FOUR patients with coronavirus are currently receiving treatment at Dorset County Hospital, according to latest figures.

Professor Alastair Hutchison, chief medical officer at the hospital, confirmed that as of Tuesday, March 16, staff were treating four patients with Covid-19, including one person in intensive care.

Last week on Thursday, March 11, eight Covid-19 patients were being cared for at the Dorchester-based hospital.

Prof Hutchison welcomed the declining numbers of coronavirus patients at the hospital, as the vaccination programme continues across the county. Citing hospital data, he believes there could be no Covid-19 patients at the hospital by the end of March.

But he warned people not to drop their guard, citing the increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases in Southampton.

He said: "We cannot afford to relax our guard in terms of wearing masks, following social distancing rules, washing our hands, all of those things are so important.

"It is a very good reminder that coronavirus has not gone away."

Prof Hutchison added there are 13 Covid-19 patients between Poole Hospital and Royal Bournemouth Hospital and four patients based at community hospitals across Dorset.