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Tue. 10:41 a.m.: Latest world virus headlines â Swiss hunt down virus variant in St. Moritz
Jan 19, 2021
This exterior view of the hotel Badrutt s Palace, center, was taken Monday in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Swiss authorities say they have placed two hotels under quarantine and ordered all guests and employees be tested after a new variant of the coronavirus was detected among them in the upscale skiing resort of St. Moritz. (Giancarlo Cattaneo/Keystone via AP)
Here are summaries of the latest Associated Press stories worldwide on the coronavirus pandemic, including: Wisconsin vaccine plan excludes grocery workers; Swiss hunt down virus variant in St. Moritz;
UK health secretary considers putting Covid patients in hotels if clinically right for them
From CNN’s Martin Goillandeau in London
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock speaks at a coronavirus news conference at 10 Downing Street on January 11, in London, England. Alastair Grant/WPA Pool/Getty Images
UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Wednesday that authorities were considering putting Covid-19 patients in hotels as a “backup plan.”
It comes as the National Health Service (NHS) is facing intense pressure from a high number of Covid-19 cases.
“We are considering all the options, it isn t something that we re actively putting in place. But I would say that it would only ever happen if that was clinically right for any individual patient,” Hancock told BBC Breakfast.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Wednesday he is hoping the nation’s current situation is the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, as infection rates and hospitalizations are at or near record levels.
In televised interviews. Hancock said Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) is facing intense pressure due to the high number of COVID-19 cases, treating 55 percent more people than during the first pandemic peak in April, with more than 30,000 patients across the country.
He said the government is considering many options to ease the strain on the NHS.
With infections rising throughout Britain, England's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, warned Monday that the next few weeks could be the "worst" of the pandemic, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the public for "maximum vigilance." Tougher measures could be necessary if cases continue to rise, he said.
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