THE number of coronavirus patients in Herefordshire's hopsitals has hit a new high, as the county's public health chief says the NHS is "under a lot of pressure".

A record number of Covid-19 patients were at the Wye Valley NHS Trust on December 31, when 66 patients were being treated.

In the most recent day covered by the latest NHS figures, the number of patients with coronavirus being treated at the hospitals had fallen to 58 on Tuesday.

However, that was still higher than the 51 patients being treated on the same day the week before (December 29).

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The number of people on mechanical ventilators, used for the most seriously ill coronavirus patients, had also risen to a record high.

On Tuesday, seven patients were on the ventilators, up from five on the same day the previous week.

It's the highest number of mechanical ventilator beds in use at the Wye Valley NHS Trust, with the previous high six on a number of days during the pandemic so far.

In the seven-days to January 3, 45 Covid-19 patients were admitted to the Wye Valley NHS Trust. This compares to 30 the previous week.

Separate figures from NHS England, which cover up to 4pm on Wednesday (January 6) show 107 people have now died at the Wye Valley Trust after a positive Covid-19 test result.

Herefordshire's acting director of public health Rebecca Howell-Jones admitted the NHS was under a lot of pressure.

"It's a difficult picture, we're seeing a lot of pressure on our NHS colleagues, who are coping admirably," she said.

"There's work going on across partners, across the whole health and social care system to keep it going, but it would be fair to say it is under a lot of pressure.

"That said, people please still access help and healthcare, mental health care and Talk Community.

"If you need help, whatever it is, please do access that. Healthcare is not shut for business, if you do need it, please do access it."