Some 200 soldiers will be deployed to hospitals in London in support of the British public health service (NHS), the Ministry of Defense announced on Friday. The NHS faces growing absenteeism and rising hospitalizations.
This deployment includes 40 military doctors and 160 auxiliary personnel who should be at work over the next three weeks to make up for the absence of healthcare workers infected with Covid in the British capital. The city was the epicenter of the new wave of contamination due to the Omicron variant.
Defense Minister Ben Wallace praised the military’s contribution to the ‘national effort’, stressing that they had already driven ambulances, administered vaccines or supported patients in hospital since the start of the pandemic.
In all the countries
Around 1,800 soldiers are already deployed across the United Kingdom, notably in support of the vaccination effort and ambulance services.
According to the latest official figures released Thursday, nearly 18,000 people – 50% more in a week and a higher since February – were hospitalized with Covid-19.
The country is one of the hardest hit in Europe with almost 150,000 deaths and contaminations at record levels, nearly 200,000 daily.
Fewer deaths
However, the number of ventilator patients (875) and deaths is increasing significantly less than in previous waves, prompting the government for now not to tighten restrictions in England.
Adding to the pressure, the hospital system is facing absentee staff by the thousands, at levels ‘never seen before’, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, president of the British Medical Association (BMA) told Sky News.
For Matthew Taylor, director of the NHS Confederation, bringing together public health professionals, the deployment of 200 soldiers will ‘help’, but the situation will continue to be ‘very difficult’.
/ ATS
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