Number of Covid patients in hospital on Fylde coast doubles in a week - but there's good news too

Nine are in Blackpool Victoria Hospital and one in the Clifton Hospital in St Annes, deputy medical director Dr Grahame Goode said.

There were five patients battling Covid-19 in the two hospitals, which are run by the same NHS trust, last week.

Dr Goode said: “Fortunately only one is in critical care.”

There have been no deaths in the past week, with the tally remaining at 247, while 461 people have been discharged after beating the disease – an increase of 16 from last week.

Dr Goode, who was standing in for medical director Dr Jim Gardner for the Vic’s weekly coronavirus briefing yesterday, said the number of people turning up to A&E continues to rise.

“It is getting busier and I think it’s really important that we use our NHS facilities wisely,” he said.

“The busier A&Es get, the more difficult it is to treat patients in a timely manner so please use the NHS 111 [telephone helpline] system, use your general practitioners [GPs], and also other primary care facilities such as Whitegate Drive [walk-in centre] and Fleetwood [same day health centre].”

Dr Goode backed new rules which mean people will have to wear face coverings such as masks inside shops in England from tomorrow, having been required to do so in hospitals for some time.

And he said there is “very good evidence now that wearing face coverings will slow the spread of the disease”.

He added: “Certainly the numbers of people wearing face coverings in other countries is much higher than it is in the UK presently but obviously we hope to see that change.

"This is to keep you safe, your family safe, and to help support the NHS so that the numbers of patients reaching hospital with Covid are reduced.”

Asked about recuperation times, Dr Goode said it takes “a couple of weeks to recover from mild symptoms of Covid” but up to 12 months – it is believed – to recover from a life-threatening case.

The two hospitals are now planning to get back to normal, with routine procedures being increased “significantly” to reduce the current waiting list, Dr Goode added.