THE number of patients with coronavirus being treated at Herefordshire's hospitals has hit a six-month high.

NHS England data shows 19 people were being cared for in hospital by the Wye Valley NHS Trust on Tuesday, August 31.

There were no beds occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 on May 18 – the day after the second easing of lockdown in England.

And the last time there were more than 19 patients being treated at the trust, which runs Hereford County Hospital, was on February 22 ­– more than six months ago.

The figures show the number of people being treated in hospital for Covid on August 24 was up from 12 on the same day the previous week.

They also show that 21 new Covid patients were admitted to hospital in Herefordshire in the week to August 29 – four less than the previous seven days.

But the number of patients in mechanical ventilation beds, those used for the most seriously ill, stood at two on August 31.

That number has been between zero and two since July 20.

Latest figures show eight people who had tested positive for Covid died at the trust between August 1 and 4pm on September 1.