Andy Burnham says Greater Manchester ‘is as prepared as it can be’ for London levels of coronavirus cases in the next fortnight, as the capital’s hospital chiefs warned a ‘tsunami’ of cases threatened to overwhelm their system within days.
The region is thought to be around two weeks behind the numbers recorded in London, which accounts for a quarter of deaths so far.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of representative body NHS Providers, today said a ‘wicked combination’ of staff sickness and soaring demand meant the capital’s system was facing a ‘continuous tsunami’ of cases, with extra capacity being used up 'very, very quickly'.