An update from Dr Jim Gardner this week has us reeling, after Covid cases dramatically rise across the Fylde Coast.

In his latest video posted on the Blackpool Teaching Hospital’s Facebook page, he relays the following figures:

Total Cases in Fylde Coast – 44  (10 up from last week’s total of 34)
Blackpool Victoria Hospital – 38
Clifton Hospital – 3
Intensive Care – 3

He states that we are also seeing a “clear ongoing and significant worsening” of the covid figures. Community data cases from data taken from the BBC website show (per 100,000):

Blackpool – 165 up from 70
Fylde – 131 up from 100
Wyre – 119 up from 68

Dr Gardner addressed the concern that the figures are not accurate, with many members of the community stating many of the cases will be in the hospital for other illnesses. He made it clear that the “vast majority of patients who were showing as covid positibe are in medical wards with conditions linked to covid.” This means that the people counted are in the hospital for symptoms after contracting the virus.

It is alarming how fast the virus is spreading for the second time, and he reminds the public to stay vigilant and abide by the rules that have now been made the law, set out by the government in recent months.