New NHS figures show the number of people in hospital across Oxfordshire with Covid has dropped.

Oxford University Hospitals Trust was caring for 12 patients with the virus in hospital as of 8am on March 10.

This was down from 18 on the same day the previous week, NHS England data shows.

The figures also show eight new patients with Covid were admitted to hospital in Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the week up to March 8.

The number of Covid cases across the country has dropped sharply in the past month.

Across England there were 1,669 people in hospital with Covid as of March 10.

The number has decreased by 46 per cent in the last four weeks.

Medical advice states you are no longer required to do a rapid lateral flow test if you have symptoms of the virus.

But if you have tested positive you should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for three days after the day the test was taken for children and for five days if you are 18 years old or over.

And in both cases avoid meeting people who are more likely to get seriously ill from viruses, such as people with a weakened immune system, for 10 days after the day you took your test.