THE numbers of patients being treated for coronavirus in Leighton Hospital has risen to its highest level for more than three months as infection rates soar in Cheshire East.

A week ago (July 13) there were 17 people undergoing hospital treatment for the virus in the Crewe medical complex, two of whom required ventilation, according to government figures.

Hospitalisations have been gradually creeping up into double figures in recent weeks as the numbers testing positive for Covid rise steeply.

The last time a similar number of patients were receiving treatment for the disease was on April 8. Numbers peaked as high as 209 in the hospital's Covid wards during the second wave back in early January and reached a high of 103 in the first wave on May 3 last year.

The government maintains that it is confident the link between hospitalisation and infection has been weakened significantly by the mass vaccination programme to permit it to lift nearly all the country's coronavirus restrictions yesterday (Monday).

But health chiefs are concerned about the climbing cases in the North West and in Cheshire East, where 227 more people tested positive for Covid today (Tuesday).

In the last seven days 1,912 people have tested positive, a rise of 50.4 per cent on the previous seven days. While the rolling rate of infection in the borough numbered 449 per 100,000 people, higher than at any time in the last six months.

Most of Crewe had rolling rates over 400, with the most cases in Crewe Coppenhall and Underwood where 39 people tested positive for Covid in the week up to July 15.