The UK has recorded the highest number of coronavirus deaths in a single day since the start of the pandemic — 1,325 more people have lost their lives. A record number of new Covid cases was also recorded, more than 68,000 in a 24 hours period. Hospitals across the UK are under severe pressure, with some treating many more patients than during the first peak in April. London and the South East of England are currently facing the most pressure with one NHS leader saying the situation is “off the scale”. For some of the most sick, whose lungs have not been helped by a ventilator there is another alternative. ECMO machines provide intensive life support, pumping oxygen into the patient’s blood so their lungs can rest and recover. Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by health editor Hugh Pym, medical editor Fergus Walsh and health correspondent Sophie Hutchinson — from an ECMO unit at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.
Record Covid deaths and cases with NHS under extreme pressure – BBC News
