Coronavirus: Thirty-seven additional deaths recorded at King's Lynn hospital

Thirty-seven more patients have died at Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital after testing positive for coronavirus than previously thought, according to figures out today.

New figures from NHS England show the total of Covid-related fatalities at the Gayton Road site has soared from 203 yesterday to 240 today.

However, the data, published this afternoon, also reveals the additional cases occurred between December 14 and December 31. No deaths have been recorded so far this year.

Officials say the jump was caused by delays in reporting deaths which affected 41 different cases.

The hospital says they have now been added to the system and new checks have been introduced in a bid to ensure there isn't a repeat.

In total, 70 patients who tested positive for coronavirus at the QEH are now known to have died during December.

Denise Smith, the hospital's chief operating officer, said today: “The Trust has made improvements to strengthen its processes to eliminate reporting delays, including introducing a new weekly data-checking process.

“The families of these patients were informed at the time of their death that they died with COVID-19, and our staff continue to support the families and loved ones of patients who have sadly died in our hospital.”