TOTAL LOCKDOWN 3 LOOMING

England faces threat of new clampdown in January as deaths soar past 70,000

ENGLAND faces the threat of a third national lockdown next month after the Prime Minister refused to rule out the move following a big surge in Covid-19 infections.

Another 570 virus deaths were reported yesterday, taking the UK total since the start of the pandemic to 70,195.

A total of 32,725 new cases were recorded, with infections increasing by 45 per cent in the past week. Hospitals in the UK now have 21,286 Covid-19 patients, approaching the first wave peak of 21,683 on April 12.

There are currently nearly 4,000 Covid patients in hospital in London alone.

Yesterday another 2,143 across the country were admitted, while thousands of nonCovid operations and outpatient appointments have been cancelled to free up space for virus patients.

Speaking on Christmas Eve, Boris Johnson said he could not rule out another national lockdown, adding: ‘It is necessary for us to grip this virus now to stop it running out of control in January.’

His words followed a grim warning from Health Secretary Matt Hancock about the threat of the new mutant strain of the virus

‘Stop it running out of control’

spreading. Government scientific advisers have also said schools may need to stay shut in a strict January lockdown to get the faster-spreading variant under control.

Many NHS hospitals are already using ‘surge’ capacity, relying on makeshift intensive care beds in other wards or surgical theatres. Experts believe that, without stricter national measures, the NHS could soon be overwhelmed. It takes around two weeks for any decrease in cases to be reflected in hospital admissions.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister said: ‘ Obviously we face very considerable new pressures, particularly from the new variant and the speed with which that’s been spreading.

‘We believe that we’re going to have to get through this tough period now with, as I have said many times, very tough restrictions, with tough tiering.

‘As much as I regret that, I do think it is necessary for us to grip this virus now to stop it running out of control in January. We need to buy ourselves time to get the vaccine into as many arms of the elderly and vulnerable as we can.’

Mr Johnson added: ‘I must tell people it will continue to be difficult, not least because of the speed with which the variant is spreading.

‘But the vaccine is going into people’s arms and there really is now the hope – the certainty – that we will have it. And that is the real way in which we will defeat the virus.’

Meanwhile, NHS England has written to hospital bosses around the country telling them to prepare to use Nightingale hospitals. Today, another six million more people in England will be plunged into Tier Four restrictions, meaning 23million in total are now living with the order to stay at home.

Official statistics show around one in 85 people had Covid-19 between December 12 and 18, up from one in 95 the previous week. Experts said around half of all new coronavirus cases in England could be the new variant. Government scientists believe it could make up 90 per cent by mid- January.