THE number of Covid patients at York and Scarborough has fallen to a quarter of its peak in January - and the number of Covid patients discharged has risen past 2,000.

The two milestones were announced today by York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in its latest coronavirus update.

It said it now had 61 confirmed and suspected Covid-19 inpatients Trust-wide, which compares with a peak of 242 on Tuesday January 26. It said eight such patients were currently in intensive care.

The trust also revealed that a total of 2,004 Covid-19 patients had been discharged to their usual place of residence since the start of the pandemic, or were no longer being treated as Covid-19.

A trust spokeswoman said the news that more than 2,000 patients had successfully been treated for coronavirus and discharged home to continue their recovery was a 'fantastic milestone,' said it was 'testament to the great care being provided by our staff.'

She also said: “It is promising and reassuring that the overall number of inpatients who have tested positive for Covid-19 continues to fall. however, the number of Covid-positive patients in York Hospital still remains high.

" It therefore remains essential that we all continue to play a part to reduce the spread of the virus by complying with the lockdown restrictions for a few more weeks, and by following the health guidance of Hands, Face, Space."

She added that there were currently three Covid wards at York Hospital, which compares with seven such wards at the peak of the crisis in January.