Hospital reports 26 deaths from Covid-19 in first week of February

Another 26 patients have died with Covid-19 at a Norfolk hospital in the first week of February.

The figure is seven more than died at Gorleston's James Paget Hospital in the first week of January, and likely to increase as tests are confirmed.

However, although the death rate remains high it is slowing from a peak recorded during the week ending January 18 when 41 people died, 10 on January 17 alone.

At the regions two other hospitals - the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth in King's Lynn - the figures are down from 45 to 31, and 28 to 20 when comparing the two months.

As of February 6, 306 people have died with the virus at the JPUH.

January was the worst month so far, recording 36pc of all deaths at the hospital.

Latest figures from Public Health England show more people died at the JPUH in the first 10 days in February than the whole of November or December, which saw 24 and 23 deaths respectively.

Announcing the deaths on its website, the hospital said all the patients had underlying health problems and ranged from a man in his 60s to a woman in her 90s.

Up to January 6, 512 people had been successfully treated with Covid-19 and discharged from the JPUH, according to figures released monthly.

Meanwhile coronavirus infection rates in every local authority area of Norfolk have returned to levels last seen in December.

The infection rate in Great Yarmouth is now recorded at 283 per 100,000, the lowest since December 25.