Chesterfield Royal Hospital creates extra beds for covid patients as 'precautionary measure'

On Thursday, staff at the hospital were looking after 17 people with coronavirus, some of whom were in critical care.

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A spokesperson for the Royal said: “We have to stress that 17 is a fraction of the 80-plus patients in hospital at any one time at the height of the pandemic.

“And remember that since the end of March, 600 people have been in the hospital with coronavirus and gone home again.

“Sadly of course during that time, 140 loved ones have passed away after a Covid-19 diagnosis and other ill health conditions and our thoughts are always with their family and friends.”

The spokesperson added: “Throughout the pandemic we’ve tried to make sure we are well prepared and ready for additional cases.

“On Thursday afternoon we changed some of our wards and critical services around to make sure we have extra beds allocated to Covid-19.

“This is a precautionary and sensible measure designed to stay one step ahead – just like we did in March.

“Right now it’s more important than ever to wash hands, wear a face covering or mask and stick to social distancing, outside as well as inside buildings.”

According to the latest available data at 3pm on Friday, there were 97 positive cases of Covid-19 in Chesterfield between September 29 and October 5, up 77 compared with the previous week.

The infection rate for this period was 92 cases per 100,000 people. The average area in England had 68.

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