The number of patients diagnosed with Coronavirus in Sefton has doubled in the past two days.
New figures from Public Health England show we now have 20 cases in Sefton, up from 10 on Tuesday, when bosses at Southport Hospital urged local people to stay and hope to stop the virus spreading.
There are currently a total of 9,529 Coronavirus cases across the UK, with 463 deaths.
Elsewhere in the Liverpool City Region, the number of patients with Coronavirus by area are: Halton (8), Knowsley (9), Wirral (16), St Helens (16), and Liverpool (57). There are currently 78 cases in Lancashire.
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No details have been released over where in Sefton the respective patients are from, how old they are or where they are being treated as NHS bosses seek to maintain patient confidentiality.
Southport & Ormskirk NHS Hospitals Trust Chief Executive Trish Armstrong-Child confirmed earlier this week that some patients are being treated locally, but that Southport Hospital and Ormskirk Hospital are well prepared for the situation.
She said: “As expected, we are now treating patients who have tested positive for the Covid-19 (coronavirus).
“After several weeks of preparation, we are well prepared for this.
“Both the Trust and our staff are respecting our patients’ right to confidentiality in the usual way, giving families the space and privacy they need.
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“In the meantime, it is essential we all follow the Chief Medical Officer’s stay at home advice. This will allow us to deal with increasing demand on NHS services due to coronavirus and most importantly ensure that all patients in Southport, Formby and West Lancashire receive the care they need, when they need it.
“Finally, I want to thank our amazing teams for everything they are doing for patients and our incredibly supportive local community who have offered so much help already.
“Kindness and looking out for each other will get us through this.”