Hattie Nicholls, NHS nurse at Manchester Royal Infirmary, pictured above​

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​Two joyful NHS workers celebrate by smiling for a selfie as the Intensive Care Unit ward is finally empty after months of endless battle with Covid.

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Hattie Nicholls, an NHS nurse at the Manchester Royal Infirmary posted her selfie with a fellow healthcare colleague, showing the vacant Covid ward behind the both of them.

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Smiling under her facemask as the cases at the hospital have significantly decreased for the first time in the pandemic since last year.

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The proud NHS worker captioned the picture posted to her Twitter with 'Manchester Royal's Covid ICU is empty. Big smiles under the masks.'

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Out of all the hospitals part of the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, including the Royal Infirmary, there were a total of 54 patients in the ICU at the end of January and were only 18 by April.

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A figure believed to have decreased even lower within the last three weeks thanks to the incredible and tireless efforts of the NHS staff.

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Professor. Jane Eddleston, the Joint Group Medical Director at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: "The numbers of patients with Covid in intensive care in Manchester hospitals has fallen in line with the rest of the country.

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"This means that those facilities can now be used to support the restoration of surgical services across Manchester to the benefit of our patients awaiting surgery."

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Manchester Royal Infirmary, pictured above​​

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Nicholls and other healthcare professionals working at the Manchester Royal Infirmary were deemed 'national treasures' in the reactions to the photo showing the tremendous efforts put into achieving the empty ward in the fight against the virus.

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Cases in Manchester do however still remain above the national average at just under 50 per 100,000 since September, lowering by 22%.

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Following the vaccine rollout across the country and the number of cases declining, over 40s can now receive their Covid jab with goals of allowing over 30s to be offered their first dosage within the next two weeks.

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To check whether you are eligible to receive your vaccine, click here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/

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