Doncaster hospital admits its first Covid-19 positive patient in three weeks

Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust, which runs Doncaster Royal Infirmary, Worksop’s Bassetlaw Hospital and Mexborough’s Montagu Hospital confirmed that it had admitted its first coronavirus patient since mid August yesterday.

A spokesman said: “We admitted our first Covid-19 positive patient in three weeks yesterday.

"We wish this individual the very best and colleagues are working tirelessly for all of our patients.

"We are hopeful that this won't be the start of a sustained increase in admissions but it is a reminder that this illness has not gone away.

"Please continue to wear an appropriate face covering, wash your hands regularly and maintain social distance when out and about. Thank you for your support.”

It comes as infection rates continute to rise across South Yorkshire.

Yesterday, Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis reported that Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley had all seen rates of infection double in the last week.

And it comes after plans to allow fans into this year’s St Leger were dropped at the last minute over growing coronavirus fears, not just locally, but across Britain.

A limited number of plans were allowed in for the first day of this year’s Festival, but Dr Rupert Suckling, Doncaster’s Director of Public Health, later announced that the rest of the meeting would take place behind closed doors.

It also came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that gatherings of more than six people were being made illegal to prevent the spread of the virus.

More than 250 people have died in Doncaster from Covid-19.