THE number of coronavirus patients in Herefordshire's hospitals has hit a new high, with 35 more patients now than at the height of the first wave.

A record number of Covid-19 patients were at the Wye Valley NHS Trust on January 12, when 85 patients were being treated.

Tuesday is the most recent day covered by the latest NHS England figures, and shows the number of patients with coronavirus being treated at the hospitals had risen from 58 the same day last week.

During the first wave of coronavirus, the highest number of patients with Covid-19 at the trust was 50 on April 5. The latest toll, 85, is 70 per cent higher than that.

The number of people on mechanical ventilators, used for the most seriously ill coronavirus patients, had also risen to a record high during the week to January 12.

On Sunday and Monday, eight patients were on the ventilators, up from the previous high of seven on January 5.

This number had fallen to six as of 8am on January 12.

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In the seven-days to January 10, 49 Covid-19 patients were admitted and diagnosed with coronavirus at the Wye Valley NHS Trust. This compares to 45 the previous week.

Separate figures from NHS England, which cover up to 4pm on Wednesday (January 13) show 122 people have now died at the Wye Valley Trust after a positive Covid-19 test result.