Coronavirus: UK death toll rises by 501 in 24 hours

‘We have seen nothing like this. There is simply no let-up,’ says ICU nurse of 16 years

The UK’s coronavirus death toll his risen by 501 in the past 24 hours.

A total of 53,775 people have now died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus, however there have been 63,873 fatalities with Covid-19 on the death certificate.

The government also reported a further 22,915 cases on Thursday, two weeks after England entered its second national lockdown. 

Throughout the shutdown, new confirmed infections have remained largely below the 25,000 mark, but hit a spike of more than 33,000 last Thursday. 

The second surge of infections continues to translate to more than a thousand new hospital admissions each day, placing increased strain on the NHS.

A further 1,641 people were confirmed to have been hospitalised with coronavirus on Sunday, bringing the total number of patients placed on UK wards since the start of the pandemic to just below 200,000.

Of those, more than 16,000 are still in hospital, with 1,430 currently receiving ventilation.

“We have seen nothing like this. There is simply no let-up,” said a 46-year-old nurse in West Yorkshire, who has worked in intensive care units for 16 years. 

“There is a constant strain on every one of us ... something has got to give. Many staff are burned out ... I know people who have worked on ICU for 20 years and have left or are leaving.

“A colleague I used to work with tried to commit suicide as she couldn't cope. She'd left ICU, but had been called back to help.

“People seem to forget we are humans, with families and loved ones of our own ... many of us have had bereavements ourselves this year, some of whom with Covid.”

The nurse, who preferred to remain anonymous, said she is helped by a psychologist at her hospital, but the pressure is taking a particular toll on younger, less experienced workers – with some staff off sick due to acute and chronic stress and many experiencing PTSD.

It comes after the British Medical Association's Council warned this week that NHS staff could experience burnout, adding that as many as two in five NHS workers have not had a break since the first wave of the pandemic in March.

Additional reporting by PA