Nearly 100 new coronavirus patients were admitted to hospital in south and mid Essex in the past week. 

The latest NHS figures show there were 85 people admitted to Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals with the virus in the week ending Tuesday, September 14.

That was six more than the week before. 

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is currently caring for 93 Covid patients, the same number as this time seven days ago. 

Figures also show the number of Covid patients in south and mid Essex hospitals has remained steady in the past month, with a 10 per cent increase seen in the last four weeks. 

Across England there were 6,344 people in hospital with Covid as of September 14, with 888 of them in mechanical ventilation beds.

The number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised nationally has increased by 17% in the last four weeks, while the number on mechanical ventilators has increased by 8%.

There are nine people currently on a ventilator with Covid-19 across Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals. 

Meanwhile the percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 is estimated to have increased in north-west England and decreased in the West Midlands and the East of England, the ONS said.

The trend for all other regions is uncertain. North-east England and Yorkshire and the Humber had the highest proportion of people of any region likely to test positive for coronavirus in the week to September 11: around one in 60.

Eastern England had the lowest estimate: around one in 120.