THE number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus in Dorset has remained much the same over the last month, latest figures show.

There were 37 people admitted to hospitals in the county in the seven days up to October 10 - up from 29 the previous week.

In Bournemouth and Poole, 21 people were admitted to University Hospitals Dorset Trust between October 4 and October 10.

A further 13 people were also admitted to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester in the same week.

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Meanwhile, figures show just three patients were admitted to the Dorset Healthcare Trust (DHT) during the same one-week period.

As of October 12, there were 16 people occupying a hospital bed with the virus in University Hospitals Dorset.

There were 17 patients at Dorset County Hospital occupying a bed and six people at DHT.

Across England, 5,213 people were occupying a hospital bed with coronavirus and 449 in the south west.

Of people needing mechanical ventilation, two patients at the University Hospitals Dorset Trust required a ventilator, six people required a ventilator at Dorset County Hospital and no patients at the DHT needed mechanical ventilation.

Across England, 657 patients needed a ventilator and 73 people in the south west with coronavirus required a ventilator.

As part of its weekly update, Public Health Dorset said: "Case rates in both the Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council areas have seen small increases on last week, but on the whole remain relatively stable. Dorset Council's case rate is similar to the England average but above the South West average, whilst BCP Council's rate is below both the regional and national averages.

“The number of COVID patients in hospital beds has increased since last week, but we do see fluctuations day to day so we will continue to monitor the trend over time.

“Although we continue to see COVID-19 circulating in the community, the number of people becoming seriously ill or dying after contracting the virus is much lower than during previous waves.

“This demonstrates that the vaccine is having a significant impact on protecting people against COVID-19. Whilst people who are vaccinated can still catch the virus, they are much less likely to become seriously unwell as a result of it. It's not too late to get your vaccine if you haven't had yours yet, book an appointment or find a walk-in clinic near you.”