Prognosis
New Covid-19 Strain Puts Growing Pressure on U.K. Hospitals
- Number being treated in England already exceeds April peak
- Patients may be moved out of London to other counties: Report
Ambulances queue outside the Royal London Hospital, on Dec. 29.
Photographer: Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
A surge in the number of Covid-19 patients in the U.K. risks overwhelming the country’s hospitals as a new and more transmissible strain infects the population at a record pace.
There were 20,426 coronavirus patients being treated in England’s hospitals as of early Monday, already exceeding the peak recorded in April during the first wave of the pandemic, according to the most recent figures from the National Health Service. New cases in Britain reached a record 53,135 on Tuesday, and the country’s total of more than 71,000 Covid-19 deaths makes it one of the worst affected in the world.