Coronavirus admission numbers show encouraging drop at region's hospitals

The latest data from NHS England showed that on February 25, 157 patients with coronavirus were being treated at the Ipswich and Colchester Hospitals which are run by the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

This number was down 12.8% from the week before where 180 patients with coronavirus were being treated at the hospital.

Over the same time period West Suffolk Hospital also saw a decrease in the number of patients with coronavirus from 26 down to 17; a 34.6% drop.

ESNEFT's figures are now close to the peak number of patients who were treated during the first lockdown. West Suffolk Hospital are now below this peak.

New data has also been released by NHS England regarding the number of patients currently occupying ITU beds at Suffolk's hospitals.

The numbers of patients in critical care beds has also dropped very slightly at both trusts.

On February 15 the number of critical care beds occupied at Ipswich and Colchester hospitals was 72.3% - by February 21 this was 70.5%.

At West Suffolk Hospital the percentage of occupied beds went from 85% to 80% in the same time period.

Both hospitals showed daily fluctuations on these numbers.

ESNEFT Chief executive Nick Hulme, said on Wednesday that the admission numbers at the two hospitals were encouraging but that people need to stick to restrictions while vaccinations continued.

"There's no doubt that we have seen a reduction in the number of new patients coming through with Covid," said Mr Hulme.

"But by no means have they completely disappeared. We have still got as many patients with Covid across both of our sites as we had at any stage in the first surge.

"Our intensive care units have twice as many patients as they would have at this time of year normally.

"So although all the indications are going in the right direction, as the infections come down in the community there is a delay before we see a reduction in the hospital and particularly in ITU."