Boris Johnson describes ‘very very tough’ situation as COVID-19 deaths hit new record

London, January 14 (RHC)-- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has acknowledged the scale of the latest COVID-19 crisis by admitting the situation is “very, very tough” and the strain on the National Health Service (NHS) staff is “colossal.”

Addressing the House of Commons Liaison Committee (comprised of Select Committee Chairs), Johnson warned of a “very substantial” risk of intensive care capacity across the NHS network being “overtopped.”  The prime minister’s alarmist tone came in the wake of the grimmest day yet in the UK during the entire pandemic as a further 1,564 deaths were recorded, making it the highest daily tally so far.  In addition, a further 47,525 Covid-19 infections were reported in the past 24 hours.  

Earlier, during Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons, the PM was insistent that strict lockdown measures were “starting to show signs of some effect.”   Meanwhile, a leading British public health official says there have now been more Covid-19 deaths in the second wave than the first back in March-April 2020.

Reacting to today’s record number of deaths, Dr Yvonne Doyle, who is medical director at Public Health England, said: “With each passing day, more and more people are tragically losing their lives to this terrible virus”.