King's Lynn hospital which took part in coronavirus RECOVERY research project delighted at treatment success

Dozens of West Norfolk hospital patients have taken part in a trial which appears to have provided a major breakthrough in the fight against coronavirus.

More than 40 patients were recruited through the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Lynn onto the Oxford University RECOVERY Trial.

Hospitals across the country are now using Dexamethasone after the trial found the steroid helped to reduce the number of deaths of patients on ventilators or requiring oxygen therapy.

Research Nurse Zoe Coton said: "At our site we have enrolled 46 patients into the RECOVERY trial and have been grateful for the patients and their relatives support and involvement in taking part in research during this difficult time. W

"We also have been pleased with the collaborative team working from many areas within the hospital which has enabled our patients access to this ground-breaking trial.

"We are delighted to hear that the RECOVERY team have drawn a conclusion on Dexamethasone which appears to be a positive measure for future treatment. It has been a tremendous opportunity for our team to work on such a crucial trial and to provide our patients the access to various potential treatments.”

Medical Director Dr Frankie Swords said: "We have also recruited and enrolled a huge number of patients to other Covid related research and quality improvement projects. In fact, QEH has been ranked 27 out of 507 institutions in the UK for Covid related research!

"We are also pleased to confirm that we are now offering dexamethasone for appropriate patients and this has been built into our hospital clinical guideline.”