Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Major incident declared in London as Sadiq Khan warns of ‘critical’ Covid threat facing hospitals

Major incident declared in London as Sadiq Khan warns of ‘critical’ Covid threat facing hospitals

Capital’s NHS is ‘on the cusp of being overwhelmed’ with virus now ‘out of control’. “I have declared a major incident in London because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point. One in 30 Londoners now has COVID-19. If we do not take immediate action now, our NHS could be overwhelmed and more people will die.“ said Khan.
A major incident was declared across London today as the number of Covid cases and sick patients in hospital hit “critical” levels.

Mayor Sadiq Khan made the emergency declaration to fast-track national help for the NHS, which he said was “on the cusp of being overwhelmed” and running out of beds. The virus is “out of control” in the capital, he said, and Londoners are under orders to obey the lockdown and not mix over the weekend.

There are more than 7,000 Covid patients in London hospitals — almost 2,000 more than the first peak last April — and almost 1,000 are on ventilators.

Intensive care doctors said people aged 19 to 30 were being hospitalised with the new “Kent strain” of the virus and issued an alert to critical care colleagues across mainland Europe. A further 10,000 Londoners tested positive for Covid yesterday and the seven-day rate of 1,035.9 cases per 100,000 people is by some distance the highest in the country.

In another alarming development, infections are soaring in older Londoners, which will inevitably add to the death toll. By last night, 9,306 Londoners had died within 28 days of a positive test and 78,508 across the UK. In other key developments:

The number of cases in Londoners over 60 has quadrupled since early December, with many having caught the disease over Christmas.

Doctors warned that critical care nurses were close to burn out and were being stretched so thinly that there was a “very, very real risk” of patients suffering harm.

They said there was “no evidence” that high-pressure oxygen CPAP face masks offered better outcomes than invasive ventilation, with some patients deteriorating rapidly after long periods on CPAP.

New research indicated that the Pfizer vaccine may be effective against the Kent and South African variants.

The number of coronavirus “incidents” in care homes in the capital has risen, with 99 in the most recent week.

The Royal London, the capital’s biggest hospital, has more than 120 patients in intensive care and space for about 30 more. One doctor last night said he was unsure how they would cope if the number breached 150, amid fears that critical care will have to be rationed.

Professor Rupert Pearse told the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine that doctors had been “horrified” at the recent rise in cases in London.

He said: “The situation is genuinely serious. The workload is phenomenal. In my hospital we have more than 120 ICU patients. We are hoping that will stop at about 150 but we don’t know.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×