Hospitals remain in a “precarious” situation under the strain of Covid-19 patients, but there are some “glimmers” of hope with the impact of lockdown, a top medic has said.
Healthcare staff remain under intense pressure amid the pandemic, said Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS England regional medical director for London.
He spoke as figures showed more than three-quarters of major hospital trusts in England currently have more Covid-19 patients than at the peak of the first wave of the virus.
Some 115 out of 140 acute NHS trusts were recording a higher number of Covid-19 patients at 8am on January 19 this year than at any point between mid-March and the end of May 2020.
Hospitals remain in a “precarious” situation under the strain of Covid-19 patients, but there are some “glimmers” of hope with the impact of lockdown, a top medic has said.
Healthcare staff remain under intense pressure amid the pandemic, said Dr Vin Diwakar, NHS England regional medical director for London.
He spoke as figures showed more than three-quarters of major hospital trusts in England currently have more Covid-19 patients than at the peak of the first wave of the virus.
Some 115 out of 140 acute NHS trusts were recording a higher number of Covid-19 patients at 8am on January 19 this year than at any point between mid-March and the end of May 2020.
NHS workers slam disrespectful social media users for spreading fiction and lies about empty hospitals - as one woman is fined for sharing photos of empty hospital corridors
Hannah Dean, 30, who describes herself as a freelance journalist, has travelled to hospitals across Hampshire to take social media photos of empty corridors
She says they show the NHS is not under pressure and government is lying
Hampshire Constabulary confirmed a 30-year-old woman has been fined £200 for taking photos inside Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth
How busy is YOUR hospital? Interactive tool reveals trust-by-trust breakdown of Covid patients and ICU occupancy as data shows a FIFTH of NHS sites had NO free critical care beds last week
Some 27 of 140 acute NHS trusts have no space left for patients in critical care units, official figures show
Six were in the North East, which mostly dodged Tier 4, while five were in the South East and the Midlands
Separate data released today revealed NHS waiting lists for routine operations have surged to record levels
It comes amid sustained high admissions of Covid-19 patients to hospitals across the country