'Mixed emotions' as Blackpool Vic sees 29 deaths in one week but decreasing inpatient numbers

Dr Jim Gardner, medical director at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and the Clifton Hospital in St Annes, said 126 people within 14 days of a positive test are now in hospital, a decrease from 169 last week and 152 two weeks ago.

"This [update] is one of mixed emotions because, as the Prime Minister announced yesterday, 100,000 deaths from Covid [have been recorded] across the country," he said during his weekly briefing this afternoon (January 27).

"I'm looking at a figure for us in the Trust which shows that we've had 650 deaths within 28 days of a Covid diagnosis in our hospital since the beginning of the pandemic.

"On the other hand, we see our inpatient numbers having come down a little bit so that we've got 126 positive patients today, that's within 14 days of their first diagnosis."

Community infection rates have also gone down, with 271 infections per 100,000 people in Blackpool, down from 308 last week.

Fylde's rate is "pretty flat" at 329, up from 322, and Wyre's has "come down a fair bit" at 290, down from 381.

"Encouragingly, the number of people positive over the age of 60 looks like it's dropping quite quickly," Dr Gardner added.

"That is really important because of course age is an independent risk factor for serious illness and that's where most of the hospital patient group comes from, so I'm cautiously optimistic about that data."

He added the immunisation programme is going well, with over 10,000 people vaccinated last weekend, and around 400 immunisations each day.

"The Winter Gardens has opened up in Blackpool and our GP colleagues through the primary care networks are also immunising at quite a rate so we're seeing massive positive impact in terms of immunisation," he said.

"Again I need to just reiterate the message that please wait to be called by your GP surgery for immunisation.

"You would never be asked to pay to be immunised for Covid. This is all free at the point of need through the NHS and we really are rattling through the numbers at a great rate now so there's cause for some optimism in that fact."

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