No new deaths of patients with Covid-19 were recorded at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust today.
The figures, revealed by NHS England, means that there are now 118 people known to have died after contracting coronavirus since March at the Trust, which runs hospitals in Southport and Ormskirk.
Nationally, Britain’s daily coronavirus death toll today rose by 288 – the lowest 24-hour jump since the end of March, as figures show the UK’s crisis is continuing to slow down after peaking in mid-April.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock tonight announced the total number of victims had reached 28,734, meaning Britain’s official toll is Europe’s second worst – behind only Italy (28,884).
Mr Hancock acknowledged that the daily rise was lower ‘than at any point since the end of March’ but pointed out that the ‘reported figures tend to be lower over the weekend so we do expect that number to rise’.
During the darkest days of Britain’s crisis in mid-April, more than 1,000 deaths were being announced by the Department of Health each day. The UK has not recorded fewer than 200 deaths a day since March 26, three days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed the draconian lockdown.
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Elsewhere in our region, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals recorded the most new deaths in the latest figures with six while four more patients died at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals Trust with one more death at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
Liverpool, a city hit very hard by tragedy during the coronavirus pandemic, recorded no new virus deaths in today’s latest update. A total of 354 people have died at the city’s Trusts after testing positive for Covid-19 so far during the pandemic.
The current total death figures for each Liverpool Trust are as follows:
Liverpool University Hospitals Teaching Trust – 325
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital Trust – 16
The Walton Centre NHS Trust – 6
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital – 4 (all adults)
Mersey Care Mental Health NHS Trust – 3
Elsewhere in the Liverpool City Region there were four deaths at St Helens and Knowsley, which covers hospitals in St Helens and Whiston and one further death at Wirral’s main hospital Trust – which includes Arrowe Park Hospital – to bring about a total of 169.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to unveil the exit strategy in an address to the nation on Sunday, having delayed the announcement by three days as frantic work continues in Whitehall.
In a video posted on the Downing Street Twitter feed today, Mr Johnson warned that the ‘worst thing’ the country could do right now is ‘ease up too soon’ while there is still a threat of a ‘second peak’.
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“We will only be able to move onto the second phase of this conflict if our five tests have been met,” he said.
The tests are: that the NHS must have sufficient critical care capacity; there must be a sustained and consistent fall in daily deaths; the infection rate must be decreasing to ‘manageable levels’; there must be enough PPE and testing supply; and any adjustments must not lead to a second peak which could overwhelm the health service.
Mr Johnson said: “The worst thing we could do now is ease up too soon and allow a second peak of coronavirus.”
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