The Times - UK (2021-12-21)

the times | Tuesday December 21 2021 2GM 7

News

Covid hospital admissions have

doubled in three weeks in London,

leaving ministers worried about a surge

of Omicron variant infections.

Boris Johnson said that hospital

admissions were “rising quite steeply in

London” after a 37 per cent rise in the

past week that has alarmed govern-

ment and NHS leaders.

NHS chiefs in the capital fear that

hospitals and ambulances are “likely to

become overwhelmed due to rising

Covid demand in the next two to three

weeks”, according to an internal report

seen by the Health Service Journal.

Admissions in the capital are now

more than 50 per cent higher per

100,000 people than the next highest

region of England after weeks in which

London became the focal point of the

country’s Omicron outbreak.

After 210 admissions were reported

on Saturday, the seven-day rolling aver-

age is 193, up from 91 three Saturdays

previously. A week ago the rolling aver-

age was 140.

In the absence of clear data on the

severity of Omicron compared with the

Delta variant, ministers are looking at

London for the first signs of how hard

the variant is going to hit the NHS.

A senior government source said:

“We are looking at the London hospi-

talisation data extremely closely and

the emerging trend is a real concern.

“The hospitalisations coming

through are people who were infected

more than two weeks ago, when Omi-

cron accounted for around 1 per cent of

infections compared to more than

60 per cent today.”

Officials are concerned as hospital

admissions reflect infections picked up

on average 17 days ago, suggesting that

a further big rise is already almost

certain.

An admission rate of 2.2 per 100,

people in London is well ahead of the

next highest regions, the South West

and the North West, on 1.4 per 100,000.

Admissions in London have not been

higher since January but are still less

than a third of their peak of 864 on

January 9.

Chris Hopson, of the hospitals’ group

NHS Providers, said: “The fact that the

number of hospitalised patients in

London — where we know Omicron

infections are highest — has risen by a

third in just five days, and nearly 10 per

cent in the last 24 hours, is a real con-

cern.

“The overall numbers remain rela-

tively low compared to the January

2021 peak – 1,819 Covid patients cur-

rently in London versus 7,917 on Janu-

ary 18, 2021. But the fact that they are

growing rapidly, and come on top of

very significant other pressures, is

worrying.”

Yesterday 22,750 coronavirus cases

were reported in London and infection

rates last week reached 1,268 per

100,000, more than twice what they

were two weeks earlier. In the south

London borough of Lambeth, case

rates have reached 2,105 per 100,000.

There are some signs that part of the

increase may be because more people

are getting infected in hospital or when

being admitted for other conditions.

About 20 per cent of Covid-19 patients

in London tested positive more than

seven days after admission — roughly

double the rate last month.

Peter Sivey, of the University of York,

said that hospital-acquired infections

“are increasing rapidly as a percentage

of total Covid-19 hospital admissions in

England, and especially in the area

most affected by Omicron, London”.

However, he said that the rise appeared

to have “slowed down a bit in London”,

according to the most recent data.

Patricia Marquis, of the Royal

College of Nursing, told Times Radio

that many NHS services “haven’t been

coping very well, for the last few

months” and were ill equipped for

another surge.

She said that if you defined not cop-

ing as “actually collapsing and not

being able to deliver emergency care —

which is I think what we’re really

worrying about — in some areas it

looks like we are quite close to that if

urgent decisions aren’t taken about

what the NHS can deliver right now.”

Almost half of big London theatres can-

celled performances at the weekend

and museums and galleries have closed

early for Christmas as infections surge.

The Society of London Theatre said

that 22 of its 46 members had cut

performances. The lost shows include

Cinderella, Hamilton, Matilda, Wicked

and The Lion King.

Yesterday the Young Vic said that

“due to extensive Covid disruption

affecting our company, front of house,

production and staff teams” the theatre

would close until January 3.

Sir Cameron Mackintosh, producer

of hit musicals including Cats, Les Mis-

érables and The Phantom of the Opera,

told BBC News: “We spend all morning

trying to work out if we can do the show

or not.”

The Natural History Museum in

South Kensington, southwest London,

closed until next Tuesday because of

“an unforeseen staff shortage”. Usually

it is a Christmas favourite because of its

ice rink. In Leeds at the weekend,

Bedknobs and Broomsticks could not be

staged at the Grand Theatre and Wendy

& Peter Pan was cancelled at the Play-

house.

The Edinburgh Playhouse pulled its

production of White Christmas and

Newcastle Theatre Royal has cancelled

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Steve Waide, a former teacher from

Leeds, was due to travel to London with

his family to see The Lion King, but re-

The show won’t go on as theatres suffer

ceived a text saying the production was

cancelled. “Train and hotel won’t

refund so I guessed on a date during the

February half term,” he said.

Stephanie Sirr, chief executive of the

Nottingham Playhouse and president

of UK Theatre, said it was “concerning

when your main earning period is

under threat”.

Nickie Aiken, the Conservative MP

for Cities of London and Westminster,

has called for urgent support for busi-

nesses.

She said: “I was out in the West End

over the weekend and it was sad to see

how quiet it was. We know that these

three weeks over Christmas are vital for

hospitality businesses and account for

some 30 per cent to 40 per cent of their

profits across the year.

“Our theatres are hurting too, many

have had to cancel their productions.

They cannot suffer any more, they

need practical and financial support be

it help with business rates or an exten-

sion to VAT relief, and I look forward to

hearing from ministers on this.”

Katie Gibbons

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of

Cinderella has cancelled performances

News

the scientists, urges Rees-Mogg

Fears NHS could

be overwhelmed

by London surge

Chris Smyth Whitehall Editor

Ryan Watts Data Journalist

Hospital admissions by region

How Britain compares

Percentage of population who have

received at least one vaccine dose

(total doses administered in brackets)

Daily

(Dec 19)

First dose

33,

Boosters

(daily)

846,

Second

47.1m

Second

39,

Total

28,978,

First dose

51.5m

People

vaccinated

in UK

Source: Our World in Data (latest figures available) and gov.uk.

Note: Selected countries. Figures as of 6pm yesterday

Source: NHS England

UAE 99.0% (22.2m)

Portugal 89.0% (18.7m)

Malta 84.8% (1m)

82.6% (65m)

Spain 82.5% (82.5m)

Italy 79.4% (105.7m)

Australia 78.8% (41.3m)

Ireland 77.9% (9m)

France 77.6% (116.2m)

UK 75.8% (127.5m)

Canada

Jul

2021

Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

0

0.

1

1.

2

2.

3

New admissions per 100,000 people

East of England

London

Midlands

North East and Yorkshire

North West

South West South East

JASON BRYANT/APEX

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