A PATIENT being treated for coronavirus at Whiston Hospital has died, as admissions continue to rise “at pace”.

Data published by NHS England show that a patient died at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals Trust on Friday, September 18, after testing positive for Covid-19.

The death is the first to have occurred at the trust since August 3.

The revised total means the trust, which runs Whiston, St Helens and Newton hospitals, has now recorded 210 coronavirus deaths since the start of the outbreak in mid-March.

It also comes just one day after the trust’s medical director, Rowan Pritchard Jones, revealed that hospital admissions had started to rise over the past week.

Following the death, a spokesman for the trust said the number of admissions are “increasing at pace.”

The trust will not release exact figures regarding admission rates, as per national advice from NHS England.

However, it is understood that admissions at Whiston Hospital are now in double figures, with one patient being treated in its intensive care unit.

In terms of the local infections, public health data released by St Helens Borough Council today showed a seven-day rate of 111.6 per 100,000 people.

This is from 201 confirmed cases of between September 13 and 19.

Earlestown recorded the highest number of cases during the period (28), followed by Thatto Heath (23), which has overtaken Newton (21).

Currently, the majority of people testing positive for the virus are aged between 18 to 59.

A total of 16 people aged between 60 and 79 tested positive for Covid-19 between September 13 and 19, while three people aged 80+ were also found to have the virus.

A number of new lockdown restrictions have come into force today following an alarming surge in cases across the borough and neighbouring areas over the past two weeks.

An initial announcement was made on Friday afternoon about the rules, with the Government publishing its official in-depth guidance on Monday.

St Helens and the rest of Merseyside, along with Warrington, Halton and parts of Lancashire, are among the areas facing additional restrictions.

To view the new restrictions in full, click here.