LONDON (AP) – The London mayor has criticized the COVID-19 situation in the capital. This reflects the deteriorating conditions for besieged hospitals, as the country recorded its highest daily death toll in the pandemic.
The bad news is that another 1,325 people died within 28 days after a positive test, comes hours after the British regulator approved a third vaccine for emergency use. The figure brings Britain’s official death toll from the coronavirus to 79,833, the highest in Europe. Not all of the deaths announced by the government on Friday occurred on the same day.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has declared a ‘major incident’ as the rapid spread of the virus has pushed hospitals to a breaking point, with the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in the week to 6 January up 27%. One in 30 people in the British capital was infected with the virus in the week to January 2, according to the National Statistics Office.
Other emergency services are also under stress, with hundreds of firefighters driving ambulances, for example.
“Our heroic doctors, nurses and NHS staff are doing an incredible job, but because the cases are increasing so fast, our hospitals are in danger of being overwhelmed,” Khan said. “The extreme reality is that patients’ beds will run out in the next few weeks, unless the spread of the virus slows down drastically.”
A major incident is defined as one in which the life and welfare risk exists and is “outside the scope of business as usual. ″ It allows coordination between different emergency agencies and allows London to ask for help from other areas.
Khan, a member of the Labor opposition party, also called on Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson to seek more financial support for Londoners who have to isolate themselves and are unable to work. such as indoors.
The action comes as more good news about the fight against the virus appears with the approval of the vaccination against Moderna, as the country raises a vaccination program that is critical to getting the UK out of the pandemic.
The Department of Health said on Friday that the vaccine met the “strict standards for safety, efficacy and quality” of the UK Medicines Regulator. Britain has ordered 17 million doses to be delivered by spring.
“Vaccinations are the key to freeing us all from the grip of this pandemic, and today’s news is another important step in ending the closure and returning to normal life,” said Alok Sharma, business secretary. .
To date, Britain has vaccinated 1.5 million people with the vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford University-AstraZeneca. It is planned to vaccinate about 15 million people by mid-February.
The authorization comes as the need for such assistance grows.
NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said on Thursday that the pressure facing hospitals in London and the south-east of England was so sharp that a temporary field hospital would be opened at the ExCel London conference center next week.
The hospital was one of several built in the spring to help during the pandemic, but was not widely used.
“The whole health care service in London is mobilizing to do everything it can, but the infections, the increase in admissions, that’s what the country collectively has under control,” Stevens said.
The NHS, an acronym for National Health Service, announced on Friday that its doctors and other medical staff could be vaccinated soon, a reflection of concerns that the absenteeism caused by health workers who have to isolate themselves is hampering the system. Most vulnerable people in British society, such as those in care homes, have received the first shots before.
“For frontline staff members who risk their lives every day to keep patients safe, this announcement could not come soon enough,” said Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, president of the UK Medical Association. ‘Tragically, we have lost too many healthcare workers to COVID in the UK. Frontline NHS and care workers must absolutely be protected as a priority. ″
The UK is recording virus-related deaths at a level last seen during the worst days early in the pandemic. Friday’s toll surpassed the previous high of 1,224 deaths in April.
According to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the United Kingdom has the most COVID-related deaths in Europe and the fifth highest number in the world.
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