meeting report: "At the current time the main impact is on acute beds rather than ICU beds, where the trust continues to benefit from mutual aid with GM trusts where any ICU level 3 Covid-19 positive patient is transferred from Macclesfield into one of the GM Trusts where there is greater capacity.

"Stockport and East Cheshire are acting as "buddies" in line with GM Gold Command protocol and where Stockport are unable to assist then other GM trusts would be asked to assist."

However, GM health lead Sir Richard Leese has also told the Manchester Evening News that facilities in his area are starting to show the strain of handling so many Covid patients — going so far as to warn that "we're still doing electives, we're still doing specialised operations and obviously still doing non-Covid emergency operations but we are reaching the point where that is beginning to come under pressure".

In Mid Cheshire, 40 residents are in hospital with coronavirus — but new data on accident and emergency admissions shows that, although those departments are operating at around 90 per cent of their pre-Covid levels, resuscitation patients have increased by 20 per cent, so there are more urgent cases coming in to staff regularly.

As hospitals approach a point of cancelling elective procedures — something Countess of Chester Trust boss Dr Susan Gilby said would be resisted — it's clear that transmission of the virus in the community has put extra pressure on NHS staff.

How is the response in the community?

Cheshire West and Chester Council's outbreak board, where Dr Gilby made the comments, also heard an update on testing from CWAC Director of Public Health Ian Ashworth.

Mr Ashworth said the proportion of positive coronavirus tests in his borough rose to 9.1 per cent over the last week, despite there being a 7.7 per cent fall in the number of residents getting a test.

In terms of a percentage change, 9.1 per cent represents an increase of positive tests by 0.5 per cent from the previous week.

In Cheshire East, 8.7 per cent of tests were positive — an increase of 1.2 per cent — with 13.6 per cent fewer people getting a test.

The rise in positivity despite the fall in overall tests being done is even more concerning when it's taken into account that NHS Track and Trace — the UK-wide privately run contact tracing service — hit a new low, missing nearly four in ten close contacts in Cheshire last week.

Leaders have been clear that local expertise is what's required to beat the virus when it comes to testing.

Those calls began at the start of September, and have gone unanswered by ministers — prompting one CWAC Covid-19 committee to advocate for a 'fully localised' approach.

The report said: "The scrutiny task group agreed that the council explores what would be involved [in] establishing a full localised system, such as costs and what laboratory capacity is available in Cheshire West.

"The potential project would need to be scoped so that the challenge and the associated commissioning costs can be [undertaken] before seeking funding from government."

Summing up

One glimmer of hope in all this is a genuine belief by leaders that the county is in a strong position to get through the winter.

CEC leader Cllr Sam Corcoran used his Friday morning Twitter vlog to point out that his area's infection rate has fallen slightly, and his CWAC counterpart Cllr Louise Gittins told outbreak board members "if we all stick together and work together we will get through the next four weeks. We will work on getting that support for one another".

As ever, the advice remains to follow lockdown regulations and guidance in order to bring the virus under control.