A crippling shortage of protective gear has left NHS staff “lambs to the slaughter”, a worried medic has said. The warning came as two doctors became the first frontline workers to die from coronavirus in the UK and the national death toll hit 1,019.
The new figure followed 260 deaths – the biggest daily leap. Of those, 13 were reportedly healthy adults with no underlying condition.
Medics liken scenes in Britain’s hospitals to war zones. And a nurse said some colleagues without adequate protection are refusing to treat patients, for fear of spreading the disease further.
In a series of developments today: The Medical Director of NHS England, Professor Stephen Powis, said if the UK were to keep the number of deaths below 20,000 “we will