More than 550 Covid-19 patients are now known to have died in Northamptonshire's hospitals and care homes

The number of known Covid-19 victims in Northamptonshire passed 550 on another day of statistics.

NHS staff reported 11 more deaths among coronavirus patients at the county's two main hospitals — eight since Saturday.

That came after Office for National Statistics data added a further eight fatalities linked to the deadly bug at Northamptonshire's care homes, up to last Friday (May 29).

Northampton General Hospital has now seen 246 patients die after testing positive for Covid-19 with a further 188 at Kettering General, according to data collated up to 5pm last night (Tuesday June 2).

The known figure in care homes has now reached 119.

The number of positive tests in Northamptonshire stood at 1,528 — a rise of 16 in the previous 24 hours — when the most recent figures were collated 9am on Tuesday. The first test in the county was confirmed on March 3, a man who had recently returned from holiday in northern Italy.

To keep the number of fresh cases down and avoid a second wave of the pandemic, the Government set up a 'test and trace' programme which will identify anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has been infected with Covid-19.

They will then be asked to isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms.

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