London facing worse coronavirus outbreak than Italy’s epicentre as deaths in capital double every TWO days
LONDON is facing a coronavirus outbreak even worse than Italy's epicentre as deaths in the capital double every TWO days.
Eighty-seven more deaths were recorded in just 24 hours across the UK, with 21 of the fatalities at one London hospital alone.
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And the Financial Times today reported coronavirus deaths in London were doubling every two days, while the toll in Lombardy, Italy has been doubling every three.
Lombardy overtook Wuhan, China, as the most badly hit region in the world after the virus killed 743 people on Tuesday.
Just last week, terrifying footage emerged showing coronavirus patients gasping for air in "bubble helmets" in Bergamo hospitals in Lombardy.
Italy's death toll has already reached 6,820.
And according to The Sun Online's analysis, there have been 143 deaths in the capital - a third of the 422 coronavirus deaths in the UK.
Worryingly, the UK's death toll has risen almost six-fold in just one week. Yesterday's increase of 87 deaths was the largest daily rise yet.
It comes as...
- Fit Brits were last night urged to sign up to a 250,000-strong National Help Service
- The UK death toll jumped to 422 with fears half of Brits could already be infected with the bug
- Seven coronavirus cases have been tracked back to a single football match in England
- Brits have been urged to keep working to help save the economy - but bosses need to keep them safe
- Transport police have been deployed onto rail networks to enforce a ban on unnecessary travel
Meanwhile other large cities have been hit hard by coroanvirus.
Madrid's death toll has doubled every two days - reaching more than 1,500 deaths this week in a figure that is more than half of the national figure.
Meanwhile in New York, deaths are on track to double every day with more than 180 fatalities.
There are now fears that half of the UK population may have already contracted the virus.
University of Oxford research suggested the disease could have become prevalent in the country two months before the first case was diagnosed.
Sunetra Gupta, professor of theoretical epidemiology at Oxford, led the study and says the UK must now increase testing to discover the true stage of the pandemic.
"We need immediately to begin large-scale serological surveys - antibody testing - to assess what stage of the epidemic we are in now,";
The global death toll from the deadly bug has already hit more than 18,000 across the globe.
NHS leaders warned London could run out of intensive care beds in just four days, while ex-Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said there could be one million cases by next week.
Most Brits followed new lockdown rules yesterday after Boris Johnson's plea to stay indoors and work from home in an attempt to stop the spread.
And couples were told to move in together or go celibate.
Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan was blasted for reducing Tube services and causing overcrowding.
A 4,000-BED hospital will also open at the ExCel Centre in London’s Docklands as part of the fight against coronavirus.
And health authorities have called on a new army of 250,000 NHS helpers to help supplement local groups.
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An app allows people to sign up and become an NHS Volunteer Responder.
Mr Hancock said: "We are seeking a quarter of a million volunteers, people in good health, to help the NHS, for shopping, for delivery of medicines and to support those who are shielded to protect their own health.
"The NHS responders is a new scheme set up so that people can come and help and make sure the NHS and the local services that are needed can get all the support that they can."
