London state of emergency over threat of hospital overcrowding
London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared an emergency in the British capital due to an increase in coronavirus cases and overcrowded hospitals.
Rising infection rates, he said, "are putting enormous pressure on an already failing healthcare system," with ventilators growing 42% from 640 to 908 in the week to January 6. .
There are currently 7,034 people with COVID-19 in London hospitals, up 35% from the first peak of the pandemic in April.
Serious pressure extends to other emergency services.
London's ambulance service accepts up to 8,000 emergency calls a day, up from 5,500 on a typical busy day.
Mr. Khan announced that he is "declaring an emergency because the threat this virus poses to our city is in crisis."