DR RANJ Singh has opened up about life on the frontline where intensive care units are at “breaking point” as exhausted NHS workers battle against surging Covid cases.
The TV personality, who is This Morning's resident doctor, has shared a grim insight into the state of NHS hospitals "devastated" by mutant strains of the bug.
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Dr Ranj, who works at an intensive care unit for children in London, has warned hospitals are so overwhelmed staff cannot provide services as normal.
Speaking on Times Radio today, he admitted the situation in hospitals is "really, really bad".
"Our intensive care unit is the busiest it's ever been," he said.
"And what we need to remember is that we expanded our extensive care unit capacity by over 200% and despite doing that we are still filling up.
"What does that mean? It means that firstly we are unable to provide intensive care to those extremely sick people that are coming in with coronavirus that need it but secondly it has a knock on effect on all the other services that we are able to provide.
"So we are able to provide less and less normal, usual care for all the other things that happen to us."
Dr Ranj went on to implore people to stick to lockdown rules
He told host Huge Rikind: "People are already exhausted from the first wave and all the pressure that we had during the course of 2020 and now this second wave is so much worse.
"They are really at breaking point so I'm urging everybody on behalf of myself and all of my colleagues, please stick to the rules and let's protect not only ourselves but protect our NHS as well."
The TV doctor also revealed that part of the children's intensive care unit he works at has been converted to treat adult patients.
"Trust me, the situation is critical," Dr Ranj added.
"I don't mean to sound alarmist, I know people will have heard this time and time again but it really, really is bad.
"We are being devastated by this new variant that spreads fifty to seventy per cent faster."
A further 1,295 people have died with Covid the the UK today, with fatalities over 1,000 for fifth day in a row.
Some 41,346 more cases have been also recorded in the latest 24-hour period.
Hospitals have faced huge numbers of patients as coronavirus continues to spread across the country with warnings the nation is facing its "most serious moment yet".
It comes as doctors fear being sued for unlawful killing if they are forced to chose which Covid patients will receive treatment as the NHS faces being overwhelmed by the deadly bug.
Health chiefs yesterday warned that 10,000 Londoners are catching coronavirus every day – even as the R-rate drops as low as 0.6.
The capital has been at the epicentre of the pandemic's second wave – and officials say the Kent strain of the virus, which is up to 70 per cent more contagious, will stop cases falling as quickly.
Meanwhile, more coronavirus 'super variants' could be on the way as infection rates continue to rise globally.
There have been over three million cases of Covid-19 in the UK to date and globally that toll sits at nearly 94 million.
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