THE number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus in Dorset is steadying, latest figures show.

Latest figures from NHS England show that hospitalisations across Dorset have steadied in the last week.

There were 46 people admitted to hospitals in the county in the seven days up to July 25 - up from 45 in the previous week.

In Bournemouth and Poole, 44 people were admitted to University Hospitals Dorset Trust between July 19 and July 21.

A further six people were also admitted to Dorset County Hospital (DCH) in Dorchester in the same week.

However, latest figures from NHS England revealed a death at DCH on Tuesday, July 27 - the first Covid-19 related death at the site since March 31.

READ MORE: First coronavirus death at Dorset County Hospital in four months

Meanwhile, figures show no patients were admitted to the Dorset Healthcare Trust (DHT) during the same one-week period. However, there is missing DHT daily admissions data for July 23 and July 24.

As of July 27, there were 32 people occupying a hospital bed with the virus in University Hospitals Dorset - up from 23 in the previous week.

Four patients were at University Hospitals Dorset Trust and there was no patients with Covid at the Dorset County Hospital.

As part of its weekly update, Public Dorset said: "In line with the national picture, we have seen a decrease in COVID-19 cases across the county over the past week, particularly in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council area where the case rates are 466.2 per 100,000.

“The number of people in hospitals in Dorset with COVID-19 has increased from 17 to 27 over the past week, and we have started to see a small number of deaths related to COVID-19 in the county.”

Across England, 5,163 people were occupying a hospital bed with coronavirus and 321 in the south west.

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

Across England, 738 patients needed a ventilator and 28 people in the south west with coronavirus required a ventilator.