The British health system is already reaching its limits
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Status: 01:51 a.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
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“Johnson uses his illness to appeal to the British to stay at home”
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for the novel corona virus. In a video message on Twitter, he said he had only mild symptoms. In addition, WELT correspondent Stephanie Bolzen from London.
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The number of corona deaths in the UK has doubled in just two days. Over half of the population complains that Prime Minister Boris Johnson should have acted faster. State corona management has several sore points.
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WIf the postmen distribute the mail in their red Royal Mail jackets this Monday morning, there will also be a letter from Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister has been quarantined at 10 Downing Street since Friday because he tested positive for Covid-19.
“It is important that I be honest,” wrote the head of government to the 66 million citizens. “We know that things will only get worse before things get better.” That means: The kingdom will experience many more infections, more deaths, and an even greater strain on the NationalHealth Service (NHS) health care provider, who is now reaches its limits.
On Sunday morning, more than 1200 people had died of Covid-19 – a doubling in just two days. And almost three times as much as in more populous Germany.
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Dealing with the corona virus – – – – –
Crisis management on Downing Street has been in full swing for just over two weeks, as has public criticism of slow measures to be taken. Fifty-six percent of the British believe Johnson should have acted faster, according to a weekend Opinium poll. 57 percent want even stricter rules than the exit restrictions that have been in place for a week.
The British can see how close and how great the danger from Covid-19 is to the example of the highest responsible persons. In addition to Johnson, Health Minister Matt Hancock also tested positive. Chris Whitty, Prime Minister medical advisor, is quarantined with symptoms. The virus expert had become one of the most popular faces in crisis management in recent weeks thanks to his precise and factual responses.
The questions focus on two sore points in state corona management: the small number of tests and the lack of NHS equipment with intensive care capacities such as ventilators and protective clothing. In the tests, it was Whitty that put hopeful reports into perspective in the middle of last week.
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Corona pandemic in Europe – – – – –
A representative from the National Health Authority, Public Health England, had repeated the premier’s plump promises that antibody tests would be available “in the next few days” in drugstores and through the online retailer Amazon.
“Worse than no tests are bad tests,” Whitty warned. The country is still a long way from reliable rapid tests. What is even more serious, however, is that comprehensive controls will not come in the foreseeable future for the more than one million NHS employees.
Just a few days ago, Johnson had said that “hopefully up to 250,000 people a day could be tested soon”. So far, the NHS has not even managed 10,000 tests a day. Which is why up to 50 percent of the staff in some hospitals is down. Either because they have to stay at home because of corona-like symptoms or because they are too sick to work.
At the same time, breathing masks and safety glasses are still lacking. According to a survey by the British Society for Acute Medicine, only 42 percent of doctors and nurses have the necessary equipment. Media reports about NHS employees who make masks out of hardware store material or order from China at their own expense.
Another weak point remains the lack of intensive care. The UK currently has only around a fifth of Germany’s capacity. Construction companies and soldiers are currently converting an exhibition center in east London to the Corona Hospital in record time.
The NHS Nightingale, named after the famous nurse Florence Nightingale, is to provide the first 1000 of 4000 planned beds in the next few days. Emergency patients from all over the country could arrive at nearby London City Airport. Further clinics in Birmingham and Manchester are planned.
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It remains questionable how extensive the supply will really be. Whether people with Covid-19 survive often depends on whether they are connected to a ventilator. The NHS currently only has 8,000 such devices. Another 30,000 have been ordered. When they arrive is completely unclear.
In his letter to all British households, Johnson therefore appeals to everyone’s sense of responsibility. His government is “making the right preparations – and the more strictly we follow the regulations, the fewer people will die and the faster we can start normal life again.”
The prime minister, who is still supposed to show only mild symptoms, ends with the triad that has now become the national Corona slogan: “Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives. ”Stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives.
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