The pandemic's deadliest-ever day at a Norfolk hospital has once again been surpassed - with ten Covid-positive patients dying on January 17 alone.

Until the double-figure milestone was reached, the highest number of recorded deaths among patients who tested positive for the virus at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston was eight - on January 14.

During the first wave of the pandemic, there had been five deaths on a single day on April 5, 11 and 13 and then May 1, but never more than that.

Between January 14 and 18, however, the hospital recorded 31 deaths of patients who tested positive for the virus - eight on January 14, two on January 15, four on January 16, ten on January 17 and seven on January 18.

On the JPH's website, a spokesperson said they were all individuals with underlying health conditions.

The majority of the deaths were among people aged in their 50s and older, with the notable exception of a woman in her 20s.

The hospital often adds deaths to previous dates in their figures as more post-mortem tests are processed.

This brings the total number of deaths at the hospital among Covid-positive patients to 243.

In contrast, the total number of deaths recorded at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital stands at 347, and at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, 307.

The news is not all bleak, though.

Four million people in the UK have already received their first coronavirus vaccine, while patients over 70 and those deemed clinically vulnerable are now being offered appointments.

The government's aim is for everyone in the top four priority groups to have received their first dose by mid-February, and all adults by autumn.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases have fallen week-on-week across all local authorities in Norfolk, the latest figures have revealed.

The last time every local authority in Norfolk showed a weekly reduction in Covid cases per 100,000 people was June 8 as numbers fell after the first wave of the pandemic.

The data shows that in Norfolk as a whole there were 455.7 cases per 100,000 in the seven days up to January 15 - a 14pc reduction from the 529.9 seen in the previous week.