THE number of patients with coronavirus at York and Scaborough hospitals has shot up to 166.

The York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said today that this was the latest number of confirmed and suspected Covid-19 inpatients across the trust.

The number has risen by 26 over the weekend from 140 on Friday and from 135 last Wednesday.

The trust said seven such patients were currently in intensive care, and added that a total of 1,337 Covid patients had now been discharged or were no longer being treated as Covid-19.

The peak number of Covid patients in the spring was 131.

The trust said last week there were currently 150 beds for Covid patients but hospital chief executive Simon Morritt said more space was being created.

He said that in previous waves, Scarborough Hospital had felt the impact more than York but this time York was under more pressure.

He said adding that just days before, there had been 70 coronavirus patients but he would expect to see the effect of lockdown kick in within seven to ten days.

He added that clinicians had told him that Covid patients now tended to be younger and sicker.