Lister Hospital chief Nick Carver has pointed to the number of Covid patients being admitted – and stressed that the pandemic is not over.

Mr Carver told a meeting of the North and East Hertfordshire NHS Trust Board that there were currently 37 patients being treated for Covid in the Lister Hospital.

That's a fraction of the number in January – when, at times, the hospital had in excess of 200 Covid patients.

But it is 10 more than he had reported to the last meeting of the board in September.

Mr Carver said that since the end of August, the hospital had been treating between 25 and 40 Covid in-patients.

And pointing to data that shows 'a consistent level over an extended period of time', he said: "I think there is a bit of a public perception that the pandemic is over – and I think this tells a story that it isn't."

Mr Carver told the board that while a lot had been learned about treating patients with Covid, it continued to 'provide a challenge' for the organisation.

And he stressed that "many of the most seriously ill are unvaccinated – by choice".

He acknowledged that there were still patients dying from the virus and that the pandemic was continuing 'despite the fantastic success of the vaccine'.

Nevertheless, he did point to a 'more encouraging picture' in relation to the number of deaths at the hospital from Covid.

He said the Trust was also facing the challenge of seeing 10 per cent more patients in the Emergency Department than before the pandemic – with those patients often required higher levels of care.

According to data presented to the Trust, in September there were 20 deaths from Covid.

In addition to the Lister Hospital, the East and North Hertfordshire NHS rust operates the QEII Hospital, Hertford County Hospital and the Mount Vernon Cancer Care Centre.