CONFIRMED coronavirus cases in Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull have nearly doubled once more in two days – as the region prepares to create a huge field hospital and a morgue.
A shortage of testing continues to be a factor in masking the vastly higher figures expected for those infected.
But the latest official figures reveal today that Coventry’s confirmed cases have risen to 47, up from 25 two days previously. It includes the death of an 18-year-old at University Hospital in Walsgrave, Coventry.
Solihull cases jumped from 19 to 39 in those two days, and Warwickshire saw a rise of 42 to 101, with a third death confirmed on Sunday.
Birmingham’s confirmed cases rose in two days from 228 to 366.
The Midlands region has 2090 confirmed
cases, up from 1296 in two days, the latest UK regional breakdown also shows.
Cabinet office minister Michael Gove, stepping in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson who today confirmed he has the coronavirus, told the daily press conference that confirmed cases were doubling every three to four days nationally.
As we reported earlier, NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stephens also confirmed the NEC will be the venue for the country’s second NHS Nightingale Hospital from next week, with mortuaries. A Birmingham Airport hangar could also host a morgue.
Dramatic rises in deaths are expected in the coming two weeks as in other European countries.
The government website update today states: “As of 9am on 27 March 2020, a total of 113,777 people have been tested, of which 99,234 were confirmed negative and 14,543 were confirmed positive.
“As of 5pm on 26 March 2020, 759 patients in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) have died.
“The figures for test results and for deaths are compiled from different sources. This is why the figures for deaths are reported from an earlier point in time than the figures for test results.”
The number of deaths was 463 two days ago.