THE government website that gives out information about hospital bed data during the Covid pandemic has been updated and is now correct.

It follows a week when the wrong information was showing for seven days — incorrectly stating there were 36 Covid patients in St Mary's — which would have been a sevenfold increase.

The Isle of Wight NHS Trust was quick to put the record straight and tell the press there were only a handful of Covid patients at that time and the data was wrong.

They have now confirmed the data has been updated, as of 4pm yesterday, and is correct.

Island MP Bob Seely said yesterday: "The County Press and other media rely on this data and it needs to be accurate so they can do their job properly and inform people of the facts."

The website is where the media is directed to, for accurate and up-to-date information.

The website is now showing eight patients in hospital on Tuesday, August 17. There were nine on Thursday, August 19, the hospital additionally said.

One patient was on a ventilator on Tuesday.

The cumulative total of patients with Covid in St Mary's since the pandemic began is 774.

Yesterday, the hospital announced some wards would no longer be permitting visitors, due to the increase of Covid patients.

The Island's Covid rolling rate is currently higher than the UK average.