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With more than 53,000 cases, UK authorities have reported more new corona infections in one day than ever. The health system is under increasing pressure, with consequences for patients and nurses.
The worsening situation in the crown is pushing the British healthcare system to the limit. Ambulances are jammed in front of some emergency rooms, according to British media. An employee at a hospital in Kent, England, reported that some patients had to wait up to six hours to receive an ambulance. Some clinics are even considering setting up sorting tents in front of the entrances, also to better control the influx of patients.
The number of corona cases continues to rise
On Tuesday, authorities reported 53,135 new infections, a new record. Also, more corona patients are treated in hospitals than in the previous peak in the spring. Above all, a new variant of the corona virus is blamed for the increasing number of new infections. Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said shortly before Christmas that the mutation was highly contagious and was spreading rapidly.
So far London and the south of England have been particularly hard hit. A new higher level of corona warning has been in place in these areas for a good week. According to this, millions of people cannot receive visits and must only leave their homes in important cases such as work or visits to the doctor. But there are also severe restrictions on public and private life in other parts of the country.
“Now we are back in the eye of the storm”
The head of the British NHS health service, Simon Stevens, thanked the clinic and the nursing staff for their continued work. “Many of us have lost relatives, friends and colleagues. And at a time when we were going to party, many people are understandably anxious, frustrated and exhausted,” Stevens said in a video message. “And now we are back in the eye of the storm, which is sweeping Europe and our country with a second crown wave.”
The head of the UK Doctors Association, Samantha Batt-Rawden, wrote on Twitter that the nursing staff had been doing extra work for months. “A lot of people canceled their Christmas party to volunteer extra shifts. But the truth is, a lot of people have died.”
British Medical Association ER Doctor Simon Walsh said many clinics were already operating exceptionally. “You face queues for ambulances outside of many emergency rooms, often with patients who have been in the ambulance for many hours because there is simply no room for them.”
Demands for longer school closings
Due to the difficult health situation, calls for schools to close longer after the Christmas holidays are growing stronger. Zubaida Haque, from the Sage scientific panel of experts, told ITV that it is not safe to open schools as planned on January 4, “Children have to go to school, but they have to go to a safe school.”
Massive tests are also planned for schoolchildren and students. Here the government has the help of the military. 1500 members of the army must support the youth, as announced by the Defense Ministry in London. However, most will provide help over the phone or online. Schoolchildren and students must test themselves under supervision.
