More Covid patients in hospital than during the April

NHS England figures show there were 20,426 patients in NHS hospitals in England as of 8am on Monday, December 28, compared to the 18,974 patients recorded on April 12.

The number of further lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus recorded in a single day in the UK also hit a new high of 41,385 as of 9am Monday, rising above 40,000 for the first time, according to Government figures.

Cases figures do not include information from Scotland and Northern Ireland, which did not report data between December 24 and 28, meaning the true number is even higher.

Image: PA Media

Sir Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said: “Many of us have lost family, friends, colleagues and – at a time of year when we would normally be celebrating – a lot of people are understandably feeling anxious, frustrated and tired.

“And now again we are back in the eye of the storm with a second wave of coronavirus sweeping Europe and, indeed, this country.”

He said a “chink of hope” lay in the various Covid-19 vaccines, with the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab expected to be approved imminently by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, according to reports.

Sir Simon said: “We think that by late spring with vaccine supplies continuing to come on stream we will have been able to offer all vulnerable people across this country Covid vaccination.

“That perhaps provides the biggest chink of hope for the year ahead.”

Hospital trusts are struggle to cope with the surge in coronavirus patients and have been told to begin planning for the use of Nightingale hospitals.

Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, said: “This very high level of infection is of growing concern at a time when our hospitals are at their most vulnerable, with new admissions rising in many regions.”

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, said some trusts are reporting up to three times the number of Covid patients than at the peak of the first wave.

“This means hospitals and also ambulance services in Tier 4 areas and beyond are incredibly busy, compounded by increasing staff absences due to illness and the need to self-isolate,” she said.

The South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) said it is “prewarning” the military and fire service that paramedics may need help after an average increase of 10% in 999 calls over the Christmas period and a threefold increase in 111 calls, along with a 60-70% increase in absence rates with staff symptomatic or self-isolating.

The Government said a further 357 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Monday, bringing the UK total to 71,109.