More patients with Covid are in hospital on the Fylde coast, top doctor reveals

Four are on the general wards and two are in intensive care at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, while one is in Clifton Hospital in St Annes.

“That is an increase actually from ... last week,” medical director Dr Jim Gardner said.

There were three Covid-19 patients in hospital last Wednesday.

“It’s hard to interpret what it means,” Dr Gardner said. “I think this is about the background levels of Covid but the important thing to say is that Covid is still out there and still a reason why we need to stay very vigilant.”

Speaking at a weekly briefing yesterday, Dr Gardner said there had been 232 coronavirus-related verified deaths at the hospitals, though that figure has since risen to 233, according to the latest NHS England figures.

“I’m happy to say that the death rate is now either very low or zero,” Dr Gardner said.

“And we’ve looked at our data in comparison to other trusts across the north west and we are showing in the lowest 10 per cent ... for Covid deaths so that’s very pleasing for us in terms of the way the hospital has functioned.”

But Blackpool’s infection rate – the number of people with coronavirus per 100,000 population – remains in the top 10 per cent nationwide, Dr Gardner warned.

“We’ve had a look at the Government figures for Blackpool – so not the whole of the Fylde coast, but for Blackpool – and Blackpool shows quite a high rate of 731 cases per 100,000.

"Now Leicester [which became the first place in the UK to have a local lockdown after a second surge in cases] is much higher than that at 1,100 per 100,000, but we are still in the top 10 per cent, so that shows us that we do have an issue about background Covid and we need to be very careful about that.”

Dr Gardner said it “raises the point about when we should wear masks”, with face coverings compulsory in hospital, and suggested “the balance of evidence is it’s a good idea to wear” one in “tight public spaces” where it’s impossible to social distance.

He said medics continue to be tested for the virus, and said: “We know from public health data now that as many as 80 per cent of people who swab positive have got no symptoms, so it really highlights the importance of us being careful but also of us doing regular swabbing.”

From Monday, the Vic will be taking part in a national study looking at levels of infection and “beginning to work out the extent of immunity that people develop from Covid, which is still largely unknown,” Dr Gardner added.