WINCHESTER hospital is currently caring for 50 patients who have tested positive for coronavirus.

The Royal Hampshire County Hospital on Romsey Road is urging staff, patients and the public to follow the new lockdown rules from Thursday.

It is part of the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which as a whole is treating 72 patients with the virus.

A spokesperson said: "There are currently 50 patients being cared for in Royal Hampshire County Hospital who have tested positive for coronavirus. The overall number of patients receiving treatment for COVID-19 in our hospitals is 72.

"Our hospitals are safe and open to everyone who needs us, and we have a number of plans in place to ensure that both patients with and without coronavirus receive the best possible care.

“It remains really important for everyone – staff, patients and the public – to follow the guidelines, socially distance, wash their hands and wear a mask to help support their local hospitals.”

None of the hospital trusts in Hampshire have reported a death today.

The figure for fatalities at the Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which includes the RHCH, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and Andover War Memorial Hospital, is still 172.

For the other local trusts: Portsmouth, 242; Solent, 2, same; Southern Health, 17, same; Southampton, 214, same.

The Chronicle is unable to to report on any other stats today as the Government website has not been updated.

A message on it says: "Owing to technical difficulties, we have not received cases data for England. We will update the service as soon as possible."