Seven consecutive days of coronavirus deaths at Harrogate hospital as toll hits 136

The coronavirus death toll at Harrogate hospital now stands at 136.

NHS figures published today show one more patient who tested positive for Covid-19 died on Wednesday - bringing the total since the pandemic began up to 136.

The hospital has reported coronavirus-related deaths for seven consecutive days since last Thursday and is treating a record number of virus patients with 65 currently in beds.

A Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: "This is the highest it has ever been since the start of the pandemic. It is therefore vital that we all stay at home as much as possible and go out for essential reasons only.

"Our staff are working incredibly hard to care for these patients but they need your help to prevent the further spread of infection."

Across North Yorkshire, a total of 440 patients were in hospital with coronavirus on Wednesday.

The seven-day infection rate per 100,000 people in the county currently stands at 145, whilst the same figure for Harrogate is slightly higher at 163.5.

These are both below the national average of 231.

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter