Covid: Surge hospital hubs in England and warning of 'tsunami' of global cases
- Published
Here are five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Thursday morning.
1. Nightingale hubs to be set up in eight hospitals
Coronavirus "surge hubs" are to be set up in hospitals across England as they prepare for a potential wave of Omicron admissions. The eight temporary "Nightingale" units will each house about 100 patients. There are also plans to identify sites for a further 4,000 beds if needed. NHS medical director Prof Stephen Powis said the service was on "war footing".
2. Daily UK case numbers hit record of 183,037
Daily reported Covid cases in the UK jumped to a record 183,037 on Wednesday. The latest figure includes five days of data from Northern Ireland, accounting for almost 23,000 cases, after reporting was delayed over the festive period. Meanwhile, frustration has grown over a lack of available lateral flow tests. Dr Jenny Harries from the UK Health Security Agency said the public should keep trying to obtain tests, as supply will be normal by next week.
3. Omicron and Delta driving tsunami of cases - WHO
The World Health Organization's chief has said that the combination of Delta and Omicron variants is driving a dangerous tsunami of Covid-19 cases. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus's words came as the US and countries across Europe reported a record number of new cases. France reported Europe's highest ever daily figure for the second day in a row, at 208,000 cases. And the US has reported a record average of 265,427 cases a day over the last week.
4. The drama of Peru's Covid orphans
In a tiny house on the outskirts of Lima, Gabriela Zarate lives with her husband and eight children. Four are her own. The other four, two girls aged seven and 15, and two boys aged nine and 12, are the children of her younger sister, Katherine. In June 2020, when Peru was already struggling to contain Covid-19, Katherine got infected - and later died. "It's always been a struggle to put food on the table for my family," Gabriela says, "and with four more children it's even more difficult".
5. Public shaming in China returns amid Covid fears
Police in southern China have been captured on camera parading four alleged offenders through the streets in a public shaming exercise. The four men were accused of smuggling people across China's borders, which are largely sealed because of Covid restrictions. They were paraded through the streets of Jingxi city in Guangxi province in hazmat suits. The shaming drew mixed reactions online, including in state-owned media.
And there's more...
The new Omicron variant of coronavirus is spreading rapidly. But how can you tell if you have Covid, or a winter cold?
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