‘The virus is out of control.’
London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan earlier this afternoon announced live on Sky News that the spread of Covid-19 was “out of control” and declared a “major incident” in an effort to avert London hospitals running out of capacity for patient intake.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says the ambulance service in the capital is responding to between 8,000 and 9,000 calls a day, with firefighters and police officers being called on to drive ambulances.
Read more: https://t.co/dpaTu5QcbE pic.twitter.com/SaP6rKeQs9
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 8, 2021
The Mayor took the decision as the formal Chair of the London Resilience Forum following discussions with leaders from NHS London, local authorities, Public Health England and the emergency services in the capital.
It comes as the number of Covid-19 cases in London has exceeded 1,000 per 100,000, putting immense pressure on an already stretched NHS.
Between 30 December and 6 January, the number of patients in London hospitals grew by 27 per cent and the number on mechanical ventilation grew by 42 per cent, from 640 to 908. Over the last three days alone the NHS has announced 477 deaths in London hospitals following a positive test for Covid-19.
Latest reports are alarming showing rates of 1 in 30 and even 1 in 20 people being infected, if those rates are accurate that is between 300 – 465,000 people.
The latest numbers are being cited by many as a result of the relaxation of regulations over the festive period. NHS doctors and nurses are saying people should have stayed and home not visiting friends and family at Christmas.
Social media channels are awash with scenes from London hospitals. Dr Samantha Batt-Rawden, a senior intensive care registrar at Royal London Hospital, today tweeted: “We tried. We really tried. NHS staff pleaded with people that Christmas is not worth it. Now one in 30 people in London have Covid and ICUs are overwhelmed. My heart is broken.”
Sadiq Khan said that the London Ambulance Service was currently taking about 8 – 9,000 emergency calls a day, compared to 5,500 on a typical busy day, and that the London Fire Brigade have drafted 100 firefighters in to drive ambulances to try and cope with demand.
Declaring a ‘major incident’ is a rarity and usually reserved for terrorist attacks. The words and tone of Sadiq Khan do indicate how concerned he is. His concerns are now clearly shared by many in the NHS who are voicing them on social media.
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Hospitality & Catering News: Covid out of control – 7 January 2021 – Covid out of control
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