THERE were 83 people being cared for with Covid-19 at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) and Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (Shropcom) as of Tuesday, figures show.

There were 82 people at SaTH and one at Shropcom with Covid-19 respectively.

The number of beds at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 increased by 60.78% in the last four weeks – 28 days ago, there were 51.

The figures also show that 79 new Covid patients were admitted to hospital at SaTH in the week to January 3. This was up from 64 in the previous seven days.

The number of beds at Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 decreased by 91.67 per cent in the last four weeks – 28 days ago, there were 12.

The figures also show that two new Covid patients were admitted to hospital in Shropcom in the week to January 3. This was down from five in the previous seven days.

Across England there were 26,467 people in hospital with Covid as of January 5, with 2,378 of them in mechanical ventilation beds.

The number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised has increased by 94 per cent nationally in the last four weeks, while the number on mechanical ventilators has more than doubled.