MORE than a third of NHS trusts have ZERO Covid patients in intensive care as infections continue to fall dramatically.
Just 6.6 per cent of critical care beds are occupied by people suffering from coronavirus – in comparison to 60 per cent in January, according to NHS England data.
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The dramatic tenfold fall in critically ill patients comes as half of the UK have received at least one Covid vaccine – allowing Britain to ease lockdown restrictions.
In the South West, just seven critical care beds across all NHS Trusts in the region were taken up by Covid patients as of April 20.
This is only 2.1 per cent of capacity – compared to 229 beds occupied by patients without the virus.
And the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust had a peak of 73 patients in critical care beds on January 30 – but this figure has now fallen to zero as of April 20.
There are also zero Covid patients taking up critical beds in Newcastle upon Tyne’s NHS hospitals – where the figure during the peak of the second wave was 61.
The highest intensive care rate for Covid patients is in London, with a figure of 110 – but this is still just one tenth of the total capacity across all the capital’s NHS trusts.
VIRUS HOPE
This follows news that half of all Brits have now received a Covid vaccine in the historic fight against the virus.
More than 33.4MILLION Brits have had their life-saving jab in our vaccine rollout – which has allowed the country to ease lockdown restrictions.
NHS England data up to April 23 shows that of the 38,189,536 total doses given in England so far, 28,102,852 were first doses – a rise of 107,656 on the previous day.
It means the UK first dose total is now 33,496,293 – with more recent figures still to be reported by Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The UK population is estimated to be 66,796,807, so the latest figures show that more than half the population have now had a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
The UK has outstripped all other EU countries in the vaccine race – while the bloc continued scaremongering over jab safety and dithering over administering the doses.
JAB SUCCESS
And relative to the size of our population, Britain only trails behind a handful of countries in the global vaccination blitz.
It was announced this week that Covid has dropped to the third biggest killer in England for the first time in six months – thanks to the rollout.
And thanks to our high number of vaccinations, Brits WILL be able to holiday in Spain, Portugal and Greece this summer, Trending In The News exclusively revealed.
Since December, our world-class vaccination programme has gone from strength to strength – with three safe and effective vaccines on offer in the UK.
Pfizer, Oxford Astra-Zeneca, and Moderna’s life-saving jabs have armoured Brits in the fight against coronavirus – allowing us to restart life and ease lockdown.
And Brits in their thirties are set to be offered their Covid jabs within days, it has been reported.
The NHS will reportedly start inviting thirty-somethings for the vaccine by the end of this week, after securing 40million Pfizer doses for Britain.
Officials are close to finalising a deal to purchase tens of millions more doses of the Pfizer vaccine in time for a third booster dose to be given to the elderly this autumn, The Times reports.