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London Hospitals Facing ’Tsunami’ of Virus Patients

London Hospitals Facing ’Tsunami’ of Virus Patients
folder_openUnited Kingdom access_time4 years ago
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By Staff, Agencies

Hospital bosses and doctors in London warned Thursday of being swamped with a "tsunami" of COVID-19 patients, as Britain braced for a peak in cases and the government faced calls to urgently provide specialist kit and tests for frontline health workers.

Scientists also warned thousands of new ventilators may come too late and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was criticized for not cooperating with European countries to boost capacity.

Britain initially adopted a light-touch approach to the outbreak but has since imposed tougher measures, including a three-week lockdown, as confirmed cases and deaths climbed.

According to the latest figures, 463 people have died from the virus and more than 9,500 people have been infected, with London accounting for about one-third of all cases.

The chief executive of National Health Service [NHS] Providers, which represents the heads of hospital trusts in the state-run NHS, said there had been an "explosion of demand" in the capital.

Chris Hopson told BBC radio that hospital bosses said there had been "wave after wave after wave" of admissions of seriously ill patients, with numbers predicted to surge further in the next two weeks.

"The word that's often used to me is a sort of continuous tsunami," he added.

Official statistics are thought to represent only a fraction of the real number of infections across Britain, as only those taken to hospital with severe symptoms of COVID-19 are tested.

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