Northamptonshire sees 1,000 positive Covid tests in one day for the first time

Northamptonshire saw more than 1,000 positive Covid-19 tests in a single day for the first time.

Tuesday's Government bulletin revealed 1,034 confirmed swabs in the latest 24-hour reporting period — over 300 more than the previous record 713 set just a day earlier.

More than 5,000 have now tested positive for the virus in the last ten days — all of them plus any close contacts identified by the Test and Trace are still self-isolating.

Experts estimate increases in the number of positive tests in the community will translate into more hospital admissions within two or three weeks with the likelihood of further deaths.

Both hospitals remain under severe pressure and close to capacity with around 270 Covid-positive patients occupying nearly 30 per cent of beds.

Medical Director at Northampton General Hospital, Matthew Metcalfe, said: “At the moment we are seeing higher numbers of patients coming into hospital with Covid-19 who are needing our urgent care.

"We are seeing the impact of Covid every day in the hospital, and the number of patients with Covid-19 who need hospital care is increasing compared to the first wave."

Northampton saw 409 positive tests reported on Tuesday — more than a third higher on the previous day. The borough now has a rolling rate of weekly cases of 775.1 per 100,000 people, including the most recent published figures.

Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby and South Northants all saw more than 100 positive tests in a day.

Corby now has a rolling seven-day rate of 725 after seeing more than 500 positive tests in a week. Daventry has also seen just under 500 positives in the last seven days.

Also today, NHS England today confirmed more than 800 coronavirus patients have died in Northamptonshire's hospitals since March.

Six more fatalities were added on today's bulletin, all at Northampton General Hospital between December 30 and January 2.

Staff at NGH have now seen 476 Covid patients die since March with another 325 at Kettering General Hospital. More than a quarter of deaths have occurred since the 'second wave' began hitting in October.