Top doc urges caution as 29 die at Blackpool Victoria Hospital in a week despite number of inpatients falling

Some 110 are in general beds at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, 17 in intensive care, and 32 at the Clifton Hospital in St Annes.

But Dr Jim Gardner, medical director at the NHS trust running both hospitals, said there are more unofficial inpatients who are there because of Covid but tested positive more than two weeks ago and no longer count towards the statistics.

He said: “So the hospital is really very, very busy with people who are actively Covid positive or have come off the end of that position.”

Twenty-nine people have died in hospital in the past week after testing positive for the coronavirus, which “shows the seriousness of the situation that we are dealing with,” Dr Gardner said.

The death toll rose to 321.

But a fall in infection rates was called a “ray of sunshine”.

For the first time in weeks, the rate in Blackpool fell, from 540.7 per 100,000 people in the seven days to October 22 to 408 in the seven days to October 29, figures showed.

Some 569 cases were diagnosed, compared to 754 the week before.

The infection rates also fell in Fylde, from 393.7 to 330.5, and in Wyre, from 416.6 to 361.3.

The news will have been welcomed by local bosses as the resort is today plunged into another nationwide lockdown, which will last until at least December 2.

“Well done to everybody who has contributed to bringing those figures down” Dr Gardner added.

“It does show that the way that the general population is behaving is making an important and a significant difference.

“And, of course, we hope and expect that trajectory will continue through lockdown...”

Some minor operations have been axed, Dr Gardner said in his weekly coronavirus briefing this evening, as well as some outpatient appointments.

High-priority ops have continued, however.

Dr Gardner also urged people to avoid heading to casualty unless it’s absolutely necessary, and added: “Our emergency department has been also extraordinarily busy and we have had difficulties getting patients from ambulances into the department because of that.”