London, Europe Breif News – NHS leaders have accused the British government of “abandoning interest” in Covid and “washing its hands of responsibility” as the NHS suffers through a “brutal” Spring.
The government has been asked to set out a stronger stance on Covid to help protect the NHS from the current surge in Covid hospital admissions while it deals with emergency pressures that are as bad as levels experienced during winter.
The call comes after more than 20,000 hospital beds in England were occupied by Covid positive patients last week, while weekly staff absences due to the virus hit a 10-week high.
Amid Covid pressures, hospitals are also facing extreme emergency pressures, with 20 A&Es having to divert ambulances, and hospitals accross the country declaring new critical incidents.
On Thursday The Independent revealed ambulance delays have become worse than they’ve ever been with stroke and suspected heart attack patients waiting four hours for an ambulance which should come within 18 minutes.
NHS Confederation, which represents hospitals in England said on Monday there is “clear disconnect” between the government’s “Living with Covid” plans and the pressures facing the NHS.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has earlier warned governments worldwide to ease COVID-19 restrictions too soon.
The UN health agency’s top emergency expert Mike Ryan warned of a new wave of infections, saying the pandemic was just getting started for much of the world.
He also warned countries that did so “risked paying a heavy price for rushing back to normality.”
“All of the countries of the Americas, we still have nearly one million cases a week,” he said. “And the same in Europe…with half a million cases a week. It’s not like this thing has gone away,” Ryan added. “It isn’t over.”
This came as Britain declared a plan to ease the coronavirus restrictions further.
