England is “back in the eye” of the coronavirus storm, health chiefs warned on Tuesday, with as many patients in hospital as during the initial peak in April.
A new strain of the virus appears to be behind the upsurge in cases, heaping further pressure on the National Health Service.
NHS England figures showed there were 20,426 COVID-19 patients in the country’s hospitals on Monday, compared to the 18,974 peak recorded during the first wave.
The number of positive tests recorded over a 24-hour period also hit a new high of 41,385 on Monday. However, case figures do not include Scotland and Northern Ireland, which did not report over the Christmas period. “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,” said NHS England CEO Simon Stevens.
“And now again we are back in the eye of the storm with a second wave of coronavirus sweeping Europe and, indeed, this country.”
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