Four more deaths among Covid-19 patients announced as Northamptonshire's toll reaches 700
Four victims confirmed today in county's main hospitals and care homes
Four more deaths have been linked to the spread of Covid-19 in Northamptonshire according to details released on Wednesday, taking the total of victims in the county to 700 since the pandemic began.
NHS England confirmed three of the deaths were among patients being treated at Kettering General Hospital.
A fourth was revealed by the Office for National Statistics among residents at one of Northamptonshire's care homes.
NHS analysts collate information on patients who have died in hospitals in England and either tested positive for Covid-19 or the virus is mentioned on a death certificate.
Today's sad news takes the total to 18 deaths among coronavirus in Northamptonshire's two main hospitals — eight in Kettering and ten at Northampton General Hospital — during the 'second wave' of the pandemic.
Covid-19 was already linked to 311 deaths in Northampton and 220 in Kettering between March and August.
ONS lists show deaths "involving Covid-19" notified to them by the Care Quality Commission weekly.
One death confirmed today in Northamptonshire on October 23 — the first in a county care home since August 17 — follows a rise in the number of outbreaks here.
Friday's weekly media briefing was shown figures revealing 17 active outbreaks in care homes in a 28-day period up to October 25 with 74 associated Covid-19 cases.
Four of those were in Northampton and in Wellingborough, three in East Northants and Daventry, two in South Northants and one in Kettering.
The previous week's numbers showed eight outbreaks involving 25 cases — although Public Health Director called it a "small increase" and pointed out more stringent swabbing of staff and patients not showing symptoms has contributed to a rise in the number of positive tests.
An active outbreak is one where two or more cases are linked by place and time to a particular setting with at least one case appearing in the last 28 days.
A total of 151 coornavirus-linked deaths were recorded in Northamptonshire care homes up to August 17.
Across England number of similar deaths rose from 133 in September to 539 in October.