SIX more people have died from coronavirus at Northumbria Healthcare hospitals, the latest figures have revealed.

NHS England's official death toll for the trust now stands at 459, up from 453 yesterday. It is the third day in a row that six people are confirmed to have died at the trust's hospitals.

The Tyne Valley remains the worst-affected part of Northumberland in terms of coronavirus cases - but the most recent data suggests the numbers are starting to fall.

The three wards with the highest number of cases in the seven days up to January 6 are all in the Hexham constituency, but overall the majority of wards in the area have reported lower cases.

Coronavirus cases by council ward December 30 - January 6 - Hexham constituency:

  • Haltwhistle - 49
  • Prudhoe South - 44
  • Hexham Central with Acomb - 34
  • South Tynedale - 27
  • Hexham East - 27
  • Corbridge - 24
  • Prudhoe North - 23
  • Stocksfield and Broomhaugh - 20
  • Humshaugh - 19
  • Bywell - 18
  • Hexham West - 16
  • Haydon and Hadrian - 16
  • Bellingham - 15
  • Ponteland West - 11
  • Ponteland North - 8
  • Ponteland South with Heddon - 6
  • Ponteland East and Stannington - 6

A total of 974 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed across the county in the week ending January 6, an infection rate of 304.1 cases per 100,000 residents.

According to Public Health England, 12,438 people have now tested positive for the virus in Northumberland since the start of the pandemic.

Nationally, a further 1,162 people died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total death toll to 78,508.

An additional 52,618 cases of the virus were confirmed across the UK, bringing the total number of cases to 2,889,419.