STARK REALITY OF THE VIRUS SECOND WAVE REVEALED
TRAGIC TOLL AT LEAST ONE COVID PATIENT HAS DIED IN CITY HOSPITALS SINCE OCTOBER
AT least one Covid-19 patient has died every day at Leicester’s hospitals for the past three months.
The last day no coronavirus-related deaths were recorded at hospitals in the county was 87 days ago, on October 26 last year.
And since then, the number of fatalities since the start of the pandemic has nearly doubled to 928 deaths, showing the stark reality of the second wave.
The tragic toll also means hundreds of families have been forced to say farewell sometimes via video call, porters have taken one patient or more a day to the mortuary and doctors have been signing death certificates every day for more than 12 weeks now.
According to the official figures, 20 deaths were recorded in just one day by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) on November 14, its highest figure for one 24-hour period.
Daily death updates of 11 and 12 are not uncommon and in the past two weeks alone, 135 deaths after a positive Covid test have been announced by Leicester Royal Infirmary, Glenfield and General hospitals.
Seven families were delivered the devastating news that a loved one with coronavirus had died on Christmas Day, seven died on Christmas Eve and another nine Covid-positive patients died on Boxing Day.
Since the start of 2021, the daily death toll has not dipped below three people. A patient in their 30s was one of 79 whose deaths were reported by UHL in the last week. The patient had underlying health conditions.
The number of deaths and rising pressure on the local NHS prompted health chiefs to again plead with people to follow the lockdown rules in a bid to turn the tide on the virus.
They said: “Covid-19 is spreading
more easily and more quickly than before. It is vital that we bring infection rates down to curb the spread of the virus and protect patients.
“Don’t think this virus cannot or will not affect you.”
Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth MP yesterday described the local death toll as a “desperate tragedy”, before offering his condolences to the family’s affected.
He told the Mercury: “It is a desperate tragedy. It upsets me so much because behind every one of those deaths is a family grieving, heartbroken, shattered.
“I say this to the government, they have made so many mistakes throughout this crisis, we didn’t have to have the worst death tally in the world, why have we got that? It didn’t have to be like that?
“We should have locked down sooner, we should have protected our borders, we should have had better contact tracing and for people asked to isolate, there should be decent sick pay and support.”
A UHL spokesman offered the trust’s condolences to the families of all who have died and added: “We all have a role to play in protecting people and their families from the effects of Covid-19.
“Anyone can catch it, and anyone can spread it so following the stay at home and ‘hands, face, space’ advice has never been more important – even if you or your loved one has been vaccinated.
“We have difficult days ahead but we are confident we will get through it. Please use our services wisely and remember we are here if you need us.”
We didn’t have to have the worst death tally in the world, why have we got that?
Jon Ashworth, above, at the vaccination centre