Monday update: NHS confirm no new Covid-19 victims in Northamptonshire hospitals

Monday's NHS bulletin revealed no new Covid-19 victims at Northamptonshire's two main hospitals for the sixth time in nine days.

The daily list issued at 2pm today showed no deaths had been added to the grim tally of 504 at Northampton General and Kettering General hospitals when the latest figures were collated at 5pm on Sunday night..

Bulletins usually allow up to a five-day lag in reporting new fatalities among patients testing positive for the coronavirus. So any deaths which have may have occurred since Friday may not yet be included in the official records.

NGH has seen 291 Covid-19 victims since the first deaths in the county on March 16 while 213 have died at Kettering..

A further 127 deaths related to coronavirus had been identified by the Care Quality Commission in Northamptonshire's care homes up to June 19.

That takes the combined total of known Covid-19 victims in the county so far to 631.

Numbers of new cases are also continuing to fall in Northamptonshire, although the county's top health official warns there is still a "significant risk" of new infections in the county.

The average number of fresh positive coronavirus tests for the killer bug during the last 14 days is now around 5.1 per day, according to Government figures, compared to nearly 11 three weeks ago.

Northamptonshire's Director of Public Health, Lucy Wightman said: “Whilst there are increasing signs of normality returning, we must remember that the virus continues to be in circulation and the risk posed by local outbreaks remains significant.

"Following social distancing and other infection prevention and control guidelines gives us the best chance of keeping the virus transmission under control."

Just 14 out of England's 219 NHS trusts announced deaths today, including two in Liverpool dating back to June 8.

Yesterday's Public Health England announcement put the number of positive tests in the county at 1,688 after a rise of two in the 24-hour period up to 9am on Sunday.

That compares with figures in Leicester where 866 tested positive in the two weeks up to June 23, sparking fears of a local lockdown.