THE number of patients being treated for Covid-19 at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has fallen significantly over the past month.

The trust, which manages Whiston, St Helens and Newton hospitals, was caring for 139 coronavirus patients in hospital as of Tuesday last week, figures show.

NHS England data shows the number of people being treated in hospital for Covid-19 by 8am on February 23 was down from 176 on the same day the previous week.

Looking at the picture over a month, it means the number of beds at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 has decreased by 51 per cent in the last four weeks – 28 days ago, there were 283.

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While the number of patients remains high - leaving NHS medics still under huge pressure - the data shows the situation is moving in the right direction.

In a further sign the picture is improving, the figures also show that 66 new Covid patients were admitted to hospital in St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in the week to February 21.

This was down from 86 in the previous seven days.

Nationally, the number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised has decreased by 58 per cent in the last four weeks, while the number on mechanical ventilators has decreased by 46 per cent.