More than 100 Covid dead at Queen's and King George this week

A total of 119 people died from coronavirus at Queen’s and King George hospitals in the past week as critical care capacity continues to be stretched, latest figures reveal. 

The figure means there have been 1,153 Covid deaths across both hospitals since the start of the pandemic, according to data released by Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT), after 102 people died the previous week.

Some 278 patients been discharged in the past seven days, bringing the number of recoveries to 3,079 since March. These stark figures mean that one person has died for every 2.3 patients who have recovered from the virus since January 6. 

As of this morning, there were 492 Covid patients occupying beds in Romford and Goodmayes - including 57 in intensive care, up from 41 last week. Strikingly, 79 of the cases were newly diagnosed in the past 24 hours. 

Critical care capacity now stands at a worrying 95 per cent, up from 91.5 per cent just one week ago. 

In a letter to stakeholders, the trust’s CEO Tony Chambers said: “The data on our website are facts with which to fight the fantasy of the Covid deniers.  

“But numbers alone don’t drive home the human cost - every figure represents a grandparent, parent, sibling, relative, neighbour.” 

The trust also has 685 of its staff absent, which accounts for almost 10 per cent of the workforce, and cancelled all holiday earlier this month.