Prognosis

Virus Trio Could Push U.K. Hospitals to Brink, Scientists Warn

  • Flu deaths could hit 60,000 this year in a worst-case scenario
  • Staff shortage of 84,000 will heap further pressure on the NHS
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
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A mix of Covid-19, influenza and a respiratory virus common among children could push the U.K.’s National Health Service to the breaking point this winter, according to a new report.

The Academy of Medical Sciences warned that hospital admissions and deaths from flu and respiratory syncytial virus could double from normal levels alongside a third Covid-19 wave. New modeling showed that flu deaths in Britain could hit 60,000 in the worst-case scenario.