The number of Covid patients being treated at hospitals in Suffolk and north Essex has risen by about a third in a week.

Latest government figures reported on October 26 revealed East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, was treating 82 patients for coronavirus.

This was a rise from 64 the previous week.

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At the trust which manages West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds, the number of patients rose from 24 to 35 in the same timeframe.

The overall number of virus patients in the region's hospitals has risen by 32.9% in the last seven days as infection rates have steadily risen in recent weeks.

The rate in Ipswich was the highest in the whole of England at one point last week, with other districts also reporting figures higher than the national average.

Ipswich, Colchester and West Suffolk hospitals have all introduced restrictions on visitors this week after they saw an increasing number of patients with the virus.

Until the restrictions are lifted, the only exceptions to the suspension include visitors for those receiving end-of-life care, children, patients with learning disabilities or severe dementia, and new mothers.

Giles Thorpe, chief nurse at ESNEFT, said: "We are currently seeing a rise in both the number of Covid admissions to our hospitals and community infections, which is why we took the difficult decision to suspend all visiting this week.

"We continue to prepare and plan care for patients, with and without Covid, who may need our help in hospital and in the community in the coming months.

"The link between Covid infections and hospitalisation/mortality has not been completely broken by the vaccination programme, so I would urge anyone who hasn’t yet been vaccinated yet to get their jab as soon as they can."

A new campaign has been launched by the East Anglian Daily Times and Ipswich Star newspapers encouraging people to 'Grab the Jab' and get their Covid vaccine.

The campaign has been backed by a number of health leaders in Suffolk, with the county's director for public health Stuart Keeble describing vaccines as the "most effective way of protecting people and reducing the spread".