NEARLY 1,300 people are currently being treated for Covid in hospitals across the North-East, with 140 on ventilators - with some trusts seeing a decrease in patients.

The number of North-East and Yorkshire Covid-19 patients currently in hospital, reported on January 26, is 3,841 while there are 336 patients on ventilators.

Every NHS Trust across the North-East reported an increase of patients both in hospital and on ventilators.

The most recent data that breaks downs cases via trust, reported on January 19, shows numbers rising but offers some hope. 

There are 1,273 people are currently being treated for Covid in hospitals across the North-East, with 143 on ventilators. While this is an overall increase for the region, some trusts have seen lower numbers than the week prior. 

The number of patients being treated for the virus at North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust has decreased by 14 compared to figures released on January 14.

One less covid patient is currently being treated at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.

It comes as Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, highlighted that Sunday marked a year since the first two patients with coronavirus were treated in hospital in Newcastle.

Speaking at the Downing Street press conference yesterday, he said it would also be a year since the first flight returned from Wuhan in China with people returning to the UK being quarantined at Arrowe Park Hospital.

He added: “It’s a year in which over a quarter of a million severely ill coronavirus patients have been looked after in hospital.

Sir Simon said: “This is not a year that anybody is going to want to remember nor is it a year that across the health service any of us will ever forget.”

Yesterday, the UK's coronavirus death toll passed 100,000.

Vaccinating those aged 65 and over will make a “big impact” on hospital bed usage, NHS England’s chief executive has said.

Sir Simon Stevens said: “About a quarter of hospital admissions for Covid are for people aged under 55, and about half of inpatient bed days for coronavirus patients, relates to patients under the age of 65.”

He said deaths were “highly concentrated” in the older age groups, including those aged 70 and above, the clinically extremely vulnerable, and the health and social care staff looking after them.

Sir Simon added: “Independently that has been estimated to account for 88 per cent of deaths that have occurred so far.

“But when you look at the use of hospital resources, it’s not quite as concentrated at the apex of the pyramid or risk, shall we say.”

He added: “By the time you are vaccinating people, 65, 70, 75, you’re beginning to make a big impact on the hospital bed usage, not just the avoidable deaths.”

Here's how each NHS Trust in the North-East compares:

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust - 234 Covid patients in hospital and 15 on ventilators, up 9 and 1 respectively 

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust - 223 Covid patients in hospital and 19 on ventilators, up 3 and 6 respectively, down 1 and up 3 respectively

North Tees and Hartlepool Foundation Trust - 202 Covid patients in hospital and 24 on ventilators, down 14 and up 9 respectively 

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 222 Covid patients in hospital and 31 on ventilators, up 37 and 3 respectively 

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - 163 Covid patients in hospital and 14 on ventilators, up 41 and down 3 respectively 

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 143 Covid patients in hospital and 29 on ventilators, up 10 and 12 respectively 

Gateshead Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - 86 Covid patients in hospital and 11 on ventilators, up 12 and 1 respectively 

Total number of Covid patients being cared for in the region: 1,273, up 144

Total number of Covid patients on ventilators in the region: 143, up 26