Three more deaths as Covid hospital patient numbers rise again

THREE more people have died after testing positive for Covid-19 at Rotherham Hospital, where almost 90 inpatients with the virus are being treated.

New case numbers across the borough have doubled, according to the latest figures.

As of this morning, Rotherham Hospital had 87 Covid-positive inpatients — up from 50 last week — of whom five were in critical care at the hospital.

The latest deaths bring the total of Covid-positive patients who have died at the hospital since the start of the pandemic to 719.

The total number of inpatients who have tested positive since Covid-19 began is now 3,725. 

In the last seven days, 6,221 people have tested positive in the borough — a rise of more than 90 per cent on a week ago. 

Eighty-five per cent of the population in Rotherham aged over 12 have had their first dose, more than three quarters (78.7 per cent) have had their second, and nearly 60 per cent (59.4 per cent) have received a booster jab.