More than 550 Covid patients are being treated in Dorset hospitals.

Dorset County Hospital Trust was caring for 83 coronavirus patients in hospital as of Tuesday, figures show - up from 79 on the same day the previous week, NHS England data shows.

There were five beds occupied by Covid patients four weeks ago in Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

The figures also show that 63 new Covid patients were admitted to the hospital in the week to January 17, down from 68 in the previous seven days.

University Hospitals Dorset Trust was caring for 402 coronavirus patients - up from 330 on the same day the previous week.

The number of beds occupied by people who tested positive for Covid-19 more than tripled in the last four weeks – 28 days ago, there were 107.

A total of 371 new Covid patients were admitted to hospital in University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust in the week to January 17, up from 320 in the previous seven days.

Meanwhile, Dorset Healthcare University Trust was caring for 67 coronavirus patients as of Tuesday –up from 43 on the same day the previous week.

The number of patients more than tripled in the last four weeks – 28 days ago, there were 22.

And 46 new Covid patients were admitted in the week to January 17. This was up from 25 in the previous seven

Across England there were 34,015 people in hospital with Covid as of January 19, with 3,603 of them in mechanical ventilation beds.

The number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised has increased by 88 per cent nationally in the last four weeks, while the number on mechanical ventilators has increased by 169 per cent.