Health chief reveals "significant increase" in Covid-19 outbreaks in Northamptonshire hospitals

NHS staff at Northamptonshire's hospitals are battling a "significant increase" in Covid-19 outbreaks.

Public Health Director Lucy Wightman will tell Friday's weekly NCC press briefing "The position has unfortunately deteriorated in the last few days."

Northampton General Hospital yesterday tweeted a plea to only visit its emergency department for urgent and life-threatening cases because of "very high demand throughout the hospital."

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A week ago 116 coronavirus positive patients were being treated in NGH and Kettering General Hospital while the weekly surveillance report showed 13 outbreaks — which means two or more cases linked by time or place — in the latest 28-day reporting period up to Nov 8.

NHS England has confirmed 50 coronavirus deaths at the two hospitals since early-October, during the 'second wave' of the pandemic.

Updated figures are expected to be revealed in today's report.

Mrs Wightman told Thursday's meeting of the County Council Oversight and Engagement Board: "We have seen a significant increase in the number of outbreaks in our hospital settings.

"The position has unfortunately deteriorated in the last few days, we have had a significant number of outbreaks which will be reported in tomorrow's surveillance report.

"Needless to say, they keep both our environmental health officers, Public Health England and my team extremely busy trying to support each of those individual settings with risk assessments, advice and guidance."

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 report today (Friday) are expected to be similar despite being from the first full week of the national lockdown.

National data from Public Health England yesterday revealed supermarkets and secondary schools are most common places where people catch the virus.

Last week's surveillance report said 100 per cent of the county's schools are open but education chiefs in Northamptonshire have not revealed how many students are learning from home while self-isolating either as a result of a positive test or following advice from the Test and Trace service.

Many schools have also been forced to close year groups through coronavirus-related staff shortages, although the County Council have not revealed an exact number.