Boris tells Londoners ‘to stay at home’ as ‘stakes are too high this time’

Boris Johnson has told Londoners to “stay at home” as the capital’s hospitals for Covid admissions has reached a record high.

The Dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine warned that hospital staff are struggling to deal with the exceptionally high number of Covid patients being admitted.

As of Monday morning there were 7,917 Covid patients being treated in London hospitals, which is 2,716 more than the peak in April 2020.

NHS England’s data also shows that 1,220 patients are on ventilators, compared to 1,057 on 10 April, 2020.

Speaking to the Evening Standard the Prime Minister said, “With Covid cases stubbornly high and an alarming number of people still in hospitals across London we need everyone to continue to stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives.

“I know how tough this is, but the stakes are too high this time.”

Dr Alison Pittard told the Standard, “Many hospitals and intensive care units around the country, including in London, are already overwhelmed, working beyond normal baseline numbers and diluting staffing ratios in order to care for the patients who would benefit from intensive care.”

This comes after the NHS Chief Executive, sir Simon Stevens warned that patients are being admitted every 30 seconds across hospitals in England.

Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Sir Simon warned, “The facts are very clear and I am not going to sugar-coat them. Hospitals are under extreme pressure and staff are under extreme pressure.

“Since Christmas Day, we have seen another 15,000 increase in the in-patients in hospitals across England. That’s the equivalent of filling 30 hospitals full of coronavirus patients.”