NORTH Cumbria’s NHS continues to face intense pressure with the hospitals in Carlisle and Whitehaven currently treating more than 280 Covid patients.

But health chiefs say they are hopeful the pressure may have peaked as new figures showed a marked fall in local infection rates.

The latest Government statistics show how deadly the current wave of the pandemic has been in Cumbria.

Tuesday saw a new record 24-hour UK death toll of 1,610 while NHS figures confirmed there had been 322 Covid patient deaths reported by the NHS Trust which runs Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven.

Of those, 49 had died since January 1, with seven deaths reported on January 16 alone. A spokeswoman for North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust said: “The Trust remains under a higher level of pressure than was seen in the first two waves with more people admitted for the effects of Covid-19 than before.

“From an intensive care perspective we are seeing extended use of intensive care and are working with the critical care network through our planned arrangements to ensure we can support patients who need intensive care.”

“This increased pressure and admissions – particularly given the nature of Covid-19 - has inevitably led to an increased use in our oxygen supply and this is something that we monitor routinely and continue to monitor closely given the increased use. We are not rationing oxygen in any way, nor do we plan to. Those patients who require oxygen as part of their treatment are being, and will be, administered it.She thanked the public for following the lockdown rules and urged people continue to do so to protect the NHS.

Colin Cox, Cumbria’s director of Public Health, said hospital admissions rate reflected the surge in infections that peaked in the first week of January.

“I’m not at all surprised we’re seeing high numbers in hospitals. I’d hope that, given things peaked in the first week of January, we may see a peak in the hospitals now and numbers start to come down.

“The reason infection rates are falling is precisely because of the increased restrictions that happened for Tier 4 and then the lockdown that followed. That's making a difference. It’s why numbers are going down and it’s what will get the hospital situation stabilised. It’s utterly critical people carry on following those rules.”

There are now 46 care homes in the county with Covid outbreaks.