British Health Minister Matt Hancock. (Photo: Internet)

London, October 7 (RHC)-- Britain’s rising numbers of COVID-19 infections and an increase in people being hospitalized with the disease demonstrate that there is a serious problem, Health Minister Matt Hancock said in London.

“It is a challenge, and everybody will have seen, from the rising case rates and unfortunately the rising hospitalisation rates which have risen really quite sharply in the last week or so, that we have got a very serious problem on our hands,” Hancock said at a Confederation of British Industry webinar.

The British government is mulling tougher restrictions in England to tackle a swiftly accelerating second wave of the novel coronavirus outbreak.  “The challenge is how to deal with this second peak in a way that has as little damage as possible.  Thankfully we know far more about it than first time around.”