CITY’S WEEKLY COVID DEATH TOLL AT HIGHEST LEVEL FOR 8 MONTHS

884 have now died since pandemic start

STOKE-ON-TRENT has seen the highest weekly total of Covid-19 deaths in eight months.

There were 12 involving coronavirus in the week ending October 29 – more than in any other week since the end of February.

The figures, from the Office for National Statistics, include all deaths where Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate.

Stoke-on-trent has now seen 884 covid-related deaths since the start of the pandemic, including 78 since the final lifting of lockdown restrictions in July.

The city has a coronavirus death rate of 344.5 per 100,000 people, which is the 29th highest in the country and the fourth highest in the West Midlands.

Newcastle had one covid-related death in the week ending October 29, bringing its pandemic total to 417. The Staffordshire Moorlands saw two deaths in the most recent week, bringing its total to 324.

The number of deaths involving coronavirus, both locally and nationally, have been much lower in the most recent wave of the pandemic, despite infection rates being as high, or even higher, than in previous surges.

This has been attributed to the success of the vaccine programme and better treatment being available.

Infection rates have been trending downwards across North Staffordshire since the middle of October, suggesting that the number of deaths could also start to fall.

The falling infection rate in the community is already being reflected in a reduced caseload at the University Hospital of North Midlands. On November 9 UHNM had 69 covid-positive patients, including 13 in mechanical ventilation beds, down from more than 90 in late October.