The number of people being treated for coronavirus at hospitals in south and mid Essex has dropped for the first time in weeks.
The latest NHS data shows there were 51 patients being treated for the virus in Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals as of Tuesday (August 10).
That was down 16 from the same time last week.
The number of Covid patients on a ventilator has however risen from one to six in the past week.
Across England there were 5,096 people in hospital with Covid as of August 10, with 782 of them in mechanical ventilation beds.
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The number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised nationally increased by 72% in the last four weeks, while the number on mechanical ventilators has increased by 66%.
The figures also show that 43 new Covid patients were admitted to hospital in Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust in the week to August 8.
This was down from 54 in the previous seven days.
Coronavirus rates have continued to fall in all parts of south Essex apart from Basildon, where there has been a small increase in the number of weekly cases recorded.
There were 394 infections recorded in the seven days to August 1, but that has risen to 430 in the week ending August 8.
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