SEVEN more deaths of coronavirus patients at Northumbria Healthcare hospitals have been confirmed in the past 24 hours.

Figures from NHS England revealed that the COVID-19 death toll at the trust's hospitals now stands at 523, up from 516 yesterday.

It means 30 patients at Northumbria have now died after contracting the virus in the last seven days.

As of January 19, 163 patients were being treated at Northumbria's hospitals, with 29 patients admitted on January 17 alone. Of those people, 14 were on ventilation.

According to Northumberland County Council, cases of the virus are falling across the county - but Hexham East remains the worst-affected ward in Northumberland, and has seen cases rise since yesterday.

51 cases were confirmed in Hexham East in the week up to January 21, up from 47 in the week up to January 20.

Coronavirus cases by council ward week ending January 21 - Hexham constituency

Hexham East - 51

Prudhoe North - 20

Prudhoe South - 19

Hexham Central with Acomb - 19

Stocksfield and Broomhaugh - 13

Ponteland North - 13

Hexham West - 13

Ponteland East and Stannington - 12

Haltwhistle - 12

Bywell - 11

South Tynedale - 10

Ponteland West - 10

Bellingham - 8

Corbridge - 7

Ponteland South with Heddon - 6

Haydon and Hadrian - 6

A total of 797 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Northumberland in the week ending January 21, giving an infection rate of 248.8 cases per 100,000 residents.

According to Public Health England, 14,323 people have now tested positive for coronavirus in Northumberland since the start of the pandemic.

Nationally, a further 33,552 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed across the UK yesterday, bringing the total number of cases confirmed since the start of the pandemic to 3,617,459.

A further 1,348 people died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus yesterday, bringing the total death toll to 97,329.