The NHS trust which runs Andover's hospital has seen its Covid cases continue to fall, with nine less patients over the past week.

Hampshire Hospitals Trust was caring for 16 coronavirus patients in hospital as of Tuesday, figures show.

NHS England data shows the number of people being treated in hospital for Covid-19 by 8am on March 23 was down from 25 on the same day the previous week.

It follows a dramatic decline in the number of beds occupied by Covid patients at the trust over the past four week, with a fall of more than 80 per cent. 28 days ago, there were 82.

The figures also show that seven new Covid patients were admitted to hospital in Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the week to March 21. This was down from 10 in the previous seven days.

Across Hampshire, cases rose by 69 in the past 24 hour recording period, with 62,698 people confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Friday (March 26), up from 62,629 at the same time on Thursday.

The health body is now including Pillar 2 tests – those carried out by commercial partners – alongside Pillar 1 tests, which are analysed in NHS or PHE laboratories and which made up the first stage of the Government's mass testing programme.

The rate of infection in Hampshire now stands at 4,535 cases per 100,000 people, far lower than the England average of 6,722.

Hampshire's cases were among the 531,992 recorded across the South East, a figure which rose by 561 over the period.

Cumulative case counts include patients who are currently unwell, have recovered and those that have died.

Nationally, England has seen a decline of 69 per cent of Covid patients over the past four weeks, with 67 per cent less patients on mechanical ventilators.

Across the UK, the number of recorded cases increased by 6,187 over the period, to 4,325,315.