THE number of hospital patients in north Cumbria who have died from Covid-19 has now risen to 351.

According to the latest Government data, in the 14 days up to Wednesday of this week, the NHS trust which runs The Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven has reported 37 covid fatalities.

But the death rate has slowed in recent days.

There were 13 deaths reported in the last seven days for which data was available, compared to 24 in the previous seven days.

The hospital covid patient death figure reported by the NHS trust which runs Furness General Hospital in Barrow and Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal - as well as hospitals in Lancashire - yesterday stood at 479.

Carlisle remains one of the areas with the highest infection rates in the north, though the figure has fallen in recent days.

In the last seven days for which data is available, there were 581 new cases confirmed, with an infection rate per 100,000 of 534.

In Allerdale, there were 384 new cases (392 per 100,000) while in Copeland there were 240 news cases (352 per 100,000). The England average infection rate is currently 373 per 100,000.

In Eden, over the same seven days, there were 160 new cases confirmed (300.5 per 100,000); in Barrow 260 new cases (387 per 100,000); and in South Lakeland 242 (230 per 100,000).

When it comes to death rates, Barrow has been hardest hit in terms of its rate per 100,000 of population.

It has seen 159 deaths, equating to 237 deaths per 100,000, though Carlisle has seen more individual deaeths - 220 since the pandemic began, giving a death rate per 100,000 of 202.

South Lakeland has had even more deaths - 238, giving a death rate of 226 per 100,000, while in Copeland there have been 114 deaths and in Allerdale 145. Eden has reported 95 deaths, equivalent to 178 per 100,000.

The last two weeks have seen record UK covid death tallies reported across the UK, including 1,725 on Wednesday of this week  and - a week earlier - the highest 24-hour total of the pandemic so far - 1,820.

But Cumbria has experienced a slowing of community infection rates and the county's health chiefs say the vaccination roll-out is "going well", with more than 60,000 people now having received the jab.

Meanwhile, hospital bosses in Carlisle and Whitehaven say they are still caring for "a high number" of covid patients. It is vital that people continue to follow lockdown rules to stop the virus surging again and to protect hospitals.