well as we've heard the uh covet threat
is to be raised to the
highest level five across the uk
following a warning from
all four chief medical officers that the
health services are at risk of being
overwhelmed within three weeks
with coronavirus cases continue to rise
rapidly driven by the
new variant of the virus the number of
covid19 patients in hospitals across the
uk
is also increasing sharply our health
editor hugh pim has the latest for us
on the front line of a major london
hospital today
here at saint george's staff say it's
exceptionally busy
after a big increase in admissions of
covid patients
over the weekend they've been struck by
the number requiring
oxygen support and that's meant doubling
capacity for oxygen supplies
which is no easy matter we have had
several whole families admitted
quite a lot of those people haven't been
older older people they haven't been
people with lots of medical problems
they have been young and fit people who
have been themselves shocked at how
and well they've got and how quickly
they've become unwell
annabelle's whole family was struck by
the virus she and her mother maria were
struggling to breathe
and were admitted to leicester royal
infirmary they were brought together in
intensive care
but less than 24 hours later maria died
yes literally just tore my family into
tiny pieces
i i understand everyone's situation is
different
and we all are at different points in
our lives
but just to take a moment to put
yourself
in my shoes and if that would make you
perhaps rethink what you're gonna do
that day
london hospitals are under extreme
pressure and it's the same in other
areas of southern england
in the south east total covered patient
numbers in hospitals
are now well above where they were at
the peak last april
and it's a similar story in the east of
england with patient numbers rising
rapidly in recent weeks
the chief executive of the countess of
chester hospital said 40
of beds were occupied by covid patients
and stressed there was a problem
affecting more areas than just london
community leaders in cumbria meanwhile
warned that the situation was getting
worse
it's extremely serious the risk to the
hospitals in the north
is quite severe at the moment they have
more coronavirus
patients in the hospitals than they have
ever had
in some parts of london virus cases as a
proportion of the population have gone
up 25
in a week that's why hospitals like this
one are under increasing strain
and at a time when there are higher
levels of staff sickness
and those needing to self-isolate things
could get
even tougher in the weeks ahead hugh pim
bbc news
hugh pim is here we've been talking
about the measures here but it's worth
reminding viewers
at this point before these come into
force now in many areas
um what's led to this the state of
affairs
that's led to this well hugh the uk's
four chief medical officers have made it
abundantly clear that without some sort
of action
the nhs in their own words in some parts
of the country would simply be
overwhelmed in three weeks time
and just looking at some of the figures
that underlines that message in england
we haven't had figures for other parts
of the uk yet for today more than 26 and
a half
thousand people are in hospitals in
england with
kovid 19 up 3 000 in just three days
and up nearly a third in a week and
remember these are people who
first got the virus maybe two weeks ago
and then
unfortunately for them have ended up
seriously in hospital
the current case increases we're saying
seeing
newly reported cases up by 50 week on
week
some of them will become seriously ill
sadly but that won't come through
into hospitals for another couple of
weeks that's the pressure already in the
system
and lockdowns will take a little time as
well to take
effect so hopefully as last year
march april lockdowns will bring down
the case numbers but with this new
variant some experts are saying tonight
we can't be totally sure how long
that'll take okay you once again many
thanks