Covid hospital admissions in London — Britain’s Omicron ground zero — are within touching distance of the Government’s threshold of 400 for introducing lockdown restrictions across the country.
Recent data from the NHS shows that 386 people were admitted to the capital for the virus on December 22, a 92% increase over last week.
The number of covid hospitals is now about doubling every 10 days, although they still far exceed the 850 that was peaking last January.
Because London has an Omicron epidemic a few weeks behind, ministers may be monitoring the admission rate in London before deciding to impose more curbs.
On December 24, shoppers walk down Regent Street. If London’s daily admissions exceed 400, a national ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown of two weeks has been proposed.
Walking in London, Christmas Eve. Covid hospital admissions in London — Britain’s Omicron ground zero — are within touching distance of the Government’s threshold of 400 for introducing lockdown restrictions across the country
A national two-week ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown has been mooted after Christmas if London’s daily admissions breach 400 this week — which would signal ‘unsustainable’ pressure on the NHS.
London, which was home to the Omicron virus in Britain, became the focal point of the outbreak just two weeks prior. This is why experts see the trending city as a warning sign for what’s coming for England.
However, the NHS will not be able to determine if admissions have exceeded 400 within two days due to delays in data collection.
Experts and MPs have demanded that the government distinguish between those who are hospitalized ‘with’ or “for” Covid, before making any social restrictions.
MailOnline has found that 37% of London Covid patients who were admitted to hospital with a new illness only test positive.
Comparatively, around 12% of what were called “incidental admissions”, occurred in the Delta variant’s last two weeks at the November end.
According to reports, ministers monitor hospitalisations in capital. If daily figures exceed 400 they will be subject to a lockdown for two weeks.
Covid hospital admissions in London — Britain’s Omicron ground zero — are within touching distance of the Government’s threshold of 400 for introducing lockdown restrictions across the country
The number of covid hospitalisations is now about doubling every 10 days, although they still far exceed the 850 that was peaking last January.
Every day, 8 am is the count of Covid-19 confirmed patients admitted to hospital. Ministers may be watching the hospital admission rates before deciding whether to impose more curbs on national borders. London is only a few days ahead of the Omicron outbreak.
Below is a breakdown by age of patients with covid admitted to hospitals since the outbreak of the pandemic. (left) And the rate per 100,000 since then (right).