Nineteen more Coronavirus patients die in Blackpool as infection rates rise

In a Covid-19 update, medical director Dr Jim Gardner said that there are 128 people being treated for the virus in hospitals across the Fylde coast as of yesterday, marking an increase from last week's 121.

Some 108 Covid-19 patients are being cared for in general wards at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, 15 are at Clifton Hospital in St Annes, and five are in intensive care.

"I'm sorry to report that nineteen new deaths of patients who are within 28 days of a diagnosis of Covid-19 over the last week," Dr Gardener said. "So you'll see that rather than going away, this issue is remaining an big problem for us.

"We can see from the community data that, compared to last week, there has been a slight increase and within that increase there's a very high proportion of people over the age of 60. As age is an independent risk factor for being poorly with Covid-19, and that is an uncomfortable position to find ourselves in as a health economy.

"If we think about that in the context of Christmas coming, I think the message has to be that everybody has to be really careful through the Christmas period. As individuals and family groups we have to make some really thoughtful decisions about how we manage that to try and restrict transmission between generations, so we're careful about older and vulnerable people mixing with younger people.

"If we are together in confined spaces we try an distance as much as possible we try and maintain ventilation through our homes and so one. Just be thoughtful about the risk that we will be posing to ourselves and to vulnerable friends and relatives and to others who we don't see in front of us but are nevertheless involved in those transmissions pathways."

He said that the vaccine was being steadily rolled out, with priority being given to over-80s and care home residents and staff.