THE NUMBER OF Covid-19 patients in hospital in two regions of southern England are heading towards levels recorded at the peak of the first wave of the virus, figures show.

In south-east England, 1,547 hospital patients with confirmed Covid-19 were reported on 9 December.

This is the highest number for the region since the end of April.

During the first wave, the number of patients in south-east England peaked at 2,073 on 7 April.

At the current rate of increase, levels could be above this within a fortnight.

It is a similar picture in eastern England.

Here, 1,063 patients were reported on 9 December – again, the highest since the end of April.

The first-wave peak in eastern England was 1,484 patients on 12 April.

On the current trend, this could be surpassed by the end of the month.

The first-wave peak of Covid-19 hospital patients has already been surpassed in four other regions.

On 16 November new records were set in both north-east England, Yorkshire and north-west England, while the Midlands reached a new peak on 23 November followed by south-west England on 24 November.

Only in London is the level of Covid-19 patients still well below that seen during the first wave of the virus.

The latest number recorded in the capital is 1,582 on 9 December, while the first-wave peak was 4,813 on 8 April.

All figures are taken from the UK government’s coronavirus dashboard.

Ireland

Health officials last night confirmed a further 315 cases of Covid-19 and 15 more deaths. 

A total of 227 new cases were confirmed on Wednesday and 215 new cases were confirmed on Tuesday. 

That is a total of 757 cases compared to 822 cases over the same period last week and 830 cases the week previously. 

Ireland’s reproductive number last week was estimated at between 0.8 and 1. It is now estimated at closer to 1. 

Ireland’s national incidence rate is 79 cases per 100,000 of the population on a 14-day rolling average, according to data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre – compared to 79.7 on this day last week and 105.5 the week previous.

That is a 24% drop in the past 14 days, a slower rate of decline from 31% over the previous 14 days. 

Ireland’s Covid-19 growth rate is currently static. 

“We have the same number of cases per day now as we had two weeks ago,” Chair of NPHET’s Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group Professor Philip Nolan told TheJournal.ie.

“We’ve had Level 5′s full effect and we’re a bit higher than where we wanted to be.”

Includes reporting by Cónal Thomas and Press Association