TODAY marks two years since the first Covid patient was treated at one of the region's hospitals. 

Since then, more than 6,000 people have been treated for the disease by South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The first Covid patient was admitted at James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, on February 17, 2020. 

Teesside doctor David Reaich is using the anniversary to remind people that it is not too late to get a vaccine - and that it is ok for them to change their minds.

About one in three young people aged between 18 and 29 in Middlesbrough are yet to get a vaccine and across Tees Valley there are more than 23,000 people in that age range who are unvaccinated. 

Read more: Death of Darlington man inspires young people to get their hearts checked

In December 2020, James Cook became one of first Covid-19 hospital hubs in the world to begin vaccinating patients and one year later was one of the first in first in the region to offer new antibody and antiviral treatments to eligible patients when they first test positive for coronavirus.

David Reaich, deputy chief medical officer at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “The last two years have had a huge impact and I cannot say enough in praise of all our amazing nurses, midwives, doctors, allied health professionals, scientific teams, administrative, support staff and volunteers who have moved mountains to help  patients service users and each other.

“Treating over 6,000 patients with Covid-19 has inevitably had an impact but the measures our experienced clinicians took at the start of the pandemic to separate our hospitals into Covid and non-Covid areas has meant colleagues have been able to continue caring for patients with other health needs that are equally urgent, while working tirelessly for people whose non-urgent care was disrupted by the pandemic.

“In the last five weeks for example, our surgical teams have delivered more than 3,800 operations, of which almost 2,600 were planned procedures.

"At the same time, over 71,000 outpatient appointments took place and more than 15,000 people attended our urgent and emergency care services - an increase of almost 5,000 on the same period last year.

Read more: NHS campaign to increase uptake of Covid jab among young people

He added: “Two years on from our first patient, our fantastic clinicians are continuing to care for patients with the virus on two wards at James Cook.

“Vaccines remain our first line of defence against the virus, and getting jabbed is one of the best ways we can protect ourselves. While restrictions have been eased, Covid is still circulating and puts unvaccinated people at risk.

“We know that people can get Covid again and again and even if it does not make them critically ill, there is still the risk of developing further complications or passing it on to a friend of loved one at higher risk from the virus.”

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