Chesterfield Royal Hospital Omicron-free, according to latest update

On Friday, the Royal’s deputy chief executive said the hospital had ‘seen a case of Omicron’. But the situation has now changed, with a hospital spokesperson telling the Derbyshire Times on Tuesday afternoon: “We don’t have any Omicron.”

MORE: Apology over job advert for butler in Derbyshire

At around 2pm on Tuesday, there were 24 patients with coronavirus at the Royal – five of whom were in intensive care.

Around the same time last week, hospital staff were looking after 27 people with Covid-19 – seven of these were in a critical condition.

The Royal has now recorded a total of 497 deaths linked to the virus.

Latest Government data shows 671 people in Chesterfield had a confirmed positive test result for coronavirus between December 15 and December 21 – an increase of 44.9 per cent compared to the previous seven days. In Chesterfield, there was one death within 28 days of a positive test for coronavirus reported on December 21.

In North East Derbyshire, 665 people had a confirmed positive test result for coronavirus between December 15 and December 21 – an increase of 42.7 per cent compared to the previous seven days. In North East Derbyshire, no deaths within 28 days of a positive test for coronavirus were reported on December 21.

In Bolsover, 492 people had a confirmed positive test result for coronavirus between December 15 and December 21 – an increase of 39.4 per cent compared to the previous seven days. In Bolsover, no deaths within 28 days of a positive test for coronavirus were reported on December 21.

The total number of deaths registered across Derbyshire county and Derby city where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate currently stands at 3,286.

In terms of positive tests nationally, 90,629 were reported in the UK on Tuesday – up week-on-week from 59,610.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there was not enough evidence to justify tougher coronavirus restrictions before Christmas but added ‘we can’t rule out any further measures after Christmas’.

Nearly 30 million people have now received a booster jab in the UK.

‘Robust’ Covid plan at hospital

In a statement issued on Friday, Berenice Groves, deputy chief executive and chief operating officer at the Royal, said: “We have a robust plan in place to manage any cases of Covid-19, and this includes the new variant.

“It is really important that people visiting the hospital follow the infection control protocol, which is there to protect them, our patients and colleagues.

“To help us limit footfall and congregation in some of the busiest areas of the hospital, we have taken the decision to suspend access to onsite restaurants for visitors (this came into effect from Monday).

“This decision has been taken to help protect our patients, our colleagues and our services to enable us to provide the best care in a safe environment.

“If you are visiting a patient in hospital, there remains a one-person limit.

“We are doing all we can to protect visiting, but we still require your help to keep our extremely clinically vulnerable patients safe.

“As always, we would encourage people to help us, to help them by calling NHS 111 first, for advice on non-life-threatening concerns, before attending the emergency department.”

MORE: Rail plan promises Chesterfield to London in 76 minutes but politicians say it's 'nothing new'

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Visit www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/subscriptions