Thursday December 31, 2020
Virus mutation sets records
British soldiers are building emergency hospitals again
British scientists fear that the corona mutation in southern England is spreading much faster than expected. Because one infection record chases the next, the military in England is getting ready to set up emergency hospitals.
In view of the rapid increase in infections with the corona mutation, England is preparing to reopen its emergency hospitals. As the National Health Service (NHS) announced, makeshift facilities across England are preparing to take in patients. Due to the spread of the new corona strain, the hospitals in England may face another overload, said the NHS. During the first corona wave, seven makeshift hospitals were opened across England to provide additional beds for corona patients.
The UK set another record for the number of new infections that evening. According to government data, this is 55,892 after 50,023 the day before. The previous high was reported on Tuesday with 53,135 new infections. Another 964 people died from or with the coronavirus. The number is only slightly below the 981 deaths on Wednesday.
The military, which had already helped to set up the hospitals for the first time, is ready again, said British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace to the Times radio station. According to the latest counts from Monday, 23,771 people with corona infection are currently being treated in hospitals in Great Britain. The authorities registered more than 12,000 new infections in London alone.
France reports the first South African mutation
Numerous European countries have already reported the occurrence of the virus variant discovered in Great Britain. Experts fear that the variant is significantly more contagious than the original form of the coronavirus.
In France, however, a first infection with the corona mutation identified in South Africa has been found. According to the Ministry of Health, the person affected is a man who had returned from South Africa. Authorities said the patient had isolated himself when the symptoms appeared. A first case of the virus variant discovered in Great Britain was confirmed in France on December 25th.