KGH confirms five tragic Covid-19 deaths

Five more coronavirus patients at KGH have died as the hospital's death toll approaches 100.

The Rothwell Road hospital confirmed the tragic deaths today (Wednesday), the first deaths they have confirmed so far this week after two days in a row where the daily count stood at zero.

One of the deaths took place on April 24, two on April 25 and two on April 26, taking the total number of deaths there to 95.

Elsewhere in the county Northampton General Hospital's death toll rose by four to 148.

The actual number of deaths in the county is expected to be much higher as the figures released by NHS England do not yet include deaths in care homes or in the community.

Earlier this week, on the day when the number of positive coronavirus tests in the county passed 1,000, data published by the Office of National Statistics showed 42 coronavirus-related deaths in the county's care homes in a two-week period.

Put together with the number of deaths confirmed in hospitals, the actual county figure would be 33 per cent higher over the same period.

Nationally today NHS England announced a further 445 people who had tested positive for the virus have died, bringing the total number hospital deaths in England to 19,746.

One of the patients to have died with no known underlying health conditions was aged just 14.

The first coronavirus case in Northamptonshire was confirmed on March 3 as a patient who had recently returned from Italy.