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The district recorded a further eight Covid-19 deaths in the latest daily figures, released on Wednesday (January 27).

A total of 263 people in Wealden have now died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Lewes recorded a further six Covid-19 deaths in the latest daily figures released on Wednesday (January 27).

Wealden has recorded the second-highest death toll in Sussex

This brings the total amount of deaths in the district to 172.

Rother has the highest coronavirus death toll in Sussex, according to figures.

East Sussex has recorded a total of 1,101 deaths in all settings within 28 days of a positive test.

Over the weekend, the number of deaths in hospitals operated by the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust – Conquest Hospital, Eastbourne District General, and Bexhill Hospital – passed 500 and reached 502 by Sunday.

But Public Health boss for East Sussex Darrell Gale remains optimistic.

He said this week: “The rates in East Sussex have finally started to decrease.

“The weekly rate in East Sussex has declined from 777 per 100,000 last week to 579 per 100,000 for the week ended January 15,” he said.

“This continues to be higher than the England average which is now 497 per 100,000.

“Eastbourne remains the area with by far the highest rate at 892 per 100,000.

“Wealden and Hastings remain above the England average at respectively 578 and 520 per 100,000, followed by Lewes and then Rother – 492 and 394 per 100,000 respectively.

“Although we appear to have passed the peak of cases in East Sussex, it is concerning that the rate in Eastbourne is not yet declining as fast as the rest of the county.

“The declaration of a major incident remains across Sussex.

“Hospitals are continuing to experience substantial pressures due to demand on beds from the increased number of Covid-19 cases now being higher than it was in April during the first peak.”

On Tuesday (January 26), the UK saw Covid-19 deaths pass the 100,000 mark – the first European country to pass the landmark.

Wealden District Council confirmed more than 200,000 people have now had the vaccine across Sussex.

The national NHS team is expected to publish at a local authority level soon, Sussex NHS Commissioners told the Express.

Wealden has second-highest Covid-19 death toll in Sussex