Hospital death toll is likely to rise further
THE number of people who have died at hospitals in Southport and Ormskirk after testing positive for Covid-19 soared above 50 this week.
The heartbreaking number of deaths dramatically increased over the past fortnight but is still likely to rise significantly as the virus continues to devastate the UK.
According to the figures most recently available from NHS England, a total of 53 people have died at the hospitals have died after testing positive for the virus. That does not necessarily mean that coronavirus caused their deaths, but that the patients had tested positive.
A formal review into the social distancing guidelines currently being practised is due to take place today (Thursday) with a small number of ministers warning of the economic damage caused by the lockdown.
But in the week that total numbers of deaths passed 11,000, the government is facing anger over its slow reaction to the outbreak and the amount of protective equipment made available to frontline health workers.
Earlier this week, one of the country’s leading experts warned that the UK is likely to be “one of, if not the worst” hit countries in Europe by coronavirus.
Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of research charity the Wellcome Trust and a member of the SAGE committee which advises the Government on Covid-19, said: “I do hope that we’re coming close to the number of new infections reducing, and in a week or two the number of people needing hospital reducing, and tragically in a couple of weeks’ time the number of deaths plateauing and then starting to come down.
“But yes, the UK is likely to be one of the worst, if not the worst, affected country in Europe.”
As the figures are recorded by each trust as a whole, it is not clear how many deaths were recorded at each hospital but it is likely, due to where patients are treated, most or possibly all the deaths took place at Southport rather than Ormskirk.
The hospital trust has already moved departments such as physiotherapy from Southport to Ormskirk in order to create bed space and strict restrictions on visitors are now in place.
More alarmingly, the number of Covid-19 infected people to have died is likely to be significantly higher than those numbers suggest as those who die at home or in care homes are not included.
Meanwhile, the Visiter understands that care homes in Southport are to be used as half-way houses for patients who test negative for Covid-19 but aren’t yet well enough to travel home. It is believed that they will spend around a week at the care homes before being discharged.