Hello and welcome if youre watching in the uk or around the world, and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. The new variant of coronavirus is spreading rapidly, and across the United Kingdom theres compelling evidence of the pressure its putting on hospitals and health staff. A Record Number of more than 40,000 new covid infections have been reported in the past 2a hours. Nhs england have said there are now more Covid Patients in hospitals in england that at previous peak in april. The Royal College of emergency medicine has warned its now difficult to find beds for patients in some parts of the uk. 0ur health editor, hugh pym, has this report. There was a stark message today from this east london hospital. Nurses and doctors are incredibly stretched caring for very sick patients. No one should underestimate the impact the infection can have. At other hospitals in the capital too, covid patient numbers continue to rise, with the variant of the v