Numbers on this, about whether people are primarily in hospital because of covid or because they haveit because of covid or because they have it incidentally they have another medical problem but they have covid on top. there are of course people with both, that has been true all the way through the pandemic. the majority of people who are admitted and have covid will actually have covid as their primary reason for admission, actually have covid as their primary reason foradmission, but actually have covid as their primary reason for admission, but obviously there are people, and it is a significant minority, where that is not the case, they are in blue, and the orange data or people who have got a primary diagnosis of covid. next slide, please. one thing which we have seen and this is obviously extremely good news, compared to where we were with previous waves, is that the mortality rate does not appear to have risen. the numbers have been artificially low over the last two or three d
Covid anyone who thinks our battle with covid is anyone who thinks our battle with covid is over, i m afraid, is profoundly wrong. this is a moment for the profoundly wrong. this is a moment for the utmost caution. but our position for the utmost caution. but our position today differs from previous waves position today differs from previous waves in position today differs from previous waves in two crucial respects. first, waves in two crucial respects. first. we waves in two crucial respects. first, we now know that omicron is milder first, we now know that omicron is milder than first, we now know that omicron is milder than previous variants, so, while milder than previous variants, so, while hospital admissions are rising quickly, while hospital admissions are rising quickly, with over 15,000 covid quickly, with over15,000 covid patients quickly, with over 15,000 covid patients now in hospital in england atone, patients now in hospital in england atone, thi
Moment, there arejust some kind of feel for this, at the moment, there are just over 15,000 people in hospital in england, the data here are for the uk and are for slightly later in time. if we go back to september when we were still in the delta wave, the number in hospital was between 6000 and 6500, so, a very substantial increase. people are not admitted to the hospital in the nhs in winter unless they have a clear need for hospitalisation. and then to compare it to the previous waves, the wave that we had in the early part of 2020 had 18,974 people at the absolute peak, so, we are relatively close to that initial peak, the january peak last year was higher. slide, please. if we look around the country, we can see obviously quite a variety of different patterns. london has been in advance of the rest of england and indeed other
Infection at the moment, as indeed do many other countries. so, - infection at the moment, as indeed do many other countries. so, large| do many other countries. so, large numbers do many other countries. so, large numbers of do many other countries. so, large numbers of people do many other countries. so, large numbers of people have do many other countries. so, large numbers of people have the - do many other countries. so, large . numbers of people have the disease. we also numbers of people have the disease. we also know numbers of people have the disease. we also know that numbers of people have the disease. we also know that this numbers of people have the disease. we also know that this is numbers of people have the disease. we also know that this is not - numbers of people have the disease. we also know that this is not as - we also know that this is not as severe. we also know that this is not as severe. there we also know that this is not as severe, there
Usual winter pressures, and you ve got a wave of people who are off sick because they have got covid or indeed for other reasons, but covid is a very substantially can to beating to beat into that. we now expect the peak in younger people to come before the peak in older people so it may well be that the workforce problems start to decrease before we start to see any decrease in the number of people coming into hospital, in fact, they could still, very well, be going up for quite some time. so, workforce problems also apply to things like transport and critical services and so on. so i think they will end up in two slightly different places because of this age effect. in terms of threshold, for the nhs it is less that there is a single threshold, and more that little by little, routine and then urgent but not emergency, and then. things are rolled back, so little by little, the nhs has to retreat to the most