One new Covid death recorded at Leeds hospitals as cases rise by nearly 12 per cent in a week

Figures released by NHS England show 74 deaths were recorded in the country's hospitals in the 24 hours to 4pm on Thursday, March 18.

The deaths were between January 5, 2021 and March 18, 2021.

The time taken for positive results to be received is among the potential factors in a delay between a death happening and being recorded.

Since April 28 2020, NHS England and NHS Improvement also started to report the number of patient deaths where there has been no Covid-19 positive test result but it is documented as a direct or underlying cause of death in the death certification process.

The figures for the latest reporting period show there were 23 such deaths in England.

According to Government data, a total of 1,277 patients across all hospital trusts and community settings in Leeds have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 up to March 19.

This equates to 161.0 deaths per 100,000 people since the pandemic began, with the highest daily total being 19 deaths on November 7 2020.

Separate Office for National Statistics data, updated weekly, shows there have been a total of 1,619 deaths recorded in Leeds where the death certificate mentioned Covid-19 as one of the causes.

This equates to 204.1 deaths per 100,000 people since the pandemic began.

How many Covid patients are being treated in Leeds hospitals?

According to Government data on healthcare, two patients with Covid-19 were admitted to Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust sites on March 14 - the most recent date for which figures are available.

It brings the total number of coronavirus patients admitted to the trust's hospitals since the pandemic began to 5,132.

The highest number of admissions recorded to date was 52 patients on November 11 2020.

As of March 16, 65 of those patients remained in hospital for treatment including 11 in mechanical ventilation beds.

The highest number of Covid patients being treated on any one day was 331 on November 22 2020, with the most patients in mechanical ventilation beds being reported as 45 on April 23 2020.

Figures for the number of patients discharged are not currently provided on a daily basis.

However, the latest NHS England data shows a total of 3,206 patients who tested positive for Covid-19 were discharged between March 19 2020 and March 3 2021.

Is the number of Covid cases rising in Leeds?

According to the latest Government figures, 119 new Covid-19 cases have been reported on March 19. It brings the total number of people who have tested positive to 59,557.

The highest daily number of cases reported was 693 on October 1 2020.

There were 872 cases confirmed in the seven days to March 14, meaning Leeds has an infection rate of 109.9 per 100,000 people.

This is an increase of 11.8 per cent on the previous seven-day period.

How many Covid tests have been carried out in Leeds?

According to the latest Government figures, 4.9 per cent of the 18,689 in Leeds who received a PCR test went on to receive a positive result in the week ending March 14.

The PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests are lab-based and test for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The figures also show that 14,129 lateral flow test results were provided on March 17 in Leeds, bringing the total to date to 370,706.

Those figures represent the number of confirmed positive, negative or void lateral flow device test results. This is a count of test results and may include multiple tests for an individual person.

Lateral flow devices test for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus and are swab tests that give results in less than an hour, without needing to go to a laboratory. They have been used in trials of mass testing in schools, universities and care homes.

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