Four further deaths among Covid-19 positive patients across hospitals in north Cumbria were confirmed today.

Four more deaths among patients who had tested positive for Covid-19 were today confirmed among patients being treated across hospitals run by the North Cumbria Integrated Care (NCIC) NHS Trust, including the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and the West Cumberland Hospital, in Whitehaven.

All four deaths took place on Friday.

This brings the total number of deaths among Covid-19 positive patients across the trust since the pandemic began to 293.

Three more deaths were also confirmed among Covid patients across the trust running south Cumbria's hospitals - the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust.

This brings the cumulative total number of Covid deaths across the trust to 413.

More than half of all major hospital trusts in England currently have more Covid-19 patients than at the peak of the first wave of the virus, new analysis shows.

It comes as London mayor Sadiq Khan declared a "major incident", saying the spread of coronavirus threatens to overwhelm the capital's hospitals.

In two regions - eastern England and south-east England - more than three-quarters of trusts are above their first-wave peak.

In Cumbria, cases are rising rapidly and according to the Gov.uk website cases per 100,000 people for the seven-day average in Carlisle in now at more than 1,100.

The date per 100,000 people for the seven-day average.

For each area the figures are as follows:

Allerdale - 628.1

Barrow - 577.2

Carlisle - 1,141

Copeland - 535.3

Eden -771.8

South Lakes -322.6

The total number of people with at least one positive Covid-19 test result (either lab-reported or lateral flow device) since the start of the pandemic in each area:

Allerdale - 2,944

Barrow - 2,864

Carlisle - 5,640

Copeland - 1,858

Eden - 2,145

South Lakes - 3,324