'Ignore the trolls and Covid deniers' ­— that's the message from Isle of Wight NHS Trust's chief executive, Maggie Oldham.

With Covid-19 cases rising rapidly, and more than 50 patients now being treated at St Mary's Hospital for the virus, Ms Oldham says the situation is very serious.

She has urged Islanders to not to listen to "those people who are deliberately showing division online" and to instead "play your part in keeping the Island safe."

"This isn’t just about protecting the NHS any more," said Ms Oldham.

"It is about protecting yourselves, your loved ones and our community.

"This disease is real, it can be deadly and it is spreading very quickly.

"The new lockdown makes it clear just how dangerous this virus is.

"The way the new variant of Covid-19 has spread since it emerged before Christmas has put real strain on health services across the country.

"I have one message to our community ­— we need you now more than ever.

"We need you to stay at home and to follow these new restrictions so that we can get this virus under control."

Ms Oldham said 51 people were in hospital being treated for the virus as of yesterday (Monday), and a further nine individuals are highly suspected of having it.

She says there is currently in excess of 40 members of St Mary's Hospital staff suffering with Covid-19 symptoms.

Yesterday, a further 282 confirmed Covid cases were recorded on the Isle of Wight, according to Public Health England.

The figure took the Island's cumulative total to 2,728 since the pandemic began, and to 1,049 in January alone.

On Sunday, January 3, Government figures showed a record daily increase of 459.