Gary Burgess: At least six Covid-linked deaths in Jersey in the past week and lockdown looms
I can confirm that at least six people who have tested positive for coronavirus in Jersey have died in the past week and a lockdown is being considered.
The government has, so far, only confirmed one death in its official Covid-19 updates. It doesn’t do so until the deaths are registered and confirmed through the Superintendent Registrar.
I can confirm five deaths were at the hospital and one in a care home, the latter being formally announced on Thursday evening.
Additionally, I am consciously using “at least” because the numbers I am choosing to use are based on documentary evidence I have seen, but I am also aware of at least one further death in hospital in the past 24 hours.
These are all people who had tested positive for coronavirus – effectively “died with Covid-19”. They may or may not have died “of” Covid-19, but this is precisely the same metric the UK government has used for its daily updates all year.
It comes as the numbers of current cases of coronavirus in the island approach 900, with more than 30 people in hospital having tested positive for Covid-19, with a further 48 people in care homes also testing positive.
I’m also hearing the hot area of the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital is now near capacity with recovery rooms in operating theatres being used as overflow.
As one senior frontline medic told me: “It’s much worse this time.”
What is important to note, though, is the key issue facing the hospital is not ventilators, it is instead its limited ability to offer high flow oxygen. Something that, we've been warned by Dr Ivan Muscat, could be what necessitates the opening of the Nightingale where such facilities are on standby.
It all comes as STAC, the committee advising ministers, carefully analyses what’s going on right now, with daily positive tallies up.
I understand today could be the biggest single daily total so far, by a significant margin.
I can confirm a lockdown IS being considered. 27 December IS being looked at, but something before Christmas IS also on the table.
An announcement is possible tonight, but it is more likely to come on Monday.
A government spokesperson today reiterated the process for reporting deaths in its daily statistics hasn’t changed, explaining they are only included when they are formally registered. The Communications Unit come in for a fair amount of stick. On the issue of reporting deaths, they’re simply reporting the numbers when they formally receive them. They should receive zero criticism for that.
As it stands, the number of formally confirmed Covid-linked deaths in Jersey since the start of the pandemic is 33. The reality is 40 (and, sadly, rising).