Blackpool Victoria Hospital's medical director is 'anxious' about second wave of virus despite number of sick and dying falling

That’s down from around 150 at the peak of the first wave of the outbreak in the resort.

There is just one patient on the critical care unit, and there had been no new hospital diagnoses in the “last 47 hours”, Dr Jim Gardner said in an update on Wednesday.

“Over the previous week, there have been days where we have had one or two new cases, and quite a few days where there have been none,” he said.

“So we are in a much more comfortable position today, but our anxiety remains that, as lockdown eases, we still need to be incredibly careful, looking out for the possibilities of some kind of second surge.

“And that is why the advice about being alert, really looking after your own health and taking responsibility for others is so important.”

Dr Gardner said there had been 229 verified Covid-19-related deaths at the hospitals, and said there had been no new deaths in the “last

24 hours”.

But he said: “I’ve said before, we have to do technical adjustments with our data, so we’re showing 229 today, and we showed 216 last week, with no new deaths reported in the last 24 hours.

“And we’re showing 408 discharges of patients who we have successfully treated for Covid.

“Of course, I don’t expect that number to rise very quickly now as our total numbers are coming down.”

Dr Gardner said those wearing masks during the hot spell “might start to feel rather hotter and less comfortable in the heat”.

He added: “The basic rules apply in this heatwave. It’s important to stay well hydrated. If out in the sunshine, which is incredibly strong at the moment, it’s important to use a high factor sunblock, and ideally anybody who is vulnerable in the heat should stay indoors, should stay cool.

“It’s fine to use a fan. It’s only really in some of our specialist ward areas where we will not be using fans for fear of dispersing viral particles.

“Under normal circumstances, a fan is fine to use.”