Hospitals' fears over rise in Covid-19 patients: Some units are treating three times as many with the virus as in the first wave

Hospitals in virus hotspots are now treating up to three times as many Covid-19 patients as they did at the peak of the first wave.

Experts said that we are seeing the start of a third wave as hospital bosses warned of further 'mass cancellations' of routine operations and appointments.

Latest Department of Health figures show there are now 18,469 patients in hospital with the virus, the highest total since mid-April. 

And yesterday 28,507 new cases were recorded, the highest ever aside from Thursday when an IT glitch lead to a 'missing' 11,000 positive results in Wales being added to the system.

Around one in five NHS Trusts are busier with Covid-19 than they were at any point in April and May, analysis shows.

Some of the worst affected currently have more than three times as many virus patients as during the first wave. This includes North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust, which now has 200 patients in its hospitals, compared to a peak of just 60 in April.

The news that many northern hospitals are struggling came as Boris Johnson visited a training centre for Openreach's internet network in Bolton yesterday.

However, several major hospitals in southern England, where the virus is growing most quickly, are now also dealing with more virus patients than at the peak of the first wave.

In Kent, analysis found that some hospitals have double the number of patients than during the spring. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is currently treating 195 patients, compared to a peak of 98 on April 8. And there are 357 patients in East Kent hospitals, compared to a peak of 187 in April.

On Thursday Matt Hancock called on everyone in Kent to behave as if they had Covid-19, telling MPs: 'The only way that we can get it under control is for people in Kent to essentially behave as if they have the virus and are trying not to pass it on to somebody else.'

Hospitals in London, Essex, Kent and Wales have been forced to cancel non-urgent surgery to free up beds, adding to the misery of thousands of patients already stuck in the worst NHS waiting times backlog in history.

The news that many northern hospitals are struggling came as Boris Johnson visited a training centre for Openreach's internet network in Bolton yesterday

Mid and South Essex NHS Trust is treating 414 patients, up from just 162 on December 1 and more than at any time during the first wave. In London, the region with the highest infection rates in the country, admissions also continue to surge, forcing the cancellation of some routine operations.

Some hospitals in east London, the worst hit part of the capital, also have more Covid-19 patients than during the first wave.

Yesterday Luke O'Shea, a director at University College London Hospitals, admitted it had been an 'upsetting week' due to soaring admissions. He said: 'Relaxing rules at Christmas will devastate, with hundreds thousands of Covid deaths – the very people who would get the vaccine in January.' Dr Ganesh Suntharalingam, of the Intensive Care Society, said: 'Units are very busy and we do look at the near future with alarm.

'Hospitals are very busy, some are operating at or over capacity, the prospect of adding a third spike on top of the workload that is already there is a concern.'

An NHS spokesman said: 'We are working hard to ensure we treat as many patients as possible, while ensuring we provide a safe hospital environment. However, the increase in numbers has meant difficult decisions to prioritise cases of higher urgency.'

One in 95 has virus as R rate is back above 1  

One in 95 people had Covid-19 last week amid an alarming rise in cases among older age groups, figures show.

The weekly Office for National Statistics survey, based on random swab testing, estimated 567,300 people were infected in the week up until December 12. This is up from 481,500 people, or one in 115, the previous week.

The bleak figures came as the Government's scientific advisers warned that the R number for England has jumped to between 1.1 and 1.3, up from 0.8 to 1.0 last week.

The R number is a measure of the average number of people infected by someone with the virus. If it is above one then the epidemic is growing.

The Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said: 'The R estimate for England, like that of the UK, has increased compared to last week and is between 1.1 and 1.3.

'All NHS England regions have R estimates that are above or span 1, suggesting the epidemic is growing in much of the country. The East of England, South East and London now have R estimates well above 1.'

The figures will pile pressure on Boris Johnson to impose a third national lockdown in January to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed.

The ONS survey found that infections had increased in most age groups.

In particular, there has been an alarming 65 per cent rise in infections among over-70s in the past two weeks, which is likely to lead to more hospital admissions and deaths.

The data supports the decision of Matt Hancock to move huge areas of southern England into the highest Tier Three restrictions from today.

Case rates in London and the East of England have doubled in the past 14 days, and numbers are also growing in the East Midlands and South East.

However, in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber, where millions have been under the strictest restrictions for months, cases are flat.