Top medics in the North East think we might be past the peak of the Omicron Covid-19 wave - and have spoken with relief about far fewer people have required intensive care or to be on a ventilator than in previous waves.
Despite this, bosses across the region's hospitals have warned that the fact that even small number of people have required intensive care highlights how vital the vaccination drive is.
NHS figures have also spoken of how the huge staff absence issues experienced early in January had also begun to lessen - though staffing levels remain a big issue in our hospitals.
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Dr Jeremy Rushmer, executive medical director at the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust told a meeting of the Trust's board: "Whilst we've had the upswing with Omicron, it has hovered around a little bit - and as yet we have had only a slight decrease in the number of patients in Omicron beds."
But he added that the impact of Covid on the A&E department had "really been much better towards the end of January".
As for Covid patients in hopspital, Dr Rushmer added: "We do have a couple of patients with Omicron in ITU, though none of them are requiring ventilation and only one is requiring respiratory support.
"But in an unvaccinated young person. It does remind us that certainly Omicron can be serious for some people."
The chief executive of the Trust, Sir James Mackey, added: "“It’s been a pretty difficult couple of months with the Omicron wave adding to usual winter pressures. The main concern has been staffing and absence, not just for us but in the wider health and care sector.
"Despite that, we have the best performance in England in a number of metrics, although this is not quite where we want it to be. However, the situation does seem to be easing now, and we are hopefully heading in the right direction."
Dame Jackie Daniel, chief exec of the Newcastle Hospitals Trust, said the city's hospitals had experienced "quite a changing picture". She told the Trust's board meeting: "I can hardly believe Christmas has just gone. There's been a really changing in picture which I hope is captured in terms of Omicron's rapid spread through December right up until quite recently.
"What we've also seen over the last couple of months is increases in Covid patients in our hospitals, but thankfully we've had fewer critically ill patients to treat, and that's been very, very positive."
Andy Welch, medical director at the Newcastle Hospitals Trust added: "We have 80-odd patients in the Trust at the moment with Covid but only around 44 of those are being treated for Covid. The numbers are dropping, and staff are returning.
"Hopefully we're on the we're on the upswing now, which is which is good. I think we always knew that Omicron was going to be relatively mild because we were talking to South African colleagues - just as we spoke to colleagues in Bergamo and Madrid in the earlier waves."
Both Andy and Dame Jackie added that there had been an "absolutely huge" impact on staff - with absence levels "more than we've experienced at any point in the pandemic" and up to around 12% at their peak. They said this week the figure had fallen and was now "closer to 7%".
Also speaking at a board meeting this week, Ken Bremner - chief executive at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust - said: "I'm pleased today to be reporting an improvement in our numbers - which as you know have been going up over the previous four weeks. We are reporting 167 cases today - that is showing some decline. There are 139 in Sunderland and 28 in South Tyneside.
"But we are still seeing only a small impact in terms of patient in intensive care - with three in Sunderland and one at South Tyneside
"We are not out of the woods by any means, but there are some early encouraging signs."
Yvonne Ormston, who fills the equivalent role at the Gateshead Health NHS Trust added: "The Omicron wave has really tested the health system across the whole of the North East - and our experience has been very similar to everyone else.
"We have around 100 patients with Covid at the QE. At our peak we had 107. We think we're probably still in that peak and the public health advice has been that this week remains really pressured.
"This has been the most challenging winter we have ever seen. The worst winter - and then it's had Covid on top of that."
At the meeting of Gateshead Health's board, Coun. Martin Gannon - who leads Gateshead Council, spoke, reflecting on a decline in Covid-19 cases locally.
"I know the number of cases in Gateshead is still high - 1,100 per 100,000 - but it's about half what it was a week ago," he said. "I am very conscious of the pressures [hospital staff] are under, but wanted to say something positive about how there's a glimmer of light as we move forward to hopefully better times."
The numbers
According to the Government's coronavirus dashboard, this is how many Covid-positive patients were in hospitals on January 25. (Hospital execs have
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust - 91 Covid positive patients in hospital and 4 in mechanical ventilation beds, on January 15 there were 159 people with Covid-19 in hospital
Gateshead Health NHS Trust - 98 Covid positive patients in hospital and 3 in mechanical ventilation beds, on January 21 there were 107 people with Covid-19 in hospital
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust - 120 Covid positive patients in hospital and 5 in mechanical ventilation beds, on January 16 there were 162 people with Covid-19 in hospital
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust - 196 Covid positive patients in hospital and 6 in mechanical ventilation beds, on January 18 there were 200 people with Covid-19 in hospital
County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust - 112 Covid positive patients in hospital and 3 in mechanical ventilation beds, on January 17 there were 150 people with Covid-19 in hospital
