NHS may face third wave with up to 20 times more covid patients than September

The NHS faces being overwhelmed by a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic with levels as high as 20x that of the second wave. Existing winter pressures and an increase in covid cases from seasonal socialising could force the health service to cancel elective and non-emergency procedures in many of its hospitals. According to the Health Services journal, a trade publication, the second wave began in September with over 400 covid patients in English hospitals and peaked at nearly 14,000 in late November. We're currently trending downwards with 12,200 patients currently being treated in English hospitals. NHS bosses are worried that anything over 5,000 patients going into the new year, could leave the healthcare system vulnerable to being overwhelmed in an already tricky time of year culminating in more covid patients than at the height of the first wave. During the first wave, many NHS trusts cancelled all non-emergency procedures to treat the influx of covid patients, leaving many vulnerable patients without care.