“Every breath you take”

Many across the world and especially in the North East of England will remember this song. “Every Breath You Take” is the Police’s and Sting’s signature song.

“Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every time you ache
Every sound you make
We watch over you….
Oh don’t you fear, ICU is here
When your poor heart aches
And your life’s at stake…. “

And ICU units are almost full to their limit. On 8 January 2021 the number of Covid-19 deaths was unprecedented. The Telegraph reported

“A further 1,325 people have died with coronavirus within 28 days of testing positive – the highest number of UK deaths reported on a single day since the pandemic began. The number of cases reported in the past 24 hours was 68,053 – also a record. It comes as London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a ‘major incident’ over the increase of cases in the capital’s hospitals “

In the North East, The Northern Echo reports that every NHS trust across our region has patients with COVID19 on ventilators. One trust is currently caring for 222 patients who have tested positive for coronavirus.

A group of 150 intensive care unit (ICU) staff from across the country (including the North East) came together remotely and sang together, remotely, their reworked version of the Police classic ‘Every Breath You Take’. The song was released before Christmas by ICU Liberty Singers in the hope it would take top spot in the charts. This was recorded in the North East.

It didn’t make number 1. However, we can still hear the amazing words, see the videos, buy the single and pay close attention in this time of increasing numbers with Covid-19 and hospitals stretched to the limits. With the increasing numbers of people getting Covid-19 the words and sentiment of the song cannot be shared at a better time.

The song ends with the words:

“Since this bug we’ve been here without a fail
Finding treatments and care to save the day
Your family says that it’s you they can’t replace
They feel so sad and they long for your embrace
Keep your masks on people, people, pleeeeease!”

The latest figures show how many patients with Covid-19 are on ventilators at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust; admissions surged after Christmas. More than 150 patients with Covid-19 were admitted to North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust hospitals since Christmas Day.

“This week Craig Blundred, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Director of Public Health, said the new variant is spreading at an ‘alarming rate’ and is 50%-70% more easily passed from person to person. Speaking to the council audit and governance committee on Thursday, January 7, Mr Blundred said mixing at Christmas and New Year had led to a surge in cases.”

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It will be past summer before the proportion of people getting a vaccine is sufficient to slow the progress Covid-19. What can we do to reduce the number of people getting Covid, to reduce the number of requiring ICU? To reduce the chance of people we might meet and those we love taking their final breath we can stay home unless necessary.

You can buy the single ‘Every Breath you take’ from ICU Liberty singers here.