Shropshire Star

Shropshire's Covid-19 death toll continues to rise as hospital deaths reach 108

A further four people have died at Shropshire's major health trusts after testing positive for coronavirus.

Published
Last updated
Daily Covid-19 deaths in Shropshire hospitals by date of death, as of May 5. Data: NHS England. Figures likely to increase as further deaths announced.

The figures, released by NHS England, mean that 108 people have now died at the trusts since the outbreak began.

Of the four patient deaths announced today, three were at Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), while the other was at Shropshire Community Health Trust.

The figures mean that 96 patients have now died at SaTH, seven at the community health trust, and five at the Robert Jones and Agnes hunt Orthopaedic Hospital near Oswestry.

The latest UK-wide figures from the Government, which include deaths in care homes and the wider community, show the death toll has increased by 693 to 29,427.

More Covid-19 coverage:

Meanwhile data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows 55 people died with the virus in Shropshire care homes between April 10 and May 1. In the last week of April more people died in care homes than died in the county's hospitals.

Nine people have also been confirmed as dying with Covid-19 in Powys while in Wales the death toll has reached 1,023. More than 1,000 people have now died in Wales after testing positive for coronavirus, the country’s health minister has said.

PA Graphics

And the UK has now passed Italy as the country with the most Covid-19 deaths in Europe, new figures show – but academics have warned that cross-country comparisons are “difficult”.

The official number of Covid-19 deaths in Italy stood at 29,079 as of 6pm on May 4, according to the Italian Ministry of Health, while the latest UK figure from the Government is 29,427.

PA Graphics

Meanwhile, two experts in infectious diseases in children have called on the Government to allow children to go back to school.

Dr Alasdair Munro and Professor Saul Faust say it is time for classes to re-open as evidence from around the world shows that children have less chance of catching Covid-19 and are not “super-spreaders” of the virus.

In an article published by BMJ Journals online, the pair point out that not only are children less likely than adults to catch Covid-19, they are less likely to spread it.

PA Graphics

In other news, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has dismissed warnings by civil liberties campaigners that a new coronavirus contact tracing app could open the door to widespread “state surveillance”.

Ministers are urging the public to sign up to the app – which is beginning trials on the Isle of Wight -as a way out of the current lockdown and re-starting the economy.

PA Graphics

The Government’s efforts to promote the new “test, track and trace” strategy came as official figures showed the death toll had soared past 30,000 and analysis by the PA news agency found at least 140 NHS and care workers have lost their lives.

Ministers have run into opposition from some Tory MPs and campaign groups concerned about the potential for the state to monitor individuals’ movements and contacts through the app.

Mr Hancock however insisted it is “completely wrong” to say that the app represents a threat to civil liberties.

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.