The latest Covid reproduction number has been revealed for Nottinghamshire as hospitals are placed on the highest alert level.
According to health officials Nottingham city is in a more serious situation due to the new and more transmissible Omicron variant of Covid, than the boroughs and districts across wider Nottinghamshire.
Amanda Sullivan, Accountable Officer at at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG, says medical professionals are "starting to see a small number of Omicron cases in our hospitals locally."
"That is true across the country and very rapidly we anticipate that that will be the dominant variant," she added.
Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), which runs the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital, said the city's hospitals are currently in 'Opel 4'.
This is the highest alert level, formerly known as black alert, and is part of NHS England's Operational Pressures Escalation Levels (Opel) framework.
It is designated when a hospital is "unable to deliver comprehensive care" and patient safety could be compromised.
NUH however emphasised hospitals are typically placed into Opel 4 at this time of year, due to pressures from winter illnesses for example.
But it has already been reiterated that NHS staff are struggling, with the past two years having "taken its toll" on those working in health and care systems in Nottinghamshire.
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There is also a backlog of operations and treatments which were delayed during other peaks in the past.
GPs have now been sent letters stating routine services must be placed behind the need to get the population boosted with a third Covid jab.
The current R rate sits at 1 to 1.1.
Analysts only update this number every two weeks however meaning the current number is likely higher in reality.
An R number of 1 means that, on average, every person who is infected will go on to infect one other person.
That would mean the total number of infections is stable, and therefore any number above 1 means the virus is more readily spreading
A more up-to-date R rate will be announced next week, and will come as the Government looks to draw up plans for a potential two-week lockdown to stem the spread of Omicron.
