Patient in 30s among virus dead

A PATIENT in their 30s was one of ten Covid-related deaths announced yesterday by Leicester’s hospitals.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust’s (UHL) weekly update showed the patients who died ranged from their 30s to their 90s.

The latest update means that since the start of the pandemic, 1,426 patients being treated at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital or Glenfield Hospital have died after a positive Covid test.

A trust spokesperson said: “Sadly, we can confirm that 1,426 patients being cared for at our hospitals, and who had tested positive for Covid-19, have died.

“Ten of those deaths have been announced since last Wednesday (March 17).

“Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of the patients at this very difficult and distressing time.”

This week’s announcement covers the period from Wednesday, March 17, until yesterday.

However, reporting delays mean some of those deaths could have occurred before last Wednesday.

UHL does not provide information about whether patients who have died had underlying health conditions.

The number of local hospital fatalities has halved since last week when 20 were recorded.

Deaths have steadily been falling over recent weeks.

The highest weekly increase seen this year was 89.

Gov.uk statistic show that there are now 117 Covid positive patients being cared for by UHL.

At the height of the most recent wave, there were 500.