Death toll passes a grim milestone with more than 100 Covid-19 victims in Northampton and Kettering hospitals

More than 100 people have now died after testing positive for Covid-19 in Northamptonshire's two main hospitals.

Today's NHS announcement of five more confirmed fatalities at Kettering General Hospital took the grim total to 102 at the county's two acute hospitals in only four weeks.

These latest figures include two people who died at Kettering on Easter Sunday, two more on Saturday and one on Thursday (April 9). The first coronavirus-related victims in the county died on March 16.

Staff at Kettering have now seen 48 patients die with another 54 at Northampton General Hospital — 36 in eight days up to Good Friday.

No more deaths have been reported at Northampton since Friday but experts believe figures are being skewed by fewer registrations over the bank holiday weekend and could rise sharply from tomorrow.

Top biologist Prof James Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute and University of Oxford, said: “Based on experience of previous weeks, lower numbers could well arise from reporting delays due to the weekend and bank holiday.

"If so there may be higher daily numbers next week as delayed reported deaths end up in future announcements."

Official NHS figures for only reflect deaths of Covid-19 patients in acute hospitals and the Northamptonshire number does not appear to include two Stanwick nursing home residents who died last week after testing positive.

One further fatality has been confirmed by Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust. which provides physical and mental health services at home, through GP practices, clinics, schools, prisons and in residential and hospital environments.

The trust operates at various sites in the county including Berrywood Hospital in Northampton, Danetre at Daventry, St Mary's Hospital at Kettering and Corby Community Hospital. But it also provides services at prisons in Huntingdon, Bedford, Lichfield, March and Rugby plus at Yarls Wood Immigration Removal Centre near Bedford.

That death was reported last Wednesday (April 8) but the location has not been made public.

Public Health England announced the UK's reported death toll in hospitals climbed to 11,329 as at 5pm on Easter Sunday, a rise of 717 in the previous 24 hours.

And a total of 88,621 people have tested positive nationwide as at 9am today (Monday April 13).