Covid cases are rising again across the North East - and hospitalisations are beginning to trend upwards again with public health experts warning that the threat from the virus remains a potent one.
However, rates of Covid-19 remain substantially lower than during the peak of Omicron this winter, even in the areas showing the biggest rises now.
It is thought that a variant of Omicron dubbed "stealth" Omicron may be causing the uptick.
