A total of 110 people are at Colchester Hospital with Covid-19, the hospital's boss has confirmed.

Nick Hulme, chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust, had anticipated a post-Christmas surge in coronavirus cases.

But with the identification of a new, more infectious strain in the south east, the rise has been more rapid than predicted.

The trust, which runs both Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals, is now dealing with around 50 per cent more cases than during the first wave of the virus in April.

Mr Hulme said cases had “effectively doubled” at Colchester Hospital in recent days, with 110 Covid-19 patients on the wards and nine in intensive care.

He warned the trust was facing pressure unlike anything he had seen in his 30 years in the NHS.

Mr Hulme said: “I always knew we would in the immediate post-Christmas period, but a combination of more pressure on both hospitals is coupled with an increase in staff sickness.

“When the number of people in the community with Covid increases, that will include some staff.

“It has become more challenging to fill shifts at the moment.

“Everyone is safe, but it is extremely tight in terms of juggling all our services.

“Things are a little bit worse than anticipated, and that comes with the new strain, but we hadn’t expected how quickly numbers would go up.

“We have made decisions about elective care, some procedures we have had to postpone and we are not quite sure when we will be able to book those patients back in.”

Colchester's MP Will Quince said yesterday the country stands at the “most critical juncture” since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Quince is calling on his constituents to remain steadfast in their following of Tier 4 restrictions ahead of the New Year.

He warned of capacity issues spreading from mid and south Essex hospitals to Colchester.

“We are at the most dangerous point in terms of NHS capacity,” he said.

“We know that across mid and south Essex there are now real issues in terms of capacity.

“Even in Colchester the situation is getting much worse, where in terms of Covid cases we have seen them double in the past week.

“The key is, and the call to action is, if we all want the NHS to be there for us our hospital has to have the capacity.

“If it is full of Covid patients on top of the regular pressures of winter, the risk is it won’t be there for us when we need it.

“We are taking patients from south Essex, but the numbers have still gone up significantly.”

But he urged residents to carry on abiding with restrictions in the hopes of beating the virus.

He added: “The goal is in sight and we stand at the most critical juncture we have faced.”

Mr Hulme said the trust taking on patients from hospitals elsewhere in Essex was “not a problem”, describing it as an important strand to the way the NHS operates.

But he did not shy away from highlighting the pressures faced across north Essex.

“I’ve been in the health service for 30-odd years.

“I haven’t seen a situation as challenging as the one we’re facing at the moment.”

He added: “The best way to make a difference is to stick to the rules, to stay inside, and the Tier 4 rules are very clear, only to leave home when it is absolutely essential.”