"'Surgical' critical care capacity beyond 100 percent comes with great sacrifice for patients and staff. "One hundred trusts were at or over last year's total capacity as of January 24". In response, NHS in the Midlands said the rates of coronavirus infection across the Midlands have risen steeply and this is reflected in increasing pressure on NHS services. A spokesperson said: "The NHS is continuing to provide urgent care when people need it and our local hospitals have done an amazing job in flexing their capacity to meet demand. "We would urge the public to continue observing social distancing rules and hands, face and space advice."