MORE and more hospital staff are having to self-isolate after falling victim to the ‘pingdemic’.

Colchester Hospital is experiencing a rise in the number of staff members having to self-isolate at home after being alerted - or ‘pinged’ - by NHS Test and Trace.

As of Sunday, the figure for Colchester Hospital’s staff absence due to Test and Trace was 20 - however two employees can work from home.

This staffing shortage is having a knock-on effect in the hospital’s ongoing battle to bring down its record-high waiting lists.

Neill Moloney, deputy chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester Hospital said: “We are seeing a rise in the number of Colchester Hospital staff isolating at home because they have been pinged by the Test and Trace service.

“However, we have staffing plans in place for a range of eventualities and our hospital team continues to care for all our patients safely.”

The hospital trust’s waiting lists are the longest chief executive Nick Hulme has witnessed during his entire career.

Last month he told governors there were 3,500 patients waiting a year or more for treatment at the trust.

With regards to infection rates, Colchester continues to have one of the highest rates in the county at 366.7 per 100,000 people and 714 cases in the past week.

The highest rate is in Abbey Field at 737.1 and 58 cases recorded in the past seven days.

Tendring has recorded 457 cases and the rate stands at 311.8 per 100,000 people.

Harwich West and South has the highest rate at 526.9 and 48 new cases.

Across Essex, more than 7,000 people have been told to self-isolate by Test and Trace.

Department for Health and Social Care data shows 7,050 people were told to self-isolate after being in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in the week to July 7 - this is the latest available data.

Contact tracers ask new patients to give details for anyone they were in close contact with in the 48 hours before their symptoms started.

The figures show 7,941 people who came into close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in Essex were transferred to Test and Trace in the week to July 7.