This is the latest on Covid at Chesterfield Royal Hospital

At 10am on Monday, there were 35 patients with the virus at the Royal. Two weeks ago, that number was 55.

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Meanwhile, the hospital has brought back designated visiting – which had been postponed from December 31 amid concerns about the Omicron variant.

Krishna Kallianpur, chief nurse, said: “We took the very difficult decision to postpone visitors coming into the trust to protect our people and patients.

"However, we are happy to confirm that from Monday, one designated visitor per day will be allowed per patient.

“At the moment this will only be for one hour but we are reviewing this on a regular basis.

“We very much appreciate everybody’s patience and support during this time.

“We do know how important it is to connect with family and friends when in hospital and how much it can aid recovery.”

Maternity, neonatal, critical care, children’s services, and all admission and assessment units – including the emergency department – continue to have their own visiting arrangements and compassionate visiting will still apply in all circumstances.

If patients or family members have any concerns, they are advised to speak to someone from the trust.

Di Holland, deputy director of infection prevention and control, added: “Despite masks no longer being mandatory in some settings, we will continue to require everybody to wear surgical face masks when on site.

“This is to protect the most vulnerable people and ensure we continue to do all we can to provide a safe environment for everybody who needs our care.

“We appreciate everybody’s support in following this guidance.”

Latest Government statistics show 2,113 people in Chesterfield had a confirmed positive test result for coronavirus between January 31 and February 1 – an increase of 172.3 per cent compared to the previous seven days.

In North East Derbyshire, 1,898 people had a confirmed positive test result from January 31 to February 1 – a week-on-week rise of 171.5 per cent.

In Bolsover, 1,720 people had a confirmed positive test result between January 31 and February 1 – up 157.5 per cent compared to the last seven days.

Nationally, 75 deaths with Covid were reported on Sunday – down from 85 the previous Sunday.

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