Advertisement

Coronavirus: People are stealing hand sanitiser from hospitals

A general view of Northampton General Hospital where a man died today after apparently shooting himself on a hospital ward.
Northampton General Hospital says it is in short supply of sanitiser gel as fears over Coronavirus outbreak in the UK grow. (PA)

A hospital in England has asked visitors to refrain from stealing hand sanitiser dispensers as fear grows over the coronavirus outbreak in the UK.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has sparked a surge in demand for hand gel as shop and pharmacy stocks begin to sell out.

Northampton General Hospital, which itself is facing a shortage of the product, said on Friday that gel dispensers are being taken from patients' beds and “ripped” from walls.

It comes after 163 people tested positive for Covid-19 as of 9am on Friday, up from 115 cases reported at the same time on Thursday.

See latest coronavirus news and updates

Hand sanitiser dispensers are being stolen by visitors to Northampton General Hospital. (NORTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL)
Hand sanitiser dispensers are being stolen by visitors to Northampton General Hospital. (NORTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL)

The NHS Trust in charge of hospital claims the gel is "disappearing every day" and as such have been forced to limit the supply on wards.

Posting to its Facebook page, the hospital wrote: “We're seeing a lot of hand sanitiser dispensers disappearing from the end of our patients' beds and from our welcome desks.

Read more: Where are the coronavirus cases in the UK?

“Please help us to keep our patients safe by not removing the dispensers or using them to top up your own dispensers.”

Sanitiser units have been "ripped from the walls" of the hospital. (Northampton General Hospital)
Sanitiser units have been "ripped from the walls" of the hospital. (Northampton General Hospital)

Now the hospital is asking visitors to “respect” the short supply of sanitising gel - and reminded the public that “hand washing remains the most effective way to minimise infection.”

A spokeswoman for the hospital said: “Over the past few days, we’ve seen a marked increase in the number of hand gel dispensers being taken from our ward areas, including those at the end of our patients’ beds.

Read more: Coronavirus: Two teenagers arrested over 'racially motivated attack in London

"Three dispensers have been ripped from walls around the site, and we’ve seen people coming to the site to fill up their dispensers from our supplies.

CARDIFF, WALES - MARCH 3: Empty shelves in a Boots chemist after the retailer ran out of hand sanitiser on March 3, 2020, in Cardiff, Wales. Another 12 cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) were confirmed in the UK today, bringing the total to 51. The virus has spread to 77 countries in a matter of weeks, claiming over 3,000 lives and infecting over 90,000. The World Health Organisation have increased their risk assessment to “very high”. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

"We don’t have an unlimited supply and would ask that visitors to the site respect the fact that we are doing all we can to keep our patients, visitors and staff safe, and we need their support. Hand washing is the most effective way to minimise the risk of infection."

Two UK deaths have been feared, with an elderly woman in Berkshire confirmed to have died from coronavirus.

On Friday, it emerged a patient in Buckinghamshire, in Milton Keynes, had died amid fears they've contracted the deadly virus.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo News