Covid-19 deaths pass 1,000 in Birmingham hospitals

The UK’s first hospital trust to record 1,000 Covid-19 deaths says the toll is the “terrible reality” of the virus.

University Hospitals Birmingham, which has four hospitals and is the biggest trust in England, had reported 1,001 deaths since 14 March as of Sunday.

The number of coronavirus cases in Birmingham is 153.2 per 100,000 people, in the seven days to 24 September.

The hospital trust confirmed the figure with “great sadness”.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the families and friends of those who have suffered losses,” a trust spokesman said.

“We are also acutely aware that the toll has impacted our own staff across the four hospital sites and we continue to offer them appropriate support during the ongoing challenge of the pandemic.”

The spokesman added that while it does not “mitigate the terrible reality of the number of deaths”, the trust can “take some comfort” in the fact 3,000 positive virus inpatients have been discharged from hospital.

Across the trust’s four hospitals – Good Hope, Heartlands, Queen Elizabeth and Solihull – more babies are delivered than anywhere else in Europe and the trust employs more than 20,000 people.