A MAJOR incident has been declared for the whole of Essex due to the strain coronavirus is putting on the county's health services.
On Tuesday the number of patients in Essex receiving treatment for coronavirus exceeded those seen at the peak of the first wave of the virus in the spring.
In response to the massive growth in demand on hospitals, particularly in mid and south Essex, the Essex Resilience Forum (ERF) has declared a "major incident".
This means the county can seek further financial support from the Government in a bid to help ease the pressure on the NHS.