More patients with COVID-19 are being admitted to West Herts Trust hospitals now than the days before the last national lockdown.

This is after a rise in cases across Hertfordshire in recent weeks.

The latest NHS stats show 36 hospital beds occupied by coronavirus patients across West Herts NHS Trust hospitals on October 27, the highest number of occupied beds since June 11.

There are currently 79 confirmed cases of coronavirus per 100,000 people in the St Albans area with 117 cases in the week October 25 to October 31.

Five patients were admitted with the virus between March 19 and March 25, compared with 21 admissions between October 19 and October 25.

Between October 22 and October 28 five patients sadly died due to coronavirus in the Trust’s hospitals, a similar level to the two deaths in the week leading up to the first lockdown.