Fifty percent more coronavirus patients are in England's hospitals compared to the first peak in April, latest data shows. And a startling 10,000 more patients are being treated in hospital now for Covid than on Christmas Day - a surge of patients that would fill 20 hospitals.
The pressures on the health service were laid bare by NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens during a sombre Downing Street address on Thursday.
He said most of the extra 10,000 patients will have caught Covid between Christmas and New Year. He also warned there were just 39 days left to meet the target set by the Prime Minister to vaccinate the most vulnerable.