Confirmed covid cases in the community fell again on Tuesday, offering further hope that the current wave could have peaked. Most experts are highly cautious about saying so – there is likely to be further growth following ‘freedom day’. Meanwhile for the NHS, covid admissions continue to rise, as does the number of people in beds with covid, and the share of beds occupied by covid – a crunch indicator for the service, having a big impact on hospitals’ ability to keep the wheels on, and whether they need to cancel elective care, for example. These are not necessarily the hospitals with the most covid patients. At smaller hospitals, growing covid admissions can be quick to make a big dent in limited capacity, especially in the very small intensive care units which are available. There is less flex for redeployment of staff.