What do the latest hospital numbers tell us about Covid-19 in England?

Figures show the number of hospital admissions for patients with Covid-19 is rising in England, along with the number of patients on ventilators.

But the overall numbers mask some big differences between regions.

Here is a snapshot of the latest data.

– ENGLAND

– Hospital admissions

Daily hospital admissions of confirmed cases of Covid-19 are back above 500 for the first time since the start of June.

The latest figures show that 544 patients were admitted to hospital in England on October 9 who had tested positive for Covid-19 in the 14 days before admission, or had tested positive after admission.

This is the highest daily number since June 2, when 553 admissions were reported.

The latest total is roughly double the number two weeks ago, from 274 admissions on September 25 to 544 on October 9.

During the early stages of the pandemic, daily admissions peaked at 3,099 on April 1.

– Patients in hospital

The number of Covid-19 patients currently in hospital across England is higher than it was when the UK-wide lockdown was announced in late March.

A total of 3,451 patients with confirmed Covid-19 were reported as being in NHS hospitals in England on October 11.

This compares with 3,097 patients in hospital on March 23, the date the UK-wide lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The total was climbing more steeply in March than now, however.

The number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England doubled from 1,541 to 3,097 between March 20 and 23, then doubled again to reach 6,245 by March 27.

This time, it has taken around two weeks for the number to double from 1,721 (on September 27) to 3,451 (October 11).

– Patients in ventilator beds

Some 401 Covid-19 patients in hospitals in England were reported as being in mechanical ventilation beds on October 11.

This is the first time the number has gone back above 400 since June 9, when the total stood at 427.

It has taken just under three weeks for this number to double – a slower rise than that for admissions and the total number of patients.

During the early stages of the pandemic, the number peaked at 2,881 on April 12.

– REGIONS

The regional picture in England shows a marked contrast between areas in the north and the south.

– Hospital admissions

Of the 3,408 Covid-19 patients admitted to hospitals in England in the seven days to October 9, just over a third (34%) were in north-west England and more than a quarter (28%) were in north-east England and Yorkshire.

In total, hospitals in the north of England accounted for 62% of all admissions in this period.

The Midlands accounted for 16%, while the remaining regions – eastern England, London, south-east England and south-west England – made up 22%.

An average of 167 patients a day were admitted to hospitals in north-west England in the week to October 9 – the sort of level last seen in the middle of May.

By contrast, an average of 42 were admitted per day in London, 28 in the rest of south-east England and 21 in south-west England.

– Patients in hospital

Of the 3,451 Covid-19 patients reported as being in hospital in England on October 11, 35% were in north-west England and 26% were in north-east England and Yorkshire.

By contrast, just 10% were in London, 5% in south-east England and 3% in south-west England.

The total number of patients in hospital in north-west England has roughly doubled in two weeks, from 544 on September 27 to 1,218 on October 11.

Back at the start of the pandemic, this number took five days to more than double, jumping from 548 on March 27 to 1,392 on April 1.

– Patients in ventilator beds

One third (33%) of Covid-19 patients in mechanical ventilation beds in hospitals in England on October 11 were in north-west England, and a quarter (25%) in north-east England and Yorkshire.

By contrast, just 2% were in south-east England and a further 2% were in south-west England.

Some 132 patients were in ventilator beds in north-west England on October 11, up from 68 two weeks earlier on September 27.

In north-east England and Yorkshire, 99 patients were in ventilator beds on October 11, up from 52 two weeks earlier.

Both of these regions have seen these numbers roughly double in the space of a fortnight.