THREE people with Covid have died in the Somerset West and Taunton area in the past week, the latest Government figures reveal.

A death of a person testing positive for the virus in the last 28 days was reported in yesterday's (Saturday, January 15) figures.

Two further deaths were recorded in the seven days from Sunday, January 9.

A total of 3,922 tests for coronavirus were reported on Friday (January 14), taking the seven-day total of tests in the district from Saturday January 8 to 38,864 tests.

A total of 144 new confirmed cases were recorded in the district yesterday, taking the weekly total to 1,380, a drop of 28.6 per cent on the previous seven days.

Vaccine figures for Somerset West and Taunton show:

  • 129,049 people had been given a first dose by the end of January 14;
  • 121,103 people had been given a second dose by the end of January 14;
  • 99,568 people had been given a booster or third dose by the end of January 14.

Across the whole of the South West, 124 people with coronavirus went into hospital on Thursday (January 13).

Between January 7-13, 915 people were admitted to hospital in the region, a drop of 3.5 per cent compared to the previous seven days.

There were 924 patients in hospital with coronavirus yesterday (January 15), 27 of them on a mechanical ventilator.