COVID-19: UK witnesses surge in patients on ventilators, NHS admits 'huge pressure'

The National Health Services (NHS) has sounded alarmed over the surging cases of COVID patients on ventilators in the UK. Speaking to BBC News on June 23, Saffron Cordery, the deputy chief of the British health body revealed that the number of patients on ventilator rose by 41 per cent to 227 last week. Despite a robust and successful vaccination drive, Cordery said that rising coronavirus cases were having an impact on the country’s health services.  

Speaking to BBC breakfast, the top healthcare professional highlighted the “huge pressure” that frontline professionals were subjected to. According to Cordery, while the healthcare professionals were ready to tackle the backlog, new coronavirus cases and increasing demand for emergency care, was making the situation “really challenging”. According to the latest tally by worldometers, Britain has reported over 4,667,870 cases of coronavirus, out of whom 128,027 have lost their lives.  The country has recorded an increase in the cases of the more transmissible Delta strain of COVID in recent weeks, leaving experts across the European continent worried.

Meanwhile, Cordery further said that NHS leaders were already worried about the potential for a COVID surge to collide with other winter illnesses such as flu and respiratory viruses later in the year, posing “a significant challenge” to the health system. She further added that a rise in cases directly implied a rise in the need for emergency care. ““I think we need to look at this sudden rise in the demand for emergency care as well, so you know we are seeing record levels of demand for that kind of care,” she said.

Increased threat of Delta strain

This comes as health officials of the United Kingdom have raised concern over the spread of COVID-19 cases of Delta variant across the country. According to PHE, the data indicates that "99 per cent of sequenced and genotyped cases across the country are the Delta variant." The Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency Dr Jenny Harries noted that the rise in infections has been seen in younger age groups. Harries urged the people to get vaccinated to curb the spread of the virus. 

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