Coronavirus hospital admissions in Europe still only a fraction of what they were during peak, data shows
CORONAVIRUS hospital admissions across Europe are still only a fraction of what they were during the peak of the pandemic, new data shows.
Hospitals in France, Spain and Belgium are now seeing patient numbers rise again - but this figure is still much lower compared to March and April.
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It comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned of a “second wave rolling across the continent”.
However, according to new data, hospital admissions in Europe are still low despite thousands of cases being declared each day.
In France, just two people per 100,000 are admitted to hospital. In comparison, at the height of the pandemic in March, the figure was 35 per 100,000.
Mr Hancock today claimed hospital admissions in Spain had “risen 15 times since mid-July”.
HOSPITAL NUMBERS DROP
However, new data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control showed that figure rose by four times.
According to their data, Spain’s rate was 50 per 100,000 in April. At the end of June it was one per 100,000 and by the end of August, it was four per 100,000.
And in Belgium, 30 people per 100,000 were admitted to hospital in April, compared to just two per 100,000 last month.
In Britain, hospital admissions are now less than one per 100,000. At the peak of the outbreak in April, this figure was 32 per 100,000.
Professor Paul Hunter, an epidemiologist from the University of East Anglia, told that “nobody expects hospital admissions and death rates to stay flat for more than two weeks”.
He said: “Most people would expect that in two, three, four, weeks we’ll see an obvious increase in both in hospitalisations and deaths.”
A recent spike in cases across the country should be a reminder that the virus "remains a threat", he said.
He told the House of Commons today: "This is not over. Just because we have come through one peak doesn't mean we can't see another one coming towards our shores."
'COVID COMES BACK'
England's chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, has also warned that if people stop social distancing then "Covid comes back".
Mr Hancock told the Commons that the rate of coronavirus cases in Bolton is the highest in the country.
The rise in cases in the region is partly due to socialising by people in their 20s and 30s - with a number of cases linked to some pubs, he added.
He said all hospitality in Bolton would be restricted to takeaways only, and a late-night restriction of operating hours is to be introduced, meaning that venues will have to close between 10pm and 5am.
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In Britain, there were 2,988 new cases reported on Sunday, up from 1,813 on Saturday.
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And 2,948 cases were recorded on Monday too, leading scientists to believe a second spike is underway.
Today’s records showed 2,420 positive infections were reported.
