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The country is “back in the eye of the storm,” according to the NHS chief, and the number of patients treated for COVID-19 in England’s hospitals surpassed the peak in April.
NHS figures for England have revealed that there was 20,426 patients under treatment in hospitals at 8 a.m. on Monday, compared to 18,974 patients registered on April 12.
Also on Monday, the UK registered its largest daily increase in coronavirus cases since the pandemic began with 41,385 positive tests.
During a visit to an NHS vaccination center, NHS Executive Director Sir Simon Stevens praised the staff but said: “We are now in the eye of the storm again with a second wave of coronavirus hitting Europe and, in fact, this country.
“Many of us have lost family, friends, colleagues, and at a time of year when we would normally be celebrating, many people are understandably anxious, frustrated and tired.”
But on a note of hope, Sir Simon added: “We believe that by late spring, with continued vaccine supplies, we will have been able to offer the COVID vaccine to all vulnerable people in this country.”
“That perhaps provides the best hope for next year.”
His comments come on the day that patients who received the first vaccines three weeks ago will receive their booster dose.
They also come as pressure continues to mount on the NHS at an already difficult time of year.
Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, president of the UK Medical Association, said in a widely shared Twitter thread that she and her colleagues are “at a breaking point”.
The intensive care senior registrar wrote: “Today we learned that we have more COVID patients in hospital than ever before in England. This is not a drill. Please believe us.
“We are incredibly thin on the ground. NHS personnel have not been prioritized for the vaccine and are getting sick en masse from the new strain.”
“The trusts are so desperate that they are asking medical students to help out at the ICU. This was confirmed by a consultant on the ground.
“When the staff have spoken on Twitter, they have been told that this is all a hoax. It is not.
“Try holding an iPad for a patient to say goodbye to their family. Or you have to ventilate a colleague. This is real and it is happening right now. The staff are broken and need support now more than ever.”
Lewisham and the Greenwich NHS Trust revealed that an internal incident was declared at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in South East London on Sunday “as a precautionary measure due to the high number of positive COVID patients we are seeing at the hospital.”
The trust added that all the patients received the treatment they needed and the situation is being monitored.
And the capital’s ambulance service described Boxing Day as one of the busiest days in its history.
Emergency consultant physician Adrian Boyle told Sky News: “You feel terrible and helpless when you can’t unload an ambulance because your emergency department is full.
“You create this feeling that you are failing your patients simply because there is a huge lack of space to care for people.”
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Ambulances used as makeshift COVID-19 rooms
England’s Public Health Chief Medical Officer Dr Yvonne Doyle said “the very high level of infection is a growing concern at a time when our hospitals are most vulnerable.”
“We have all made great sacrifices this year, but we must all continue to play our part to stop the spread of the virus, which is still replicating rapidly.”
