There are currently almost 900 people in hospital with coronavirus in the UK, latest figures reveal.
The most recent Government data - as of May 18 - shows there are 894 Covid patients in hospital, with 122 currently on ventilation.
As of May 16, the daily rate of hospital admissions for Covid patients is 77 - down from 86 in the previous week.
Overall, there have been 465,064 hospital admissions of patients with coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the Government said a further seven people had died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus as of Thursday, bringing the UK total to 127,701.
Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies show there have been 152,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
The Government also said that, as of 9am on Thursday, there had been a further 2,874 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.
It brings the total to 4,455,221.
Today's figures come as Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in Wednesday's Downing Street briefing that the emergence of the Indian variant meant it was “even more important” for people to get vaccinated.
Mr Hancock revealed there are now 25 people in Bolton Hospital with Covid - a hotspot for the Indian variant where surge testing and vaccination has been implemented.
The weekly coronavirus case data in Bolton is now 283 per 100,00 and it doubled in the last week.
Of those in hospital, he said: "The majority are unvaccinated. Nearly 90 per cent have not yet had two vaccines.
“This shows the importance of getting vaccinated, not once but twice.”
Government data up to May 19 shows that of the 58,489,834 jabs given in the UK so far, 37,250,363 were first doses – a rise of 264,858 on the previous day.
Some 21,239,471 were second doses, an increase of 369,018.
