A NORTH-EAST NHS Trust has revealed how many coronavirus patients it has discharged after testing positive for the virus.

The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has revealed that 568 Covid-19 patients have been 'safely discharged' since the outbreak began.

It is the first time the figures have been revealed for the area and shows how many patients no longer required hospital help at that time.

This doesn't necessarily mean they have all recovered, but gives an indication as to how many people have left hospital after having the virus.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show there has been 346 Covid-19 hospital deaths of those with a County Durham and Darlington postcode.

The figures, which were recorded between March and July 10 - registered by July 18 - shows 311 residents from County Durham died in hospital. 

Meanwhile, 35 residents from Darlington died in a hospital with Covid-19 listed as a cause or contributing factor.

Although these patients were registered in the area, the data only reflects the location of their original postcode - and not actual hospital.

The County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has seen 252 Covid-19 related deaths since the start of the outbreak.

The trust runs hospitals including the Darlington Memorial Hospital, University Hospital of North Durham, Bishop Auckland Hospital and the Chester-le-Street Community Hospital. 

A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, told The Northern Echo: “Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Trust has safely discharged 568 patients following treatment for Covid-19.”

This comes as the North-East and North Yorkshire continues to see a fall in the number of new coronavirus patient deaths.

Yesterday, NHS England confirmed the region had seen no further Covid-19 deaths in our hospitals.