Four more coronavirus deaths as Northamptonshire hospitals gear up for "busiest" weeks

NHS England confirmed four more coronavirus deaths as the number of Covid-positive patients in Northamptonshire's hopsitals continues to rise.

Bulletins revealed the two most recent deaths so far recorded at Northampton General Hospital were on Thursday (November 26) with two more at Kettering General Hospital the following day.

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

The sad news takes the total to 84 deaths among coronavirus patients at the county's two acute NHS Trusts — 51 at Northampton and 33 at Kettering — since early October.

And it comes as local hospital officials revealed the number of Covid-positive patients in the two hospitals had reached 171 — an increase of 38 from the previous week — with nearly half intensive care beds being used to treat patients with the virus.

KGH chief executive Eileen Doyle said: "We have 15 per cent of our overall bed base taken up with patients with Covid. That is lower than we were anticipating and lower than the peak in April when the number was 247. But, nevertheless, higher than we would like it.

"We are expecting this week and next week to be our busiest weeks."

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.

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