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COVID hospitalisations in south-west England higher than peak of Omicron wave

A sign is seen outside St James's University Hospital, where a temporary Coronavirus
COVID hospitalisations in the South West of England are higher than at the peak of the Omicron wave. (Reuters)

COVID hospitalisations in south-west England are higher than at the peak of the Omicron wave, according to government data.

There were an average of 155 daily COVID admissions in the region as of 3 March, which is higher than the 142 average recorded on 31 December during the height of Omicron.

Despite the rise in hospitalisations, there are currently just 18 COVID patients on ventilators in the South West, which is a significant drop from 58 at the end of last year.

Admissions are rising in England, with rates in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland going steady, according to Our World in Data.

There were an average of 155 daily COVID admissions in the region as of 3 March
There were an average of 155 daily COVID admissions in the South West as of 3 March.
There was an average of 142 hospitalisations on 31 December during the peak of Omicron
There was an average of 142 hospitalisations on 31 December during the peak of Omicron.

New COVID cases are falling drastically, but this is also due to gradually reducing testing.

The percentage of people estimated to test positive for coronavirus fell in England and Northern Ireland in the week ending 26 February.

In the latest week, trends were uncertain in Wales after two consecutive weeks of decreases.

In Scotland, the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 rose to around one in 19, or 5.79%.

All remaining legal restrictions have been removed in England as part of Westminster's 'Living with COVID' plan.

Wales is removing all remaining legal orders from 28 March, Northern Ireland is replacing orders with guidance, and Scotland is scrapping more measures from 21 March.

Watch: What is Boris Johnson’s ‘living with Covid’ plan?

Meanwhile, the number of deaths involving coronavirus registered each week in England and Wales has dropped to around half the level seen at the peak of the recent Omicron wave.

Some 766 deaths registered in the week ending 25 February mentioned COVID-19 on the death certificate, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This was down 48% from the 1,484 deaths registered in the week to 21 January – the highest weekly total during the latest wave of the virus.

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It is also the fifth consecutive week-on-week fall.

The figures suggest COVID-19 deaths are now on a clear downwards trend, following the rise in December and early January.

Deaths during the recent wave remained well below the level reached during the second pandemic wave a year ago.

The relatively low number of deaths during the Omicron wave reflects the success of the vaccination programme, in particular the rollout of booster doses at the end of last year.