UK scrambles for hospital beds as virus surges

UK scrambles for hospital beds as virus surges

UK scrambles for hospital beds as virus surges

UK scrambles for hospital beds as virus surges

A healthcare worker wearing PPE cleans equipment after a patient arrived in an ambulance outside the Emergency Department of St Thomas' Hospital in London on January 3, 2021. (AFP)

Updated 07 January 2021

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UK scrambles for hospital beds as virus surges

The sharp rise has forced hospital bosses to consider shifting some inpatients to beds in nursing homes or care homes, said the head of NHS Providers

England entered a strict lockdown on Tuesday with schools and non-essential shops closed for at least six weeks

Updated 07 January 2021

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LONDON: Hospital chiefs in England raced to secure hospital beds on Thursday as the surge in coronavirus cases risked overwhelming the system, health care providers and medics said.

A leaked briefing suggested that even in a relatively positive scenario, London's hospitals could be beyond capacity in less than two weeks.

The UK on Thursday recorded another 1,162 deaths within 28 days of a positive test “” the second highest toll since the peak of the first wave in April last year.

There were more than 52,000 new cases in 24 hours, taking the overall number of infections to nearly 2.9 million.

Cases are growing quickly