There are now more than 70 people in Gloucestershire’s hospitals fighting coronavirus, writes Leigh Boobyer.

According to data providing by the local NHS, as of 8am on Friday there were 73 patients in Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General hospitals with covid-19 and seven in intensive care.

The figure is 32 more than the number of patients in the county’s hospital beds than on the day England went into lockdown in November.

However, hospitals in Gloucestershire were treating more than 200 patients in the week before the UK was placed into the third lockdown on January 5.

Meanwhile, more than 131,000 Gloucestershire residents have received their first covid vaccination.