London tops 1,000 coronavirus deaths and rising

Experts warn London cases will peak in two weeks as deaths in the capital surge

Experts have warned that the peak of coronavirus will happen within a fortnight, as London has now over 1,000 deaths.

According to the Health Service Journal, the current confirmed cases across London as of, 9am on Thursday morning, stands at 1,053, with 161 more deaths in the capital on Friday.

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that the highest level of those infected could come earlier than previously thought.

He also said that extreme social distancing measures will most likely have to be extended across the capital.

There is still spare capacity in London’s hospitals as NHS London said over a quarter of their intensive care unit beds are free.

The opening of NHS nightingale hospital on Friday by Prince Charles means there is current capacity for 500 beds, which can extend to 4,000 operational capacity, the equivalent of 15 hospitals.

Hancock described on Friday what it was like to have coronavirus, he said it was like having “razors in your throat.”

He spoke of testing and trying to get the “infection” rate down before the government will ease measures.

He said, “The first step is to get rate of infection down … Then we need to make sure the testing is in place and the tracking so that if we release any of the measures we do not simply then have the infection spread again in the way that it was starting to spread when we brought the measures into place.”

The Department for Heath announced on Friday, “As of 9am 3 April, a total of 173,784 people have been tested of which 38,168 tested positive.

“As of 5pm on 2 April, of those hospitalised in the UK who tested positive for coronavirus, 3,605 have sadly died.” This an increase of 23% in just one day.

Scotland announced 46 more deaths, totalling 172, whilst Wales recorded 24 more deaths with a total of 141.

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in central London have confirmed 73 NHS staff have test positive with coronavirus, with 318 self-isolating.

A former World Health Organization (WHO) director, Anthony Costello revealed on Thursday the terrifying news that 73 out 181 staff who were tested have the deadly infection.

An internal email from the hospital reads, “We now have eight Covid-19 patients across the hospital. Through our staff testing, we have had 73 confirmed Covid positive staff members of of 181 tested.

“318 staff members are currently off work because they, or someone in their household, are displaying symptoms.

An NHS doctor who is on the frontline has warned that her ward is full of young people and is urging people to strictly follow the lockdown laws.

Dr Ami Jones who works at the Royal Gwent Hospital as an intensive care consultant said the hospital is “very, very busy.”

“It’s not just the vulnerable and elderly that are getting poorly, my unit is full of 20, 30 and 40-year-olds.”

NHS doctors face “grave decisions” over who lives and who dies according to new guidance issued over life saving treatment for coronavirus patients.