COVID PATIENT FALLS TO SIX-MONTH LOW

THOSE BEING TREATED FOR THE VIRUS DROPS BELOW 100

THE number of people in Leicester’s hospitals with Covid-19 is now down to double figures, having reached a peak of nearly 500 in January.

It is the first time since October that Leicester’s three hospitals – Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General and Glenfield Hospital – have had fewer than 100 coronavirus patients between them.

The latest published figures show there are 92 patients with the virus, 18 of them on ventilators to help them fight the disease.

Average daily admissions of people with Covid-19 are down to nearly six per day, having peaked at 62 in one day back in April last year, during the first wave.

During that first peak, the total number of patients in hospital reached just over 200 in midApril before gradually dropping off again towards the summer.

By August 17 there were just seven patients with the virus across the three hospitals.

But the number rose sharply throughout November. It then dropped off a little as the monthlong second national lockdown began to have an effect, but started rising again at the start of December as soon as that lockdown ended.

On January 25, the hospitals hit their peak of 499 people with the virus on their wards. The number of people on ventilators peaked at 71 on February 5.

By February 25, the total number of Covid patients had halved to about 240 patients and the latest figures from March 31 show just 92 patients.

As of March 31, a total of 5,472 people had been admitted to the three hospitals with the virus and hospital figures show that 1,443 people had died with the disease. This figure does not include deaths in the community.

Nationally, the latest figures show 4,052 daily cases, 43 daily deaths and 4,176 people in hospital with coronavirus.