County death toll hits 20 during Covid-19 crisis with two more fatalities at Northampton General Hospital

Two more coronavirus-related deaths at Northampton General Hospital has taken the total number of Covid-19 fatalities in Northamptonshire to 20.

Today's announcement (Thursday April 2) by the hospital's medical director Matthew Metcalfe is the fourth of its kind in as many days.

Mr Metcalfe said: “Sadly we can confirm that two patients who had been tested positive for Covid-19 have died.

"The families have been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult and distressing time."

No further details have been released by the hospital on any of nine people who have been added to the list of deaths since Monday.

Kettering General Hospital also today confirmed four more deaths between March 16 and March 29. Eleven of the county's dead were being treated in Northampton and a further nine at Kettering.

Public Health England announced today that, as at 5pm last night, 2,921 people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 across the UK. The rise of 596 on the previous figures is the highest in a 24-hour period since the outbreak started.

Updates are expected later regarding the number of known cases in Northamptonshire, which stood at 187 as at 9am on Wednesday (April 1).

A peak in the UK epidemic is predicted in the next two or three weeks and NHS planners have rushed to free up nearly 400 hospital beds in Northampton and Kettering ahead of an expected surge in Covid-19 patients.