Covid-hit London hospitals could send patients to YORKSHIRE as intensive care units reach 114 per cent capacity
COVID-hit London hospitals could sent patients to YORKSHIRE as intensive care units reach breaking point at 114 per cent capacity.
Medics are also said to be considering setting up war-style triage tents in car parks to treat the never-ending stream of people struck down by the new mutant strain of the deadly bug.
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It comes as leaked documents show Intensive Care Units are acting at 114 per cent capacity, and medics warned critical care equipment is running out.
The southeast was not far off, with ICUs at 113 per cent capacity.
A Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust spokesperson confirmed the incident was "a precautionary step due to the high number of Covid-positive patients we are seeing at the hospital".
They added: "We have been following our plan to cope with a second wave of Covid-19 and are working closely with hospital and healthcare partners in south east London.
“All our patients have received the treatment they need, including intensive care treatment for Covid-19 and oxygen therapy as required. We are continuing to monitor the situation to ensure that this remains the case.”
A number of hospitals in London have been forced to declare incidents in the past fortnight as coronavirus cases rise in the capital.
Two Kent hospitals have issued capacity warnings after an influx of Covid patients.
One was reportedly forced to treat patients in the back of ambulances, with another so full of people waiting to be seen ambulances were queuing for hours.
Medics have warned of cases rising at "unprecedented levels" as hospitals feel the strain with admission numbers matching the April peak.
Dr Andrew Lansdown, a consultant endocrinologist at the University
Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, said: "It's starting to sound a bit like a cliche but it really is true that these are unprecedented times, we really have felt stretched to the limit.
"In the past week or two things have become relentless, we're under extreme pressure and the numbers of patients coming through now with coronavirus are massive."
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Dr Yvonne Doyle, Public Health England medical director, said: "This very high level of infection is of growing concern at a time when our hospitals are at their most vulnerable, with new admissions rising in many regions."
But she added: "Despite unprecedented levels of infection, there is hope on the horizon," referring to the current vaccine rollout.