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The third wave of coronavirus is so severe that hospitals are taking in patients every 30 seconds, the head of the NHS has said.
NHS chief executive Simon Stevens warned hospitals and staff are under “extreme pressure” as deaths and cases continue to mount across the country.
He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "Hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure.
“Since Christmas Day we’ve seen another 15,000 increase in the inpatients in hospitals across England.
“That’s the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients.
“And staggeringly, every 30 seconds across England, another patient is being admitted to hospital with coronavirus.”
Sir Simon said he couldn't "sugar coat" the scale of the crisis – and that the virus is spreading dangerously across the country.
“We’re seeing that not just in London and the South East where this new variant first let rip, but that is spreading into other parts of the country as well. The East of England, the Midlands and the North West – Merseyside is now right back under the cosh.”
Despite the fact that the Prime Minister had claimed on Friday that London's intensive care facilities were not being overwhelmed, Sir Simon said patients were having to be transferred to other regions to balance the load.
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- BBC
- NHS
- Christmas
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