First confirmed cases of coronavirus at Scarborough Hospital

Scarborough Hospital has confirmed a number of patients being treated there have Covid-19 coronavirus.
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A spokeswoman for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital in Scarborough, said: “We can confirm that we are currently caring for a number of patients who have tested positive for the Covid-19 infection.

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"They are being safely cared for by our highly skilled team at Scarborough Hospital and all of the appropriate protection measures are in place.”

Signage at Scarborough Hospital. Picture: JPI Media. Richard Ponter.Signage at Scarborough Hospital. Picture: JPI Media. Richard Ponter.
Signage at Scarborough Hospital. Picture: JPI Media. Richard Ponter.
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Preparations for this eventuality have been ongoing at Scarborough Hospital for some time.

A drive through testing service and isolation testing pod were installed in February to reduce the chance of the virus being brought into the hospital by people displaying symptoms.

An isolation ward was created on Lilac Ward the week before last to care for suspected and confirmed cases.

And non-emergency operations at Bridlington and Scarborough hospitals have been cancelled and staff from Bridlington have been moved to Scarborough to help with the fight against the virus.

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As of 9.20am on Sunday (March 22), there are 5,683 confirmed cases in the UK, of which 20 are in North Yorkshire and 10 in York - as York and North Yorkshire have separate unitary authorities they are classed as separate areas.

The situation in the UK is fast changing and the government is now advising everyone to take social distancing measures to reduce interaction between people in order to reduce the spread of the virus.

Certain groups are being told to follow the social distancing advice especially stringently - the over 70s, those with underlying health conditions and pregnant women.

A detailed list of those at increase risk and the measures they should be taking can be found here.

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In a press conference on Friday Boris Johnson said all restaurants, bars, cafes, pubs, gyms and leisure centres must close - though could stay open to serve take away food.

People should carry on taking basic hygiene precautions as the NHS says this is the best way of significantly reducing the chances of spreading any virus: sneeze or cough into a tissue or your elbow, bin tissues, wash your hands frequently and don’t touch your face unless you’ve just washed your hands.

Current evidence indicates that most cases appear to be mild, with patients experiencing flu-like symptoms.

Anyone with a temperature or a new, continuous cough is now being asked to to stay at home for seven days from when symptoms started, or 14 days if they live with others in which case the whole household should isolate.

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Public Health England says this action will help protect others in the community while people are infectious.

They are advising people to stay at least 2 metres (about 3 steps) away from other people in the home, sleep alone, and stay away from vulnerable individuals, such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, as much as possible.

You do not need to call NHS 111 to go into self-isolation.

If your symptoms worsen during home isolation or are no better after seven days, contact NHS 111 online or if you have no internet access, call NHS 111.

In a medical emergency dial 999.

For a detailed look at the economic measures chancellor Rishi Sunak announced earlier this week click here.