Kentish Express Ashford & District
Numbers continue to rise in county
At least 218 people in Kent have died after catching coronavirus.
The latest daily figures released by NHS England before we went to press yesterday, saw the number of deaths in the county caused by the disease rise by 22.
At Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust (MTW), 50 people have died.
It is not yet known which hospitals all the deaths at MTW are linked to.
There have been 92 deaths reported by East Kent Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust since March 22. Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust has reported 47 deaths while there have been 19 at Medway NHS Foundation Trust.
Kent’s first death was a 64-year-old man with underlying health conditions.
He died at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham on March 18.
There have been nine cases reported by Kent Community Healthcare Trust which looks after people in their homes.
Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust have also reported one death.
The Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed a further 778 people have died in hospitals in the UK since 9am Tuesday morning. This takes the total to 12,107.
A total of 302,599 people have been tested and 93,873 have came back positive
The youngest person to have died in England in the 24 hours Monday into Tuesday was aged 17. The oldest was 101.
While these are the only deaths in the county which could be confirmed by NHS England or reported to KentOnline by family members, there could be more as of yet unreported.
Statistics released by the Office of National Statistics suggest it could be 15% higher than government reports.
Among those we have received tributes for is 40-year-old Dartford newsagent Krishnasamy
Chiyamalan, who worked at Templeton News, Temple Hill Square.
It is understood he is one of the first newsagents in the UK to die from the deadly illness.
As well as his wife Gopika, he is survived by two children
A 76-year-old Strood man made the decision to stop receiving treatment and was able to say goodbye to his family before he died.
Terry Dray told them “the world would carry on without him” before passing away at Medway Maritime Hospital on Friday.
He was on a high-dependency ward but decided he did not want to wear the oxygen mask any longer – he wanted his suffering to end.
Son Ian said: “He felt he wouldn’t be able to interact with his grandchildren, Poppy and Jack, like he wanted to – he had a stroke three years ago which he recovered from but it had still affected him.”
Frank Davis was chairman of Tonbridge Angels during the 1980s and had been part of the board of directors.
The 95-years-old was a resident at the Birkin Lodge Care Home in Tunbridge Wells.
Angels’ director Jim Rowe paid tribute, saying: “It is important we never forget what people like Frank achieved in keeping our club alive, and that in these difficult times we also do all we can to ensure the Angels’ flag continues to fly over the town for decades to come.”
Sittingbourne resident Sylvia Ackhurst had recently celebrated her 80th birthday with close family and friends.
She leaves behind a son, 54, and four grandchildren, 28, 26, 23 and 15.
She was the life and soul of the community and known for her generous spirit and positive attitude.
We have set up a special Covid-19 memorial page for families to pay tribute to their loved ones – visit www.kentonline.co.uk
For more virus coverage across the county, see 22-31