Northamptonshire reaching "breaking point" as NHS confirms 15 more coronavirus deaths

NHS England has confirmed 15 more coronavirus deaths registered by Northamptonshire hospitals in the last four days.

Friday's daily bulletin revealed ten previously unrecorded deaths at Northampton General Hospital since Monday and a further five at Kettering General Hospital.

And the number of Covid-positive patients being treated in the county's two main hospitals has continued to rise with latest official figures putting the number at 418 on Tuesday.

Patients being treated for the virus are occupying nearly 40 per cent of the county's hospital beds, nearly double reached during the peak of the pandemic's first wave in April.

Today's County Council weekly media briefing will be told 4,604 positive tests were recorded in the week to January 10 according to latest official figures taken during the first full week of the national lockdown — a 253 per cent increase on the equivalent figure on December 7.

A large proportion of those positive tests were in the vulnerable over-60s age group which health officials fear will lead to more pressure on NHS services.

County Public Health Director Lucy Wightman said: “We must all act as though we have the virus and stick to the gold standard protective trio: Hands, face, Space. We must stand apart to

stand together.

"If we don’t act now, more and more services will be adversely affected — hospital services, council front line services, postal services. We are reaching breaking point as a community.”

NGH has now seen 524 Covid-positive patients die within 28 days of a positive test or had the virus mentioned as a cause on their death certificate. KGH has seen 367 die.

A further 212 deaths in Northamptonshire's care homes have also been linked to the virus by the Care Quality Commission, taking the total of know victims across the county to 1,103 since March.