LATEST data from the NHS, due out later this week, will show intensive beds have been used at St Mary's Hospital for Covid patients during October.

The Mechanical Ventilation (MV) beds had not been utilised since the summer, through to early October, but there have been Covid patients on them in the last few weeks.

There is a lag in data released by the NHS, which until recently, showed zero patients since July 2.

Anticipating the rise in numbers, the hospital recently opened an additional Intensive Care Unit.

Data on the Isle of Wight NHS Trust board paper this week shows there have been patients on MV beds during October, in numbers of between one and three at any one time.

Isle of Wight County Press: Data shown on IW NHS Trust board papers.Data shown on IW NHS Trust board papers.

There have been 770 positive cases of Covid-19 recorded on the Island this year.

Of those, 95 people have died — 46 of them at St Mary's Hospital.

UPDATED 6.30pm: Data just in reveals one MV bed was occupied on October 18, 26 and 27, and November 7, 9 and 10. Two beds were occupied on October 19 and November 8.

Please note: there is a significant time-lag to the data, so the figures may not be totally accurate, and could be adjusted in future.