A TOTAL of 55 people have now died as a result of the Covid 19 infection across the Pennine Acute Hospital NHS Trust - which includes Fairfield General Hospital. 

The latest figures published by NHS England reveal that, so far this month, there were three Covid-19-related deaths across the trust on April 1, two on April 2, four on April 3, three on April 4, three on April 5, one on April 6, and three on April 7.

More than 150 cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed in Bury, according to the most recent data from Public Health England (PHE).

The rise in cases in the borough to a total of 151 comes after 13 new cases were diagnosed, as of April 7.

Across the UK 6,159 people have now died from coronavirus, with a daily increase of 786 fatalities confirmed by PHE on Tuesday.

The total number of UK cases has reached 55,242 ­— representing a daily increase of 3,634.

This comes as health bosses say NHS staff are working night and day to create the new NHS Nightingale Hospital for the North West.

Bury Times:

Located at the Manchester Central complex, the new temporary hospital is being put in place for patients from Greater Manchester, as well as Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and South Cumbria.

Within the next week the hospital will be equipped and staffed to receive up to 750 patients from across the region, the NHS says.

The hospital will be staffed by consultants, junior doctors, nurses, healthcare support workers, physiotherapists, pharmacists, occupational therapists, social workers, and a range of non-clinical support workers and administrators.

These staff members will look after Covid-19 patients from across the region who do not need intensive care but who still need treatment.

The hospital will also link closely to community health and social care services, and patients will be transferred there from hospitals across the North West.

Bury Times:

Jackie Bird, chief nurse for NHS England and senior Responsible Officer for NHS Nightingale North West, said: “The Nightingale programme, together with the rest of the coronavirus response, really shows what the NHS and its partners can achieve when it pulls all the stops out.

"It’s been very heartening to see so many people and different organisations pulling together to create an entire hospital in the space of a fortnight to care for our population. It’s an incredible feat.

“Hospitals in the region have done a great job of ramping up capacity to care for coronavirus patients, and the NHS Nightingale North West will give us additional beds should they be needed.

"But of course we actually want to be treating as few people as possible here, which is why we are continuing to ask people in the North West to stay home to save lives.”