There are almost 150 patients in Suffolk and north Essex hospitals with coronavirus although cases are falling - and the numbers being treated specifically for the virus remain low.

New data released by the government has revealed that were 119 patients with coronavirus at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), which manages Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, on July 19.

The amount of people with Covid in ESNEFT has risen by 70 in the space of a month.

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, which runs West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, has also seen a rise in the number of patients with Covid - from 31 to 39.

But these figures may be skewed by the lack of free public testing, which ended in April this year.

Last month ESNEFT made the decision to remove its rules regarding face masks.

Visitors are no longer required to do so at Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, which had been compulsory since the start of the pandemic.

The area with the highest Covid rate was east Suffolk with 64 new infections confirmed on July 19 which was down from 90 the week before.