Scientists are reportedly investigating whether a new mutant strain of Covid-19 is driving a surge in hospital admissions in Kent.
Non-urgent operations at hospitals in Kent have been postponed due to the rise in coronavirus patients being treated, the NHS confirmed on Friday.
However urgent services include cancer appointments would be unaffected, a spokesperson said. Experts are assessing whether the new strain of coronavirus is to blame after its discovery was made public earlier this week.
The i Paper reports that scientific experts plan to work through Christmas to assess whether the new strain is more dangerous and virulent than the original, as they track around 1,000 cases in north east London and north Kent.