COVID hospitalisations rising rapidly in northern England
13:36, 12/10/2020, MondayU: Update: 13:38, 12/10/2020, Monday
REUTERS

The owner of the bar, Tracie England, sings inside a makeshift 'shower stall', set up in order to protect patrons from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Tracie's Place Restaurant and Karaoke in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada October 2, 2020. Picture taken October 2, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals is rising rapidly in northern England and could outstrip the rate seen during the first wave of the virus, a senior health official said on Monday.
"We now have more patients in hospital with COVID-19 than we did when the government announced restrictions on March 23," Stephen Powis, the National Medical Director of NHS England, told a media conference.