The mayor of London announces a “major accident” to help hospitals affected by Covid | Corona Virus

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan has declared a “major incident” to help relieve pressure on the capital’s hospitals amid a surge in Covid-19 cases caused by the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Khan made the decision after Britain reported the largest 24-hour increase in the number of new cases since the pandemic began on Friday.

The major accident enables the various public bodies to collaborate and coordinate more closely, but also serves as a warning that emergency services and hospitals are unable to ensure a normal level of response due to unusual circumstances.

Other times, major incidents have been reported including the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the terrorist attacks on Westminster Bridge in 2017 and London Bridge in 2019.

Khan said that in the past 24 hours, London had recorded the largest number of new infections since the start of the coronavirus pandemic – more than 26,000.

Hospital admissions and health worker absenteeism are on the rise, he said, “so I made the decision, in consultation with our partners, to announce a major incident today.”

Earlier on Saturday, Khan told reporters at a vaccination site at the Stamford Bridge football stadium that he was “deeply concerned” about the “massive rise” of Omicron cases in London.

He said: “The Omicron variant quickly became dominant, with cases increasing rapidly and the number of patients in our hospitals with Covid-19 increasing again.

“We are already feeling the impact across the capital, and while we are still learning about this alternative, it is right that major agencies in London work together to reduce the impact on our city, including by helping to protect a vital vaccination programme.”

Government data shows there are 1,534 Covid patients in London hospitals, an increase of 28.6% from last week, when there were 1,193.

Khan said the number of places offering Covid vaccines in the capital will increase.

“It’s really important for Londoners to understand how serious things are. The best thing Londoners can do is to get both the vaccines and the booster, it provides extra layers of protection,” the mayor said.

The UK’s Health Security Agency said on Saturday afternoon that the number of deaths in England of people with the Omicron variant had risen to seven from the previous figure of one.

The number of hospital admissions in England of people confirmed or suspected of Omicron has risen to 85, from 65.

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