It has been over a week since a Covid-19 patient has died while under the care of the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust.

The trust’s total death toll across the duration of the pandemic stands at 535, however the last recorded death occurred on March 30.

There were nine deaths at the trust – which runs Princess Alexandra Hospital, St Margaret’s Hospital and Essex Hospital – in March and 38 in February.

Infection rates in the two main districts the NHS trust serves are down massively.

In Epping Forest, the rate of infection – expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people – stood at just 12.1 in the seven days to April 2 (the latest available accurate data).

In that same period there were 16 newly recorded infections, down from 32 the week before – an infection rate of 24.3.

In Harlow, the rate has more than halved in the last week.

In the seven days to April there were 13 new Covid-19 cases, a rate of 14.9, down from a rate of 40.2 the week before.