Patients who have been diagnosed with coronavirus are occupying 7.2pc of beds at Norfolk's hospitals.

The latest statistics from NHS England show there were 131 beds used by people with Covid-19 at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH), the James Paget University Hospital (JPUH) and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) on December 1.

That is an increase from the week previous, where there were 126 patients in beds on November 24.

At the NNUH, the number of patients in beds has increased from 55 on November 25 to 75 on December 1.

In Great Yarmouth, which has seen several outbreaks, beds taken up by patients at the JPUH has dropped from 26 to 14.

The QEH saw a slight increase from 40 patients in bed on November 25 to 42 on December 1.

The number of patients being admitted to all three hospitals, meanwhile, has not changed compared to last week.

There were 13 new coronavirus admissions on both November 29 and November 23 at the hospitals.

Of those on November 29, six were admitted to the NNUH, five were diagnosed at the QEH and two were at the JPUH.

What do the hospitals say?

A spokesperson for the NNUH said more than 6,000 staff have received new lateral flow home testing Covid-19 kits.

They added said: "Our teams are continuing to go above and beyond to maintain services across the Trust during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic."

A spokesperson for the JPUH said: "A huge amount of work is being carried out as our staff continue to treat Covid and non-Covid patients at our hospital, and prepare for the winter ahead and the anticipated vaccination programme.

"This involves staff in all areas and departments and we are grateful for the efforts everyone continues to put in.

“We continue to provide a full range of services and would encourage all those with appointments to attend as scheduled, unless they have Covid symptoms."

At the QEH, a spokesperson said they were unable to comment as all communication was being directed through NHS England and Improvement.