Coronavirus cases rise at Nuneaton hospital after 'community outbreak'

"Stringent measures" are in place at George Eliot Hospital to try to reduce the numbers of Covid infections

A hospital says a "higher than usual" number of coronavirus-related deaths is down to a "community outbreak".

There have been 27 at George Eliot Hospital, in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, in the past two weeks, figures show.

The trust running the site said Covid-19 was "circulating at a high rate locally" and urged people showing symptoms to not attend.

It added 16% of recent cases there were "hospital acquired" and "stringent measures" were in place to cut cases.

The trust said all patients were being regularly tested for coronavirus due to the high number of cases

"Sadly, we are currently seeing a higher than usual number of deaths related to Covid-19 in the trust," medical director Catherine Free said.

"The situation was caused by a mix of community transmission and hospital-acquired infection."

While the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust said 16% of the positive tests in the hospital were "definitely" acquired in hospital, Dr Shade Agboola, Warwickshire's director of public health, said a further 25% were "most likely" acquired there too.

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All patients are being regularly tested for coronavirus, the trust said, and it is maintaining a "strict separation" of Covid and non-Covid services to keep the virus under control.

The number of cases in the trust, which was rated as "requires improvement" following a CQC inspection in March, is now coming down, Dr Agboola said, and no coronavirus-related deaths were recorded on Monday.

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