there are fresh warnings tonight that
any relaxation of coronavirus
restrictions over the christmas period
could risk a third wave of infections in
an open letter nhs providers
which represents more than 200
healthcare trusts in england
has urged the prime minister to exercise
caution when the current tier lists are
reviewed next week
the letter says there are now ten
thousand fewer beds in operation
than last year because of coronavirus
infection controls
with large numbers of covert 19 patients
needing
treatment on top of the usual winter
pressures
like flu and all this comes along with
the new demand
of having to deliver the coronavirus
vaccine with more here's our health
correspondent catherine de costa
on the front line and under pressure
hospitals expect to be at their busiest
over winter but with the unprecedented
impact of coronavirus
this will be a year like no other
there's no question that we're full-on
during the second wave now
and we're seeing certainly where i work
increasing numbers of covet patients
coming in
we're also dealing with the normal
winter pressures
but we're at the same time trying to
keep everybody safe and socially
distanced
while we're dealing with staff who are
also unwell
in a letter to the prime minister nhs
providers say there were
thirteen thousand kobe patients in
hospital in england this week compared
to 500 in early september
well our trust leaders are very
concerned its chief executive has urged
caution
ahead of the review of tears next week
what we're saying is you just need to be
really careful about relaxing the
restrictions on social contact
because we know that that inevitably at
the moment what that means is
more more covered cases more pressure on
the nhs
and to be frank more people dying
unnecessarily
all four nations have been under tough
measures in recent weeks but the r
number which shows whether the epidemic
is growing or shrinking
is thought to be above one in some areas
so it's thought
infections are rising in london the
south
east and east of england and in northern
ireland
and it's a similar picture in wales too
and that's raising concerns that
household mixing and travel over
christmas
could lead to a third wave think about
what you should do
do you really need to have should you
really see three different
households together indoors over this
period
can you see fewer people can you see
people for a shorter period of time
the government says it won't hesitate to
take necessary actions to protect local
communities
its review will be based on the latest
data that will include factors such as
infection rates among the over 60s and
pressure on the nhs catherine de costa
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