THE number of patients in the BCP conurbation's NHS hospitals with coronavirus fell by 26 per cent in the first week of February.

Figures released by NHS England on Thursday, February 11, show that on February 4 there were 246 beds occupied by Covid patients across University Hospitals Dorset (UHD).

This was down from 334 on January 28, with the trust experiencing a peak of 402 patients on January 19.

The number of patients with coronavirus requiring mechanical ventilation stood at 23 on February 4.

This figure has remained between 21 and 25 patients since January 25, with a peak of 30 on January 24.

At Dorset County Hospital there were 54 patients with Covid on February 4, down from 63 on January 28, while Dorset HealthCare sites had 32 patients down from 68.

In terms of Covid hospital admissions, UHD, which covers Royal Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole hospitals, had 39 patients in the seven days up to and including February 3. This compared to 53 in the previous seven days.