THE number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus in Dorset is continuing to decline, latest figures show.

Data from NHS England show that hospitalisations across Dorset have declined in the last week.

There were 43 people admitted to hospitals in the county in the seven days up to August 8 - down from 53 in the previous week.

In Bournemouth and Poole, 41 people were admitted to University Hospitals Dorset Trust between August 9 and August 15.

A further two people were also admitted to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester in the same week.

Meanwhile, figures show just no patients were admitted to the Dorset Healthcare Trust (DHT) during the same one-week period.

As of August 17, there were 37 people occupying a hospital bed with the virus in University Hospitals Dorset - up from 31 the previous week.

There was one patient at Dorset County Hospital occupying a bed and none at DHT.

Across England, 5,437 people were occupying a hospital bed with coronavirus and 398 in the south west.

Of people needing mechanical ventilation, five patients at the University Hospitals Dorset Trust required a ventilator, one person required a ventilator at Dorset County Hospital and no patients at the DHT needed mechanical ventilation.

Across England, 825 patients needed a ventilator and 68 people in the south west with coronavirus required a ventilator.

As part of its weekly update, Public Health Dorset said: "In line with the national picture, COVID-19 case rates remain high across the county. Case rates in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council area have decreased, although they remain higher than the averages for England and the South West.

"Dorset Council's case rate has stayed relatively stable over the past couple of weeks and it remains at a similar level to the England average. There are currently 41 people in hospital in Dorset with COVID-19.

"We can see that vaccinations are having a significant impact on preventing serious illness and stopping many people from needing hospital treatment, as hospitalisations remain much lower than at similar points during previous waves."