More than 200 people are being treated for Covid-19 at Royal Berkshire Hospital (stock image) THE number of Covid-19 patients at Royal Berkshire Hospital increased by almost 100 in just one week. New NHS figures show Covid-19 patients occupied 83 beds at the hospital on December 23 and by December 30, there were 179. That number reached 194 on January 5 and the following day hospital bosses said it had passed 200. Additional capacity has been created in the intensive care unit (ICU) and staff are treating more people for the virus now than they were at the peak of the first wave. Staff have managed to cope with the influx of Covid-19 patients so far, by implementing contingency plans drawn up after the first wave of the pandemic and using new treatments.