17 COVID-19 deaths after six more in Greater Lincolnshire

The death toll for coronavirus in Greater Lincolnshire reached 17 after six more fatalities were confirmed in the county’s hospitals.

Three have been confirmed at hospitals run by United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and three at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust.

Officials from ULHT said those who died at its hospitals had underlying health conditions.

So far, nine people have died in Lincolnshire after being tested positive for COVID-19 and eight in northern Lincolnshire.

You can follow live updates on coronavirus from around Lincoln and Lincolnshire in our live blog.

A spokesperson for ULHT said: “Sadly we can confirm that three further patients who were being cared for in our hospitals, and had tested positive for COVID-19, have died.

“The patients were all men, aged 73, 80 and 83, and all had underlying health conditions.

Nine patients who tested positive for coronavirus have died at Lincolnshire’s hospitals Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Reporter

“Their families have been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this difficult and distressing time.”

NLaG have been approached for comment.

Meanwhile, Lincolnshire County Council’s Director of Public Health, Professor Derek Ward, said it was vital to increase testing for the virus.

The government admitted that tests were being delivered to hospitals and frontline NHS staff too slowly.

Eight patients who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in hospitals run by Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Trust Picture: Calvin Robinson.

Professor Ward reiterated the importance of testing, in particular on frontline staff.

“It’s absolutely vital,” he said. “My team deal with this issue day in, day out with such things as hepatitis and TB.

“Having a test to confirm it is fundamental. It’s equally as important to test those people who have had it and cleared it.”

It comes as it was confirmed that the death toll across the UK reached 2,352 deaths.

As of 9am today (April 1), 29,474 cases were confirmed positive for COVID-19.

Lincolnshire saw its biggest daily increase yesterday, after the number of cases increased by 26 to 104.

In the UK, 152,979 people have been tested according to the Department of Health.

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