The Royal Cornwall Hospital has suspended all visits with immediate effect due to a spike in the number of patients testing positive for Covid-19.

       The hospital, also known as Treliske, said on Thursday that it has 85 cases of coronavirus.

       It said in a statement the majority of those with Covid had been admitted for another reason, but many bays or wards are unable to take new patients.

       All visits will be off until at least the weekend, the hospital said, with the arrangement likely to remain in place for the next seven days.

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       It said “exceptional circumstances”, such as patients receiving end-of-life care, would be “considered compassionately on an individual basis”.

       Visits to maternity, neonatal and paediatric units will continue unchanged, a spokeswoman said, as they are in a self-contained section of the hospital.

       The number of patients with Covid-19 in the South West has been creeping up in recent weeks.

       There were 918 at 8am on Thursday, according to NHS England.

       It is likely we will have to keep this restriction in place for at least the next seven days

       Royal Cornwall Hospital

       This is up 20% on the previous week, and close to levels last seen during the Omicron surge in early January.

       It is still well below the 2,366 patients in hospital in the region at the peak of the second wave of the virus in January 2021.

       Covid-19 admissions have increased in recent days, with 211 in the South West on Tuesday – the latest day with data available.

       This is up 42% on the previous week and is the highest number on a single day in the region for more than a year, since January 28 2021.

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       The Royal Cornwall Hospital said: “We will be making every effort to resume visiting as soon as we can but we must reduce the number of people coming into our hospitals to a minimum, and it is likely we will have to keep this restriction in place for at least the next seven days.

       “Wards will contact those who have already booked visits to discuss this with them. If you feel there is an exceptional need to arrange a new visit, please contact the ward first.”