THE number of Covid patients being treated at the Countess of Chester Hospital is continuing to fall significantly, new NHS England data shows.

Latest available figures show there were just over 100 Covid patients (104) being treated at the hospital at 8am on Tuesday, February 9.

That is down by almost a third on the figure from 8am on February 2 – which was 153 – and less than half the number of patients being treated at 8am on January 26, when there were 229.

The hospital had recorded a peak of 290 Covid patients being treated at The Countess on January 21.

Of the 104 Covid patients at the hospital on February 9, there were 15 are on a mechanical ventilator bed.

The number of Covid patient admissions to the hospital is also declining by about the same rate. Latest available data says between February 1-7, there were 58 Covid patient admissions, compared to 83 from January 25-31 and 129 from January 18-24.

All the signs point to the worst of the Covid pandemic wave being over at the hospital, thanks to a combination of the national lockdown and the widespread roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines.

However, sadly, more patient deaths continue to be recorded, albeit these numbers are now too in decline.

After the hospital suffered its worst week for Covid deaths between January 26 and February 1, when 46 Covid patients died, a total of 25 Covid patients died between February 2-8.

The decline in the number of Covid patients at the hospital has meant more non-Covid patients can be treated at the hospital again, after some patients and services were moved to other areas at the peak of the pandemic.

As of 8am on February 9, there were 296 adult non-Covid beds being occupied at the Countess of Chester Hospital Trust, the highest since January 3.