HAMPSHIRE hospitals were caring for almost 100 coronavirus patients last week, new figures have revealed.

NHS England figures show that 99 people were being treated in Hampshire hospitals for Covid-19 as of 8am on November 24.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Southampton General Hospital, was caring for 49 coronavirus patients in hospital as of Tuesday.

The figures revealed that the number of people being treated by the Trust was down from 55 on the same day the previous week.

The number of beds at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 increased by 36 per cent in the last four weeks.

Figures showed that 28 days ago, there were 36 coronavirus patients at the Trust.

The figures also show that 58 new Covid patients were admitted to hospital in University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust in the week to November 22. This was down from 64 in the previous seven days,

So far at the Trust a total of 227 coronavirus patients have died since the start of the pandemic, according to data released by NHS England at 2pm yesterday.

The NHS England data also revealed that Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust was caring for 50 coronavirus patients in hospital as of Tuesday.

These figures were up from 27 on the same day the previous week at the Trust, which runs Western Community Hospital, Hythe Hospital, Fordingbridge Hospital, Gosport War Memorial, Fareham Community Hospital, Andover War Memorial Hospital and other services across Hampshire.

There were four beds occupied by Covid-19 patients four weeks ago and the data revealed that that 27 new Covid patients were admitted to hospital in Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust in the week to November 22. This was up from 14 in the previous seven days.

A total of 21 coronavirus patients have died at the Trust since the start of the pandemic, NHS England data revealed yesterday.

Grant Macdonald, Chief Operating Officer at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We can confirm that we had seen a rise in the number of COVID-19 positive patients we are caring for within our units over the last few weeks.

"At the moment our units are coping well and staff are dealing with the extra measures that are needed when caring for these patients. We have well prepared plans in place to cope with the extra demand and we are also working together with other parts of the local NHS to ensure this is managed effectively.

"We ask that everyone continues to follow the advice given by the government and continue to social distance to prevent the spread of virus and protect themselves, their loved ones and the NHS."

Across England there were 14,506 people in hospital with Covid as of November 24, with 1,306 of them in mechanical ventilation beds.

The numbers of Covid-19 patients being hospitalised have increased by 69 per cent, while those on mechanical ventilators have increased by 76 per cent in the last four weeks across England.

The Daily Echo contacted University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust for a comment but they did not respond before the paper went to print.