Behind the lines of Britainâs COVID war By Alan Cowell New York Times,Updated March 1, 2021, 11:20 p.m. Email to a Friend A nurse tried to reassure Haydar Sal, a COVID-19 patient in the Intensive Care Unit at Homerton hospital in East London, Jan. 17, 2021. Sal lost more than 65 pounds battling COVID.ANDREW TESTA/NYT LONDON â The numbers may be trending downward, but the battle is no less intense. In the land of Winston Churchill, it is likened sometimes to war, the COVID war. In the latest phase of Britainâs splintered campaign against the coronavirus, Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week laid out a long glide path for Englandâs gradual reopening from lockdown, from March to June.