Hospitals in mid and south Essex are still recording low levels of Covid-19 patients despite a sharp rise in cases.

Areas such as Southend and Basildon are now recording more than 300 Covid cases a week according to the latest figures.

Infections are now doubling every seven days in all parts of south Essex.

But the recent rise in infections has yet to have an impact on hospital numbers, with Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals caring for 16 Covid patients between them as of Tuesday (July 6).

That was a small increase from 14 the week before while the number of patients four weeks ago stood at 11.

The latest figures for the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust show there are no coronavirus patients on ventilators right now.

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Across England there were 1,998 people in hospital with Covid as of July 6, with 353 of them in mechanical ventilation beds.

The number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised nationally more than doubled in the last four weeks, as has the number on mechanical ventilators, which has increased by 152%.

Experts say it can take several weeks for rising case numbers to have an impact on hospital numbers.

The latest case numbers for the south Essex districts and boroughs for the week ending July 4 are:

Basildon

Cases – 331

Infection rate – 176.8 cases per 100,000 people

Southend

Cases – 322

Infection rate – 175.8 cases per 100,000 people

Castle Point

Cases – 120

Infection rate – 132.8 cases per 100,000 people

Rochford

Cases – 178

Infection rate – 203.7 cases per 100,000 people

Thurrock

Cases – 221

Infection rate – 126.8 cases per 100,000 people

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make a final decision on whether to remove all Covid restrictions on Monday.

Earlier this week, he previously revealed plans to remove the remaining rules by July 19 and insisted it was time for the country to learn to ‘live with Covid’.

Some experts have raised concerns about lifting the rules however, with infections rising across nearly all parts of the country.