Seven more coronavirus deaths at Northamptonshire's two main hospitals

Seven more coronavirus deaths have today been confirmed at Northamptonshire's two main hospitals.

Friday's NHS England bulletin revealed that three patients had sadly died at Northampton General Hospital on Wednesday this week.

Three more died at Kettering General Hospital on Tuesday (November 17) and one on Thursday.

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All seven had either tested positive for Covid-19 within the previous 28 days or had the virus mentioned on a death certificate.

The news came just hours after the county's Public Health Director revealed there had been a "significant increase" in outbreaks of the virus at the two hospitals.

Lucy Wightman said: "The position has unfortunately deteriorated in the last few days."

Staff at the county's two acute hospitals have now seen 57 deaths among coronavirus patients — 38 at Northampton and 19 at Kettering — since early October.

Covid-19 was already linked to 311 deaths in Northampton and 220 in Kettering between March and August.

A further 159 coronavirus-related deaths in county care homes have also been notified by the Care Quality Commission.

There were more than 1,600 new positive tests in Northamptonshire during the seven days to November 8 — a 54.3 per cent increase on the previous week. Latest figures revealed in the surveillance report today (Friday) are expected to be similar despite being from the first full week of the national lockdown.

But, according to the Government's coronavirus dashboard Northamptonshire has seen 559 cases in the last three days compared to 857 over the period from Tuesday to Thursday a week ago.

The ONS said: "Over the last week, infection rates have continued to increase in some parts to the UK — London, the East of England and the South East — however rates now appear to be decreasing in the North West and the East Midlands."

It added that the highest infection rates were among students in secondary schools, older teenagers and young adults and that rates continue to increase in primary school children.